Consultants for Mid-Term Evaluation of UNDP/GEF Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity

The project forms a key element of the China Biodiversity Partnership Framework (CBPF). It aims to ensure that global biodiversity conservation values are integrated into the management of Important Ecological Function Areas (IEFAs). Baseline efforts to develop specialized management regimes for such areas provide an opportunity to mainstream biodiversity conservation into the management of significant numbers of important landscapes across China by building on the complementarity and synergies between ecosystems functions conservation and biodiversity conservation. Such a solution would offer an essential complementary element to China’s protected area strategy. The project will work with relevant stakeholders at national, provincial and local levels to address barriers to launching this important management approach and to ensure biodiversity conservation is an integral component. GEF support will focus on ensuring that biodiversity considerations are fully taken into account within this process.

The project will demonstrate mainstreaming in the national-level IEFA to be established in the Headwaters of the Huaihe River Basin (HHRB), a biodiversity-rich, 21,109-km2 area considered a high priority by the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Based on the HHRB pilot experience, the project will seek encourage replication at IEFAs throughout China. Mainstreaming work here will include both at a landscape level and at selected sectoral levels such as in medicinal plants, mining and tourism. The present TORs focus exclusively on the Mid-Term Evaluation of UNDP/GEF Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in the Headwaters of the Huaihe River Basin Project (HHRB Project).

The project goal is that of the CBPF as a whole, i.e., to significantly reduce biodiversity loss in China as a contribution to sustainable development. The project objective is to demonstrate practical mechanisms to mainstream biodiversity in China’s Ecological Function Conservation Areas (EFCAs).

The project consists of four mutually supportive outcomes. Outcome 1 develops the overall framework for mainstreaming ecosystem and biodiversity concerns into governance at the project demonstration site. It establishes inter-sectoral management structures, which help to oversee the development of municipal and county-level plans as well as setting broad ecosystem-function and biodiversity targets for the site. Outcome 2 works directly with key target sectors.

 It assesses and quantifies negative impacts emanating from these sectors, reviews the effectiveness of existing laws, policies, incentives, etc., develops alternative policies and incentive-based programs and, finally, increases awareness and capacities to manage and respond to revised regulations and incentives. Outcome 3 ensures that biodiversity and ecosystem conservation goals are effectively integrated into poverty alleviation efforts; it draws heavily on the lessons emerging from Outcome 2 sectoral-based efforts, while demonstrating approaches to transforming those sectors. Finally, Outcome 4 supports the establishment of lesson learning networks at local and national levels.
 
The project was approved by the GEF Council in 2008 and the Project Document was signed in June 2009, and project was launched on 29 Dec. 2009.

Three main elements to be evaluated are Delivery, Implementation and Finances. Each component will be evaluated using three criteria: Relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and timeliness

 
Project delivery: 

The MTE will assess to what extent the HHRB project has achieved its immediate objectives. It will also identify what outputs, impacts and results have been produced and how they have enabled the project to achieve its objectives. The consultants are required to make assessment of the following issues under each priority area outlined below:

Institutional arrangement :

• Preparatory work and implementation strategies
• Consultative processes
• Technical support
• Capacity building initiatives
• Project outputs
• Assumptions and risks
• Project related complementary activities

Outcome, results and impacts:

• Efficiency of all project activities under the three major components
• Progress in the achievement of the immediate objectives (include level of indicator achievement when available)

Partnerships: Assess the following: 

• National level involvement and perception
• Local partnerships, and involvement of stakeholders
• Collaboration between government, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations 

Risk management:

• Were problems/constraints, which impacted on successful delivery of the project identified at the project design stage and implementation?
• Were there new threats/risks to project success that emerged during project implementation?
• Were both kinds of risk appropriately dealt with?  

Monitoring and Evaluation:

• Assess the extent, appropriateness and effectiveness of adaptive management at all levels of the project implementation
• Has there been a monitoring and evaluation framework for the project and how was this developed?
• Is the reporting framework effective/appropriate?
• Is this framework suitable for replication/continuation by the end of the project?  

Project Implementation:

• Review the project management and implementation arrangements at all levels, in order to provide an opinion on its efficiency and cost effectiveness.  This includes:

Processes and administration:

• Project related administration procedures
• Milestones(Log-frame matrix)
• Key decisions and outputs,
• Major project implementation documents prepared with an indication of how the documents and reports have been useful
• Project oversight and active engagement by UNDP and project steering committee
• Project execution: Xinyang Municipal Government as the executing agency and project sub-executing agencies
• Project implementation: UNDP as the Implementing Agency

 Project Finances:

How well and cost effectively have financial arrangements of the project worked?  This section will focus on the following three priority areas: 

• Project disbursements
• Provide an overview of actual spending against budget expectations
• Critically analyse disbursements to determine if funds have been applied effectively and efficiently. 

Budget procedures

• Did the Project Document provide adequate guidance on how to allocate the budget
• Review of audits and any issues raised in audits and subsequent adjustments to accommodate audit recommendations;
• Review the changes to fund allocations as a result of budget revisions and provide an opinion on the appropriateness and relevancy of such revisions 
• Coordination mechanisms
• Evaluate appropriateness and efficiency of coordinating mechanisms between Implementing agency and executing  agency, UNDP and Xinyang Municipal Government
• Does the HHRB approach represent an effective means of achieving the objectives
• How can the approach be improved

• Demonstrated experience in institutional analysis;
• Excellent English writing and communication skills. Demonstrated ability to assess complex situations in order to succinctly and clearly distil critical issues and draw forward looking conclusions;
• Ability to assess complex situations in order to succinctly and clearly distil critical issues and draw forward looking conclusions;
• Professional experiences in working in China and with Chinese counterparts an asset
• Excellent facilitation skills.

The mid term evaluation team will consist of an international consultant and a national consultant. Both the international and national consultants are expected to have relevant academic qualification and evaluation experiences. In addition, it is desirable that the international and national consultants have as many as possible the following qualifications:

The team should ideally have the following competencies and attributes and expertise in:

• Capacity building and strengthening institutions;
• Post-graduate education in integrated natural resources management, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem services or relevant fields;
• Community-based natural resource management;
• Knowledge of biodiversity conservation, ecological zoning, regulation and policy, etc
• Demonstrated experiences of evaluation of donor-funded development projects, specifically undertaking complex programmatic reviews.

Experience and knowledge:

• Knowledgeable about the relevant policies of the GEF, UNDP reporting frameworks, project requirements;
• GEF principles and expected impacts in terms of global benefits;
• The Principles of the Ecosystem Approach of the Convention on Biological Diversity; and,
• Knowledge to assess fit with CBD work programs and 2010 targets;

 Coppetency in the following is also required:

• Demonstrated experience in institutional analysis;
• Excellent English writing and communication skills. Demonstrated ability to assess complex situations in order to succinctly and clearly distil critical issues and draw forward looking conclusions;
• Ability to assess complex situations in order to succinctly and clearly distil critical issues and draw forward looking conclusions;
• Professional experiences in working in China and with Chinese counterparts an asset
• Excellent facilitation skills.