PROJECT TITLE: BIODIVERSITY FINANCE INITIATIVE – PHILIPPINES

Project Description

Since 2014, The United Nations Development Program through its Biodiversity Finance Initiative (BIOFIN) Project, has been supporting the Philippine Government in articulating the financial resources it needs to maintain a healthy biodiversity portfolio in-country. In particular, BIOFIN in collaboration with the Department of Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau has conducted the following assessments: 1) Policy and Institutional Review (PIR); 2) Public and Private Biodiversity Expenditure Review (PPBER); 3) Assessment of financial needs (cost and gap analysis of implementing Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP)). These assessments significantly contributed to the development of a Biodiversity Finance Plan.

Based on insights gained from the results of the three BIOFIN assessments, this Plan acknowledges the importance of tapping additional financing to support the biodiversity agenda of the Philippines, mainly through its National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP), referred to henceforth in this Plan as the Philippine Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (PBSAP). This Plan is cognizant of the parallel challenges that could not be addressed by generating financing alone: thus, the Plan transcends the focus on generating additional resources and also identifies a range of “finance solutions” that leverage finance, fiscal and economic tools and strategies to improve the outcome of biodiversity objectives in the country. Financing solutions include a range of transformative actions: generating more financing to fund the PBSAP or associated planning documents; appropriate attribution of biodiversity expenditures in the budget; attaining cost effective budget execution by eradicating overlaps in biodiversity functions; eradicating expenditures that continue to or aggravate dissipation of biodiversity resources; and paving the groundwork for a responsive policy environment through greater awareness on biodiversity and biodiversity financing and enhancing institutional support towards monitoring of PBSAP.

One of the finance solutions that is being implemented is the Investment Program for Protected Areas. Included here is assistance to the Mts. Iglit-Baco Natural Park (MIBNP) in implementing selected activities in the protected area management plan (PAMP) and the Tamaraw Conservation and Management Action Plan (TCMAP).

The TCMAP aims at guiding decision makers and conservationists to ensure that the number of tamaraws increases across Mindoro and that each subpopulation reaches a viable level.

In Mts Iglit-Baco Natural Park, this means to expand the existing area available for the species from where it is currently confined inside the core zone of the monitoring (GOAL 5) through increased protection (GOAL 8), habitat restoration (GOAL 6) and developing sustainable land-use system and traditional practices with residing Taubuid communities concerned by tamaraw presence (GOAL 7). This also relates to Program 1 and Program 3 of the MIBNP PAMP.

Those goals emphasize the need to:

1. Organize and monitor the planned phase-out of the DENR managed grassland burning used for the tamaraw counting purpose and establish a habitat restoration plan.
2. Reach agreement and compromise with residing Taobuid communities on their traditional hunting management system based on their cultural and natural resource needs.

The aim and challenge is to:

• Predict and alleviate the risk of the density-dependence effect associated with a shift of habitat management (decrease of carrying capacity of the area for the tamaraw as there will be less new grass shoots at the peak of the dry season if burning is stopped);
• Avoid animal’s dispersion prematurely in peripheral areas which are not yet safe;
• Avert detrimental effects on the cultural identity of IP communities and their means of subsistence.

Therefore, the successful expansion of the area available for tamaraw fits under a bio-cultural landscape approach that requires thorough qualification in social-ecology and biogeography.

The consultant will provide inputs leading to the fulfillment of the TCMAP Sub-goal 5B -Restore Tamaraw presence to its most recent range in the Core Zone of Monitoring (Tamaraw Extended Range 3000-5000 ha) to wit;

1. Validate and delineate the proposed CZM expansion area/ hunting management on the ground with concerned IP communities.
2. Design and agree with IPs a strategy to expand the distribution of Tamaraw following the zonation of the Park.
3. Conduct consultations and implement use and regulation on the agreed zones.
4. Document the current living conditions, land-use system and hunting practices of the IP communities concerned with the CZM Tamaraw range (socio-agro-ecological investigation).
5. Define with concerned communities a traditional hunting management model allowing Tamaraw movement towards targeted areas (including use of traps and fire regime).
6. Design and agree with IPs a strategy to expand the distribution of Tamaraw following the zonation of the Park.

Institutional Arrangement

The BIOFIN Project Manager in coordination with the TCP Coordinator and PASU, MIBNP shall directly supervise the consultant and approve his/her output.

The consultant is expected to liaise/interact/collaborate/meet with the national and global (as necessary) BIOFIN project team, DENR and its units, and UNDP. As needed, the project staff shall provide administrative assistance to her/him in order for her/him to accomplish all requirements.

The project staff including other project consultants, as well as, relevant technical staff shall provide comment on the outputs of the consultant within 2 weeks of the consultant’s submission of his/her outputs. Should there be further comments, the revised output shall be submitted within a week. Should there be no comments, the Project Manager shall endorse the consultant’s output/s for approval.

Based on the table above, outputs will be submitted to UNDP and BMB through the Project Manager in the dates indicated.

UNDP Philippines will not provide a workstation, transportation, or ICT equipment for the consultant.

UNDP Philippines shall be entitled to intellectual property and other proprietary rights over all materials that have direct relation to the project.

Considering the COVID-19 pandemic and declaration of State of Public Health Emergency in the Philippines, all work of the Individual consultant shall be done within the guidelines and protocols set by the local and national government. During the entire duration of the Community Quarantine, this consultancy shall be performed remotely and will be a home-based assignment. The Consultant is expected to have his/her own equipment, office space, and internet connectivity. The Consultant shall not engage in any meetings or activities outside their homes. Coordination/meetings shall be done through phone or online communication until such time that the quarantine is lifted.

