| Overview : Overview : IC - International Consultant – Environmental Legal Consultant to finalise the Wetland Bill and its associated Regulations under the ' GEF-funded UNDP-supported ‘Mainstreaming Biodiversity into the Management of the Coastal Zone in the Republic of Mauritius’ project. Project Background The objective of the project is to mainstream the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services into coastal zone management and into the operations and policies of the tourism and physical development sectors in the Republic of Mauritius through a ‘land- and seascape wide’ integrated management approach based on the Environmental Sensitive Areas’ (ESAs) inventory and assessment. More specifically, the project will achieve this through a three-pronged approach: - Support the incorporation of ESA recommendations into policies and enforceable regulations pertaining to integrated coastal zone management (ICZM), thereby mitigating threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functions and resilience with a special focus on tourism and physical development in the coastal zone;
- Support the effective management of marine protected areas (MPAs) across the RM, given that they contain an important proportion of critically sensitive ESAs; and;
- Demonstrate mechanisms to arrest land degradation in sensitive locations, focusing on reducing coastal erosion and sedimentation and helping to restore ecosystem functions in key wetland areas.
The Project Management Unit (PMU) has been set up with the recruitment of the Project Manager and Project Assistant since June 2017. This unit is headed by a National Project Director nominated by the Ministry of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping. The full team of the PMU has been reinforced by a Chief Technical Adviser for technical backstopping so as to successfully implement this project. Scope of Work Mauritius joined the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in September 2001 and since then has nominated three Ramsar sites of International Importance. By joining the Convention, Mauritius has committed itself to the conservation and wise use of wetlands and has to reverse the trend of converting wetlands to other uses. However, despite having no significant legal framework, some activities around or inside wetlands are being controlled. To be in line with the Convention to protect and conserve effectively the remaining wetlands in Mauritius, a fully practical and enforceable legal framework is required. The objective of this consultancy is to review the Wetland Bill that has been developed by the National Parks and Conservation Service of the Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security by identifying all gaps and constraints that may pose problems to its implementation and subsequently to recommend suitable and implementable measures to overcome them through a participatory and consultative approach. In doing so, it is expected that the reviewed bill can be finalized and enacted by parliament in order to protect and conserve the Wetlands in the Republic of Mauritius. Duties and Responsibilities: - Be responsible for organization, coordination of all consultancy work with all relevant stakeholders, compilation and timely submission of deliverables;
- Lead the consultation process at national and sectoral level to review, update and finalise the draft Wetlands Bill by putting emphasis on the gaps and limitations of the bill and recommending practical and implementable solutions to them;
- Review existing legislations and policies regarding wetland protection;
- Review extensively the Wetland Bill drafted by the National Parks and Conservation Service;
- Identify all gaps and limitations that may hinder the implementation and enforcement of the Act;
- Recommend practical solutions to all gaps and concerns for the smooth enforcement of the Wetlands Act particularly to practical solutions to wetlands occurring on private lands;
- Draft the final Wetland Bill with the setting up of the institutional framework for enforcing the law;
- Draft the associated Regulations accordingly so as to effectively protect and conserve all wetlands in the Republic of Mauritius;
- Perform any other tasks as may be requested by the National Project Director and Project Manager in relation to the drafting of the main Act.
Deadline for Submission: 12 October 2018 on the UNDP jobs on https://jobs.undp.org/cj_view_jobs.cfm | 
