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The GEF has approved a Project Preparation Grant (PPG) for the project ‘Senegal Ecovillages’ in order to produce a UNDP Project Document (PRODOC) and GEF CEO Endorsement Request (both using the appropriate templates) under the guidance of UNDP-GEF and working in close collaboration with key government officials, donors, NGOs, CBOs and the private sector.
The project will be largely based on its Project Identification Form (PIF) approved by the GEF Council in November 2009 within the framework of the GEF’s Strategic Programme for West Africa (SPWA).
The PRODOC (and all ancillary documentation) will need to be submitted to the GEF CEO for endorsement no later than November 2010.
The project’s title is “SPWA- Participatory Conservation of Biodiversity and Low Carbon Development of Pilot Ecovillages at the Vicinity of Protected Areas in Senegal”.
It aims at removing barriers to the effective application of an integrated approach to sustainable use of natural resources, biodiversity conservation, and efficient use of available sources of renewable energy in rural areas of Senegal through the Ecovillage model.
The project, which is expected to mobilize $2.8 million from the GEF and $12.7 million in co-financing to be leveraged, will support the National Ecovillages Programme, launched by the President in 2008.
The project itself has five key components:
- Improved governance framework for the management of biological resources and energy in Ecovillages
- Establishment of demonstration activities in the Ecovillages adjacent to three important protected areas in Senegal
- Systematic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in key end-uses and strategy towards energy self-sufficiency
- Strengthening capacities for carbon sequestration, integrated ecosystem management and nature-based climate change adaptation in territories adjacent to Ecovillages
- Participatory monitoring & evaluation of the project’s performance
The PPG process will focus on the activities necessary for approving and finalizing the proposed project. This will be carried out through the following five PPG activities and sub-activities:
Pilot Site Selection, Socio-economic Analysis and Community Engagement Strategy Development
- Build a national geographically-based Ecovillage database of existing and potential Ecovillages
- Define suitable criteria for the selection of Pilot Ecovillages for the project
- Consultations for site selection
- Ecovillages Survey (socio-economic characteristics, mapping etc.)
- Define initial proposals for the location, polygons and surface coverage for the CNRs
- Define alternative livelihoods activities (Jatropha curcas agrofuel development; mangrove regeneration; development of arboreta and massive afforestation)
- Proposed CNRs will be named, in full consultation with resident communities, and the
- Complete PA Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT)
- PA System Financial Sustainability Scorecard
- Concieve co-management models for CNRs
Baseline Data Collection and Information Gap Analysis
- Identify the current state of ecosystems and status of biological resources in the target PAs (i.e. the core parks and reserves) and in their buffer zones
- Identify direct threats to biodiversity, impacts, and root causes
- Identify threatened species, with particular focus on population, distribution.
- Propose a few but highly central/relevant ecological indicators for the project, establishing the baseline for these targets by end of project
- Propose a functional, feasible and continual biodiversity monitoring system for Ecovillages
- Carry out Baseline mapping studies to identify the boundaries of the target CNRs (state of land use and clearance, water resources, land usage, fauna, transhumance,vegetation, rainfall etc.)
- Rapid rural assessement: resource use, ownership, socio-economic conditions and trends in the target CNRs, potential alternative livelihood options, Jatropha curcas agrofuel development, mangrove regeneration, development of arboreta and massive afforestation
- Define ecological carrying capacities and feasibility of the CNRs for ecotourism, hunting, fishing and harvesting of forest resources
- Determine the energy profile and associated GHG emissions of a typical Ecovillage (“Bilan Carbone”)
- Assess the potential for a low carbon local development at the local level based on the energy and emissions profiles
- On the basis of vegetation maps and existing data on biocarbon sequestration, assess the potential of certain proposed alternative livelihoods activities to sequester carbon, in particular mangrove regeneration, development of arboreta and massive afforestation
- Mapping exercise for determinign the total and potential land available for the development of Jatropha curcas agrofuel within Ecovillages’ territory
- Preliminary feasibility exercise for of Jatropha curcas , considering the implications of proposed plantations for biodiversity and food-security
- Analyse low carbon options for energy services (e.g. solar, solar/wind grids, agrofuel, mini or micro-hydro).
Analyses of Policy and Legal Frameworks and Capacity Gaps
- Analyse the legal, policy and fiscal frameworks relevant for the development and implementation of the Ecovillage model in Senegal (refering to CNRs, energy use, forestry agriculture, water or any other relevant sectors
- Assess the institutional framework: ANEV will be in the centre of the assessment, but it will equally include other government bodies (national and local), NGOs / CSOs, private sector.
- Analyse roles and responsibilities of different stakeholders relevant to the Ecovillage model, in particular, the capacity of local committees, village cooperatives, traditional leaders and other stakeholders, etc.
