| In accordance with the project document, feasibility of establishing concession system in protected areas of SPAN “Strengthening Protected Area Network in Mongolia” Project implemented through the Ministry of Environment and Green Development is to be undertaken in 2013. The project started on the January 1st, 2011 and is in its third year of implementation. This Terms of Reference (TOR) sets out the expectations for this assignment.
The essentials of the project to be reviewed are as follows:
Project Title: Strengthening of the Protected Area Network in Mongolia
UNDP Project ID: PIMS 4180
Project financing (at endorsement (Million US$)
GEF financing: 1,363,630
IA/EA own: 700,000
Government: 500,000
Other: GTZ: 1,000,000
Total co-financing: 2,922,858
Total Project Cost in cash: 2,063,630
Denver Zoological Society: 500,000
WWF Mongolia: 222,858
Country: Mongolia
Region: Central Asia
Focal Area: Biodiversity
GEF Focal Area Strategic Program: Sustainable Financing of Protected Area Systems at the National Level (SP 1)
Executing Agency: Ministry of Environment and Green Development (MEGD)
Other Partners involved:
ProDoc Signature (date project began): 6 September 2010
Planned closing date: 1 December 2015
Revised closing date: 1 December 2015
PROJECT BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND OBJECTIVES:
Located at the crossroads of the Central Asian Steppes, the Siberian Tundra and the Gobi Desert, Mongolia hosts a range of globally important biodiversity. Unfortunately, the country’s biodiversity is also under significant pressure- especially from the region’s economic growth, hunting, logging, land degradation, and increasingly mining and climate change. The protected areas of Mongolia have been significantly expanded, with the numbers reaching more than 90, totalling 28 mill. ha, or 17.8% of the country’s surface. However, capacities and resources for protected area (PA) management have not kept pace with the expansion of PAs, resulting in a situation where most PAs in Mongolia suffer from inadequate resources to conserve important species and habitats they are supposed to protect.
To improve the effective management and financing of the PA system, Mongolia’s Ministry of Environment and Green Development (MEGD) is cooperating with UNDP on a PA network strengthening project. The project works towards overcoming staff, institutional and systemic financial and operational barriers, and developing and deploying new management and budget models, allowing for improved management and resource administration of the PA system. Demonstration models are being piloted in two protected areas, one Nature Reserve and one National Park covering 3 Aimags (provinces); Dornogovi, Uvurkhangai and Arkhangai. On the national level the project supports MEGD to develop improved policies on PA management and financing, including revision of PA and buffer zone laws, and other PA related policy and programmes, and development and adoption of guidelines on management and business plan development. Local governments, civil society organizations, and academia are also involved in the project in order to improve coordination, collaboration, planning and financing of PAs.
The Project Objective is to catalyze the management effectiveness and financial sustainability of Mongolia’s PAs system. The current annual revenues to the National PA system is approximately US$2.5million. The project will develop the management and financial capacity of MEGD and strengthen the partnerships between PA authorities and local communities, local government, NGOs and the private sector to achieve the long-term sustainability of PA financing to allow Mongolia to cover the financing gap. The current gap in funding requirements for the Mongolia PA system would range from US$5 million to US$7.5 million.
Three outcomes will contribute to this objective:
Objective/outcomes:
Objective: To catalyze the management effectiveness and financial sustainability of Mongolia’s protected areas system.
Indicators Target by end of project with the baseline as 2009 (unless specified otherwise).
UNDP Financial Scorecard- Total Score: 40% [1]UNDP Capacity Scorecard- Total Score: 70%
Level of financing for PA system- Total PA system level financing increases by at least $3 million/year (>100% increase). At least 1 meaningful system wide finance mechanism in place (e.g. landing fee, mining mitigation) combined with optimized PA site level revenues.
Outcome 1: Strengthened National policy, legal and institutional frameworks for sustainable management and financing of national PA system
Indicators Target by end of project with the baseline as 2009 (unless specified otherwise),
UNDP Financial Scorecard component 1: “Legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks”- Score (percentage) at the end of the project is at least 45%
UNDP Capacity Scorecard components related to: “Capacity to conceptualize and formulate policies, legislations, strategies and programmes”- Score (numeric) at the end of the project is at least 7.0 (approx. 75%)
Outcome 2: Institutional and staff capacity and arrangements are in place to effectively manage and govern the national PA system.
Indicators Target by end of project with the baseline as 2009 (unless specified otherwise),
UNDP Capacity Scorecard components related to: “Capacity to implement policies, legislation, strategies and programmes”- Score (numeric) at the end of the project is at least 30.0 (approx 60%)
Outcome 3: Sustainable financing mechanisms and innovative collaboration approaches demonstrated at 2 PA demonstration sites.
