Consultant - Community and Impact Strategic Advisor, Eastern Plains Landscape (Remote Location)

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a US non-profit organization established in 1895 and based in New York, that saves wildlife and wild places by understanding critical issues, crafting science-based solutions, and taking conservation actions that benefit nature and humanity. With a presence in more than 60 nations, and experience helping to establish over 150 protected areas across the globe, WCS has amassed the biological knowledge, cultural understanding and partnerships to ensure that vibrant, wild places and wildlife thrive alongside local communities. In the Greater Mekong WCS has country programs in Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam and is managed through a dispersed regional network with a hub in Bangkok.

PROJECT OVERVIEW:

Since 2003, WCS has provided technical and financial assistance to the management of Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary (KSWS) in the Eastern Plains Landscape. The Keo Seima REDD+ Project, which covers the core Zone of KSWS, is Cambodia’s flagship REDD+ project. It was the first large REDD+ project developed in Cambodia, the first to receive a multi-million-dollar carbon sale, and it is the longest running. In the ten years since it started, the project has demonstrated that emissions reductions can be achieved while maintaining a gold rating for benefiting local communities. The new five-year strategic plan for KSWS places understanding and influencing the behaviour of key stakeholders at the centre of all activities being implemented at the site. Under this plan, the position of Social Engagement Research TA will be created to address key knowledge gaps regarding the drivers and mechanisms of the principal threats facing KSWS, the achieved impact of current activities, the potential impact of planned activities and the scope for development of new activities. This consultancy position will play a crucial role in the adaptive management of existing interventions and the development of new approaches to address emerging threats. The role of the Community and Impact Strategic Advisor will be to provide technical oversight and support the activities of the Social Engagement Research TA.

SERVICE DELIVERABLE AREAS:

The Consultant will oversee efforts to increase the impact of interventions being implemented at Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary and to address key knowledge gaps. The major deliverables required from the consultant is mainly to:

a)       Inform the design of existing and new activities to address direct and indirect threats identified in the program theory of change;

b)      Manage external partners in the completion of key standalone research packages;

c)       Institute and support a regime of targeted impact assessment and adaptive management.

The Consultant will support the strategic plan for KSWS by bridging key knowledge gaps and supporting other team leads to embed the insights gained into the implementation of site-based activities. A key function of these roles will be to develop a process by which the impact of existing activities can be tested such that iterative improvements can be made to the design of these activities. In this way, support and technical insights will be delivered to other units as required

Main deliverables required from the consultant would include to:

1. Develop an integrated compliance system to inform REDD+ Benefit Sharing and other livelihood interventions in KSWS.
2. Undertake a review of existing social monitoring programmes for REDD+ projects supported by WCS in Cambodia.
3. Lead the implementation of the 2022 KSWS REDD+ social impact assessment.
4. Establish and liaise with a scientific advisory committee to critically evaluate and advise on implementation of the five-year strategic plan.
5. Review and update of the existing KSWS REDD+ Benefit Sharing strategy to maximise benefits for REDD+ communities and provide transparent, equitable and effective incentives to reduce forest clearance.
6. Review current community engagement in KSWS, including an investigation of current perceptions of conservation among REDD+ communities.
7. Design and implementation of an ongoing programme of stakeholder analysis within REDD+ villages to facilitate adaptive management.
8. Lead the identification and development of opportunities for new interventions to address emerging threats and increase the impact of WCS activities in the Eastern Plains Landscape.
9. Advise on and support the implementation of key work packages in collaboration with external research partners, for example:
   1. Investigate potential for and local interest in a cashew-based incentive program for KSWS;
   2. Investigate dynamics of land sales and speculation;
   3. Conduct research to understand how debt influences household decisions regarding deforestation;
   4. Investigate the efficacy of potential solutions to reduce hunting in KSWS.
10. Foster an understanding within the Eastern Plains Landscape management team of adaptive management and iterative testing approaches to improving the impact of existing interventions.
11. Build capacity within the Eastern Plains Landscape management team of behavioural science-informed approaches to influencing behaviour.
12. Report and proposal writing as well as to identify additional potential funding opportunities to leverage external resources.
    

KEY REPORT SUBMISSION AND TIMELINES:

Based on the above main deliverable areas, the Consultant is required to submit report(s) per the following requirements and timelines:

1. Social monitoring review
1. Final report detailing findings of review and recommended strategy for rationalising and refreshing the social monitoring design across the two REDD+ landscapes

1. Social monitoring database

Timeline to submit report: April 2022

1. Social impact assessment
   1. Social impact assessment report
   2. Raw data and analysis codes used in assessment

Timeline to submit report: End September 2022

1. Integrated compliance system
   1. Compliance review report
   2. Updated procedures manual for the Compliance Unit
   3. Compliance database

Timeline to submit report: End 2022

1. Scientific advisory panel established

Timeline to submit report: End 2022

PAYMENT SCHEDULE:

Upon submission of each report, WCS will proceed with the applicable payment per the below schedule:

• Payment 1 – 25% fee on contract signing
• Payment 2 – 25% fee on completion of deliverable 1
• Payment 3 – 25% fee on completion of deliverable 2
• Payment 4 – 25% fee on completion of deliverables 3 and 4
  

REQUIREMENTS:

Consultant should meet the following requirements:

• At least ten years’ experience in intervention design and/or evaluation in a relevant sector. Experience of working in Mekong region and Cambodia preferred.
• Strong experience of independently managing social research programs. 
• Proven ability to apply scientific insights to assess and increase the impact of behavior change interventions.
• Demonstrate a commitment to rights-based approaches to conservation.
• Ability to produce clear and concise reports and presentations.
• Strong record of publishing in high-impact scientific journals.
• Experience in training/capacity building.

Interested consultant who meet the above qualifications should apply by emailing an application letter and CV (by combining into single PDF file) together with consultancy rate requirements and the names and contact information of three references to cambodiahr@wcs.org.

About WCS contact address:

House No. 21 Street 21, Sangkat Tonle Bassac, Khan Chamkarmon, Phnom Penh, Phone: 023 217 205