The project and the Consultant shall assess, once the Community Quarantine is lifted if it is safe and necessary to have in-person meetings and collaboration.

Duration of the Work, Duty Station and Travel

The Contractor will be engaged from October 2021 to August 30, 2022 unless revised in a mutually agreed-upon timetable by UNDP and the Contractor. Changes in the duration of the contract will be implemented through the issuance of a contract amendment. The consultant is expected to render a total of 60 person-days spread for 10 months.

Duty station: Tamaraw Conservation Programme, San Jose, Occidental Mindoro. The Consultant is not required to report daily at the duty station but shall have an agreed reporting schedule with the project management unit and other relevant UNDP and BMB personnel.

Travel: As may be deemed relevant to the assignment, the Consultant is required to travel within the Philippines. Travels will be endorsed by the Project Manager for approval by the Programme Manager. Travel expenses outside Occidental Mindoro, to be covered by UNDP Philippines, will be agreed prior to travel and a travel report is to be submitted after trips are completed.

Scope of Price Proposal and Schedule of Payments

The Consultant must send a financial proposal based on an all-inclusive lump-sum amount for the delivery of the outputs below. The total amount quoted shall include all cost components required to deliver the goods and services identified above, including professional fees and any other applicable costs (e.g. supplies and materials, communications, etc.) to be incurred by the Consultant in completing the assignment.

The contract price will be a fixed output-based price. Any deviations from the outputs and timelines will need to be agreed on between the Consultant and the Resident Representative effected through a contract amendment. Travel, as deemed relevant by UNDP, will be covered, and arranged by UNDP following UNDP Financial Rules and Regulations.

The Payment terms are as follows:

Scope of Work

The consultant under the supervision of the BIOFIN Project Manager in coordination with DENR TCP Coordinator and MIBNP PAMO staff will:

1. Produce predictive maps of the future land cover profile of the CZM after progressive phase out of fire + prospective on vegetation composition (species rank and diversity) with and without regenerative intervention.
2. Collate, collect, and analyze available secondary data for the habitat restoration plan including but not limited to habitat assessments and relevant studies conducted in the area in collaboration with the Habitat Restoration Specialist.
3. Create a map showing the possible extension of future CZM and tamaraw range, based on the presence or absence of human activities.
4. Analyze habitat pattern of the CZM (vegetation profile, vegetation succession, diversity…) using existing data and results and through site validation. In collaboration with the Habitat Restoration Specialist.
5. Use a GIS software in the flora and soil assessment inside and in the vicinity of the CZM by using remotely sensed data through vegetation and soil indices for the available satellite images including field verification
6. Perform an historical analysis of the dynamic of the vegetation under current intervention management inside the CZM and adjacent IP territories;
7. Attend relevant project meetings and workshops/exercises.

Expected Outputs and Deliverables

Corporate competencies

• Must have strong leadership and project management skills
• Must have an extensive background and understanding of the Philippine DRR, recovery, and resilience policies, programmes, and activities
• Must be detail-oriented
• Has excellent analytic skills especially in understanding complex information to produce evidence-based comparisons and conclusions.
• Excellent written and spoken English is required.

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN's values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality, and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism.

Functional and technical competencies

• Ability to work in a diverse and multi-cultural environment;
• Self-motivated and ability to work under pressure and to meet strict and competing deadlines;
• Displays analytical judgment and demonstrated ability to handle confidential and politically sensitive issues in a responsible and mature manner;
• Demonstrates openness to change and ability to manage complexities

Offers will be evaluated based on the combined scoring method :

• Technical qualifications = 70%
• Financial Proposal = 30%

For the evaluation of the Technical Proposal, the selection of the successful consultant must be based on the following qualifications (with the appropriate obtainable points).

Only applications that will obtain a minimum of 80 out of 100 obtainable points will be qualified for the financial evaluation.

Recommended Presentation of Offer

Interested applicants must submit the following documents/information at UNDP Jobs - 102073- GIS Specialist for Biodiversity Finance Initiative to demonstrate their qualifications. Please group them into one (1) single PDF document as the application only allows to upload of a maximum of one document.

1. Duly accomplished Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability using the template provided by UNDP;
2. UNDP Personal History Form (P11) or Curriculum Vitae (following the template attached) indicating all past experiences from similar projects or requirements, as well as the contact details (email and telephone number) of the Candidate and at least three (3) professional references;
3. Financial Proposal that indicates the all-inclusive fixed total contract price, supported by a breakdown of costs, as per template provided, and clearly stating the payment percentage as indicated in this TOR. If an Offeror is employed by an organization/company/institution, and he/she expects his/her employer to charge a management fee in the process of releasing him/her to UNDP under Reimbursable Loan Agreement (RLA), the Offeror must indicate at this point and ensure that all such costs are duly incorporated in the financial proposal submitted to UNDP.

Note:The above documents need to be scanned in one file and uploaded to the online application as one document.

Interested applicants to note that personal Medical/health insurance (to be purchased by the individual at his/her own expense) is mandatory for the issuance of contracts. Upon award of the contract, the consultant must be ready to submit proof of insurance valid during the contract duration.

The following templates / Annexes and IC General Terms & Conditions can be downloaded from http://gofile.me/6xdJm/bE9TCw8fU:

• General Terms and Conditions for Individual Contract
• Letter of Confirmation of Interest and Availability
• P-11 form

In view of the volume of applications, UNDP receives, only shortlisted offerors will be notified.