- Consolidate pledged co-financing and support letters
- Apply UNDP’s Capacity Development Scorecard
- Apply other relevant scorecards of NGOs / CBOs
4. Consolidation of the Ecovillage Model, Assessment of the GEF Increment and Industry Engagement Strategy
- Prepare the strategic document 'National Ecovillage Programme'
- Outline the project project strategy through incremental cost reasoning and cost-effciency analysis
- Prepare preliminary feasibility analyses: (tourism concessions, carbon trading in the voluntary market, briquetting or pelletizing for biomass resources, “energy hubs” , agrofuel, massive afforestation, arboretums, organic agriculture
- Mobilise co-financing from the private sector
Project Costing, Risk Assessment and M&E Planning
- Define global benefits
- Prepare the project logframe and strategy, taking comments from GEF Council, STAP and GEF Sec into consideration
- Identify main implementation partners and modalities, as well as a complementary strategy for partnerships and co-funding
- A learning (adaptive management) plan, including potential lessons and knowledge products
- A replication plan to ensure that project interventions are geared towards ensuring replication, following the removal of barriers
- An analysis of project risks and risk mitigation measures
- Analysis of the social, institutional, economic and financial sustainability of proposed project activities; and
- An overall project Monitoring and Evaluation Plan, with recommendations on how to track the project’s progress and effectiveness, and the baseline and target values on indicators.
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Duties and Responsibilities
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Encompassing 55 effective days (or ~10 weeks) of work throughout the duration of the PPG the Environment Economist Specialist will complete two missions to Senegal complemented by support from home base.
The International Specialist will play a pivotal role in the task of scoping and preparing the GEF project for submission in collaboration with the two other international specialists (the Environment Economist will function as the international team leader), the UNDP/GEF Regional Technical Advisor, the UNDP Country Office Environment Focal Point and the team of national consultants.
This will include structuring and planning PPG implementation, guiding national consultants and being primarily responsible for the writing process (sharing this task with the other international consultants, but leading the process), delivering sound drafts of the key expected products from the PPG (i.e. the PRODOC and the GEF CEO Endorsement Request in English) for the review of the Country Office and the Regional Technical Advisor responsible for the project at UNDP’s Environment and Energy Group (EEG) no later than 20 October 2010. Early drafts are to be presented according to the project’s agreed chronogram. Inputs may still be expected from the incumbent beyond this date and till 12 December 2010.
The consultant will function as the technical team leader and will lead in the production of the following PPG deliverables:
- Consolidation of the Ecovillage Model through the preparation and validation of the Ecovillages’ Strategy Paper
- Assessment of the GEF Increment and conceptualization of the project strategy, also including cost-effectiveness considerations
- Industry Engagement Strategy to aide in the mobilisation of private-sector co-financing to the project; this will be done on the basis of ‘focus papers’ (which are concept notes of max 10 pages each).
More specifically, the focus papers will have as key topics the range of activities that were initially envisaged at PIF stage for public-private partnerships. These include the following:
- Tourism concessions
- Carbon trading in the voluntary market
- Briquetting or pelletizing process for non-woody biomass resources; and/or use of commercially available non-woody biomass fuel briquettes/pellets
- Development of pilot “energy hubs” (refer to PIF for more information)
- Production, development and promotion of use of locally produced agrofuel from Jatropha curcas
- Massive afforestation and the development of arboretums for indigenous species of global importance
- Organic agriculture
The consultant will play a pivotal role in project development by guiding, coaching and assisting other consultants in the production of their deliverables, ensuring the alignment of the project with the best practices in GEF project design. This will include working closely with the Activity Coordinator in structuring and planning PPG implementation, and taking lead responsibility for the drafting of the required documents, namely the UNDP PRODOC and the GEF CEO Endorsement Request, for review by both the UNDP Country Office and the Regional Technical Advisor (RTA) responsible for the project at the UNDP Environment and Energy Group (EEG).
The incumbent is expected to submit weekly a time sheet indicating the number of days worked (broken down to half a day, if necessary). This will serve as a basis for remuneration against the foreseen number of effective working days, in this case 55. Any number of days worked beyond the expected will not be remunerated as extra unless with previous agreement from the UNDP Country Office.
Missions to Senegal
3 mission in total:
- 1st mission of 2-3 weeks in April 2010 with the purpose of guiding national consultants, interacting with the other international consultant and participating in the PPG inception workshop. A field trip will be organized to sites. with the purpose of guiding national consultants, interacting with the other international consultant and participating in the PPG inception workshop. A field trip will be organized to sites.
- 2nd mission of 2 weeks in Jul or Aug 2010 (t.b.d.) with the purpose of advancing in PRODOC writing, wrapping on the key PPG products. Another field visit may also be organized.
3rd mission of 1-2 weeks may be organized in early Oct 2010 for participating in the PPG PRODOC validation workshop.
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Competencies
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- Ability to communicate effectively orally and in writing in order to communicate complex, technical information to technical and general audiences
- Skill in negotiating effectively in sensitive situations
- Skill in achieving results through persuading, influencing and working with others
- Skill in facilitating meetings effectively and efficiently and to resolve conflicts as they arise
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Required Skills and Experience
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- Extensive knowledge of environmental issues from an economic perspective, which may include both climate change mitigation and energy services’ issues, as well as biodiversity conservation, protected areas and land-use planning.
- Extensive knowledge of sustainable development issues within the context of feasibility of economic activities within the rural milieu; sustainable development including several dimensions and aspects, in particular as energy use, land use-planning, conservation etc.
- Previous experience with GEF development projects is an important qualification for this position
- Hold an advanced degree in a relevant field economics with specialization in environmental issues broadly speaking.
- Have at least 8 years of proven experience in the mentioned field; and
- Demonstrated track record of relevant production in the mentioned area (publications, project proposals, reports)
- Mastery of oral and written English is a requirement
- Working knowledge of French is a plus
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