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Jamaica's biodiversity is threatened on a variety of fronts. The cumulative impacts include the accelerated loss of vulnerable habitats and associated species, the reduction of ecological functionality and the growing insecurity of ecosystem services. As links are broken between remaining natural areas, Jamaica‘s marine and terrestrial ecosystems are becoming ever more fragmented. Opportunities for communities to realize the potential social and economic benefits accruing from biodiversity are lost. These issues are compounded and accelerated by the current institutional capacity that is weak in some areas in ensuring appropriate site and system level protected area management.
Many globally significant species and associated habitats will be lost if overexploitation, habitat conversion, and climate change continue to erode ecosystem functionality. Jamaica is a global conservation priority with more than 1,400 known endemic species. This project‘s efforts will deliver the global benefits associated with a national protected area system better equipped to conserve globally significant, but currently vulnerable, ecosystems and allied species.
No Jamaican protected area currently benefits from a complete and operational financial planning system. Project financing will build financial planning capacity while institutionalizing a process for systematically improving site and financial management based upon a continuing learning cycle. The project will support the formulation of model business plans for 8 pilot protected areas. These site-level business plans will address issues related to strategic generation and allocation of financial resources and will result in much more effective and efficient management. The business planning process will help protected area managers identify innovative and technically sound concepts for generating and administering conservation revenue.
Financial planning will also help coordinate and build synergies between currently disparate management institutions. By project end, each pilot site will have an operational model for sustained and consistent management and financing required for securing biodiversity values.
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Duties and Responsibilities
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In undertaking this assignment, the Consultant is expected to work closely with the Project Management Unit and the Financial Working Group. The Consultant is also expected to work as part of a project team but specifically in coordination with the local Business & Finance Specialist.
Working under the direct supervision of the Project Manager within the framework of this Terms of Reference, the consultant will be required to (at a minimum):
Component 1 – Collaboration with relevant stakeholders
- Develop a detailed Work plan for the delivery of the contracted work
- Collaborate with local business and finance specialist, legal specialists, trust fund expert, public awareness specialist, PA management specialist and relevant stakeholders in order to establish desired synergies for successful outputs
- Develop regional and international relationships with project partners with similar projects
- In conjunction with the local Business and Finance Specialist, participate in stakeholder meetings on business planning and NPAS financial strategy
Component 2 – Business Planning and Income Generation for PAs
- Provide recommendations for the protected areas business planning process ensuring best international experience and practices are applied for the Jamaican context
- In conjunction with the local Business and Finance Specialist, PA managers and/or responsible institutions, provide advice on the implementation schedule for the execution of business plans in 5 key protected areas and assist with its subsequent implementation
Component 3 – System wide Financial Management Strategy
- Design an overall strategy for external fundraising for PAs to include recommendations for the creation of mechanisms to generate protected area funding from tourism and other sectors incorporating international experience and practices
- Using the Sustainable Finance Plan, other identified reliable source(s), and stakeholder consultations, determine the practicability of fundraising schemes identified for the system wide financial strategy and prioritize accordingly
- When developed, review the implementation schedule for the Sustainable Finance Plan incorporating recommendations on best international practices to be applied to the Jamaican context
- Develop a shared analytical accounting system capable of tracking expenditures relative to specific PA management activities and impacts
- Assist the local Business & Finance Specialist in developing the draft National User Fees Framework
- Collaborate with the trust fund expert on potential cash inflows for the Trust Fund and the required mechanisms to facilitate these
Component 4 – Capacity building on Business Planning and Income Generation
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Competencies
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- Excellent analytical skills
- Possess strong communication skills (verbal and written) in English
- Strong interpersonal skills and ability to interface with a wide cross-section of stakeholders including Government Agencies, NGOs, International Development Partners, Multi-lateral and Bi-lateral Agencies and Academic Institutions.
- Proven track record of successful delivery of training programmes
- Be highly motivated and capable of working independently
- Possess computer skills including a working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Power Point and Excel
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Required Skills and Experience
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- Post Graduate Degree in Business Management/Finance
- Minimum 10 years experience in business management
- Relevant international experience in natural resources management, environmental conservation or management of protected areas
- Knowledge of sustainable tourism and “”green” development modalities will be an asset
- Experience with and knowledge of project design and implementation will be an asset
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