Consultant: National / International Management Planner

he Government of the Republic of Mauritius ratified the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) on 17th August 1992. By signing the CBD, the Government agreed to establish a system of protected areas to conserve biodiversity, develop guidelines for the selection, establishment and management of protected areas and promote the conservation of ecosystems, natural habitats and species.  
 
The Project “Partnerships for Marine Protected Areas in Mauritius and Rodrigues” is in line with the objectives of the CBD. The Project, co-funded by the United Nations Development Programme, the Global Environment Facility, and the Government of Mauritius (UNDP/GEF/GoM), aims at improving the management and conservation practices for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within the Republic of Mauritius including Rodrigues, and the equitable sharing of benefits to the local communities and economic operators on a sustainable basis.
 
The Republic of Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean, consists of two main islands, Mauritius (1865 km2) and Rodrigues (110 km2) together with outer islands, namely the St Brandon Archipelago, Agalega and the Chagos Archipelago. The total land area of the Republic of Mauritius is 2 040 km2 with an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.9 million square kilometres.
 
The Republic of Mauritius has, as early as 1987, been engaged in the setting up of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) within its waters through the declaration of Reserves. Thus, progressively over the years, a national network of MPAs has been set up to include fishing reserves, marine parks and marine reserves around Mauritius and Rodrigues, in order to manage, conserve marine resources and bio-diversity and to enhance fish productivity.
 
The project attempts to develop a sense of stewardship among the local communities/stakeholders for the protection of marine resources through their participation in the management planning of the MPAs from the outset. As part of this process, there is a need to reduce pressure on the lagoon while at the same time safeguarding and improving socio-economic conditions.
 
To achieve the set target as laid down, the following are proposed for implementation:

• a management plan needs to be developed for the South East Marine Protected Area (SEMPA) for Rodrigues; and 
• the draft management plans for the Blue Bay and Balaclava Marine Parks, need to be reviewed for Mauritius, with plans reviewed, further developed and updated.

SEMPA Management Plan
 
The Management Planner shall work in collaboration with a SEMPA Working Group set up by the Project Management Unit (PMU) in Rodrigues for inputs and under the guidance of the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA) and the UNDP Project Officer.
 
The SEMPA Working Group will comprise technical staff from the PMU, Rodrigues Regional Assembly Environment Division, Fisheries Protection Service (FPS), Fishing Research and Training Unit, (FRTU) and the NGO Shoals Rodrigues.
 
Duties of the Management Planner

The following list is an indication of the outputs required, but is not an exhaustive list. The final outputs will be agreed between the SEMPA Working Group and the Management Planner.
 
The management planner shall:

• Act as overall planner and facilitator of the SEMPA Working Group
• Act as facilitator, recorder and reporter for activities relating to development of the SEMPA management plan
• Document all key materials for the preparation of the management plan
• Establish the final table of contents of the management plan based on discussions with the key parties
• Conduct site visits of the project areas and consult with local communities and other stakeholders, Government institutions, relevant agencies/bodies or individuals
• Incorporate comments of stakeholders and reviewers into the draft document
• Prepare the management plan (draft and final versions) that will cover proposed management directions for the SEMPA. 

The provisional content of the management plan should include:

• Situation analysis: ecological, social and economic
• Management Strategies (Vision, Mission, Policies)
• Management structure (Organigram, Roles of SEMPA Management Board and its mandate)
• Human Resources management (administrative structure of the SEMPA management unit, roles and tasks, partnership and volunteers schemes)
• Financial management (financial planning and monitoring, fee collection, funds, possible donors or partnership funds)
• Enforcement tools and strategies
• Equipment and infrastructure management
• Monitoring and evaluation plan and tools for natural resources and socio-economic development
• Management of participatory processes (Community Involvement in the SEMPA, Fisher Association, Community Advisory, Council, Community Resource Committee)
• Gender programmes and monitoring tools in the SEMPA
• Conservation strategies (climate and oceanography, geology and geomorphology, hydrology, coastal processes, marine biota, terrestrial biota)
• Tourism management strategy and policies
• Alternative livelihoods programmes
• Communication and awareness strategies and tools: Environment Awareness campaigns, Information centre and Education programmes
• Zones Management
• Marine Resources Management
• Integrated Coastal Management Framework
• Partnerships with other MPAs
• National, Regional and Global Networking (Working Groups)
• Scientific Advisory Committee (providing guidance on SEMPA scientific issues)
• Indicative budget
• 5-year indicative work-plan

2.       Blue Bay and Balaclava Management Plans
 
The Management Planner shall liaise and work in collaboration with the Core Working Group and the two sub-working groups set up by UNDP/Albion Fisheries Research Centre for inputs and under the guidance of the Chief Technical Advisor (CTA), the UNDP Project Officer and the Desk Officer of the Ministry of Fisheries and Rodrigues.
 
The Core Working Group will comprise technical staff of the Albion Fisheries Research Centre, Fisheries Protection Service (FPS), the relevant Ministries/Agencies, and the NGOs working on the marine environment. The two Sub-Working Groups will each include Officers of the Albion Fisheries Research Centre, the NGO of the region, two representatives of the fishermen community of the area as the case may be, a representative of tourism operators, and a representative of the hotels in the area.
 
 
Duties of the Management Planner
 
The finalised outputs for transmission to the Ministry of Fisheries and Rodrigues shall be agreed upon among the Core Working Group, the Chief Technical Advisor, the Management Planner and the Desk Officer.
 
The management planner shall:

• Act as overall planner and facilitator of the Mauritius MPA Working Group (Core and 3 sub-groups)
• Establish the final table of contents of the three management plans based on discussions with the sub-groups and agreement of other key parties.
• Act as facilitator, recorder and reporter for activities relating to the development of management plans for Blue Bay and Balaclava Marine Parks
• Document on all key materials for the preparation of the management plans
• Conduct site visits of the project areas and consult with local communities and other stakeholders, Government institutions, relevant agencies/bodies or individuals
• Incorporate comments of stakeholders and reviewers into the draft document.
• Prepare management plans (draft and final versions) that will cover proposed management directions for the Blue Bay Marine Park and the Balaclava Marine Park. 

The provisional content of the management plan should include:

• Situation analysis: ecological, social and economic
• Develop management strategies (purpose and tenure, policies and goals)
• Management constraints (recreational, commercial and educational)
• Zones Management
• Adjacent land management
• Conservation strategies (climate and oceanography, geology and geomorphology, hydrology, coastal processes, marine biota, terrestrial biota)
• Management of participatory processes 
• Natural resources management 
•  Tourism management strategy and policies
• Human Resources management (technical and administrative structures of both parks, roles and tasks)
• Review of the financial management mechanisms and their monitoring (financial planning and monitoring, fee structure, funds, possible donors or partnership funds)
• Recreation and commercial use strategies elaborating on carrying capacities and limits for resource uses (recreational activities, fishing, aircraft, diving and snorkelling, boating, surface water sports, competitive event, exhibition amongst others)
• Research, monitoring and evaluation strategies
• Facilities and development (moorings, jetties, revetments or other structures)
• Drainage and discharge
• Marine pollution and appropriate plan
• Litter
• Surveillance and enforcement strategies and staffing
• Information, interpretation and education strategies
• Safety and rescue
• Indicative budget
• 5-year indicative work-plan

Submission of Management Plans
 
The Planner shall submit draft report(s) of the management plans for SEMPA, Blue Bay and Balaclava to the core working groups until comment and validation by the groups and other key parties, comments shall be incorporated following which the final reports shall be submitted in five (5) soft and two (2) hard copies to the desk officer of the Ministry of Fisheries and Rodrigues and the Project Manager of the Project Management Unit for SEMPA.

Corporate Competencies

• 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

The candidate shall possess a post-graduate degree in marine resource management or coastal zone management or any other related fields pertaining specifically to marine resource conservation and management with a minimum of 5 years experience in drafting/producing management plans for Marine Protected Areas (MPA).
 
The candidate shall:

• Have proven experience in the management of Marine Protected Areas ;
• Have proven experience in community based resource management;
• Have excellent skills in negotiatiation with stakeholders, and facilitation of workshops and processes
• Have excellent written and spoken fluency in English. Knowledge of spoken French and Creole would be an advantage.

Confidentiality and Ownership
 
The consultant shall treat as confidential, information that comes into his/her possession as a result of, or in the performance of this contract. Any report, research material, data or intellectual property right shall be and remain the property of the Republic of Mauritius.