Indicators Target by end of project with the baseline as 2009 (unless specified otherwise),
UNDP Financial Scorecard component 3: “Tools for revenue generation”- Score (percentage) at the end of the project is at least 35%
Management Effectiveness of PAs totaling approximately 850,000 ha (METT)- Scores at (percentage) the end of the project are at least: Ikh Nart: 75%; Orkhon: 55%
|
|
OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
Consistent with the global trend, protected areas in Mongolia are financed primarily from the public funds, relying on a mix of state budgets, income from entrance fees, very rare tourism activities and donor aid to support management costs.
Assessments by WWF and UNDP in, 2009, have identified insufficient financial and human resources, and a sound policy framework to manage the protection of ecosystems and the services they provide, is a common problem for protected areas in Mongolia,. Estimates show there is a $7.5 million financial gap for PA management.
In addition, policy makers and the public have limited access to knowledge on PA values, leading to great challenges in obtaining wider political and financial support for effective protection of biodiversity within PAs as well as for PA expansion. This has also meant that local “development” decisions are often made that are detrimental to PAs – such as mining concessions or over-stocking of domestic animals adjacent to PAs.
Looking beyond tourism and entrance fee-related revenues there are a number of other revenues currently realized, such as “Land use fee”. There is no legal revenue generating "concessions" in a traditional sense in Mongolia. PAA Directors need to focus on negotiations with local authorities to secure percentages of land fees for PA management. This is a clear opportunity for increasing PA-level revenues.
Institutionally, the PAAD has extremely limited capacity to grow and develop new revenue streams, and to tackle the above challenges.
Within this framework the project is seeking to develop both traditional (tourist fees, land fees, etc.) and non-traditional (tourism and other ecosystem services concessions and biodiversity offsets from mining or other private sector activities, sustainable products, markets for ecosystem services, and other collaborative partnerships to offset costs and raise funds) sources of revenues for the PAs. These new mechanisms will not diminish state budget allocations instead they will fill the financial gap. In order to inform the development of new financing options, resulting in increased funds (i.e. concessions in PAs, mining royalties, departure taxes, etc), there is a need to conduct the PA system level valuation.
Simultaneously, the introduction of a robust concessions system will directly support income generation in PAs. This will require legal and policy changes, role clarification will be needed between national and local government. An effective concession system for land and natural resources within the PAs can help manage over-commercialization in some parks and under development in others.
Expertise is required to fulfill the knowledge gap regarding the tourism and other types of concession system establishment within protected areas. Findings and products from this will form, The Concession Strategy for Mongolia’s Protected Area System and this will also contain a detailed implementation plan/programme which will serve as a basis for further revision and necessary amendment of Laws on Protected Areas and Buffer Zone and other related policy and legislation, as well as related new policy guidance and rules enabling an effective management and financial framework for the PA system.
SCOPE OF THE CONSULTANCY:
Through the consultancy, the key objective will be achieved: Explore the feasibility of tourism, ecosystem services and other types of concessions in protected areas which directly contribute enhanced protected area management, and developPA concession strategy with plans for pilot development/implementation of concessions for the PA System of Mongolia. This will include comprehensive assessment to be conducted at two project sites and proposed implementation mechanisms with estimated income projections.
Based on international experiences and lessons and based on Mongolia’s condition and within the framework of this TOR, the consultant is expected to perform the following duties:
A concession strategy that will inform the project, the government and stakeholders on how to develop and implement a contemporary concession framework in Mongolia's protected areas by:
- Reviewing relevant laws, regulations and policies, recommending a list of pragmatic changes (if any) and specific legal provisions that can be implemented during the course of the project to establish a new concession system and to manage both over development in some parks and under- investment in other protected areas.
- This would also include defining the objectives of a new concession system, reviewing PAAD processes, processing methods, decision-making systems, tools, staff skills and capacity within PAAD (who would be charged with the implementing a new system).
- To do this effectively the successful consultant should benchmark this new system against several international examples and best practices.
- When designing this new system the consultant must fully engage the existing PAAD staff, tourism staff and other potential parties to ensure their buy-in and subsequent actions.
Some consideration of what concession activities could be most worthwhile for PAAD so they know which activities are worth investing in first. (note, concessions produce more than financial benefits i.e. tourism includes recreation, safety and environmental education, grazing includes local livelihoods and weed control, so this comparison may be difficult except at a purely financial level).
The identification of viable business opportunities that can be tendered to the tourism business sector in the projects two demonstration sites. The consultant identifies at least five - eight viable opportunities by:
- Identifying the optimal (low impact, high yield) tourism products that communities and/or private operators could invest in.
- Quantify the potential direct financial and economic benefits (jobs, income, investment returns and multiplier effects)
- Ensure that these opportunities lay within the so called carrying capacity of the proposed park, its wildlife and surrounds.
- Test the viability of these opportunities with a range of private sector operators and investors
- Describe how these opportunities (and any constraints) should be packaged and taken to market so as to obtain the optimum yield for PAAD.
- Draft a prospectus of these opportunities so that they can be tendered by PAAD
Increase understanding of concessions, implementation mechanisms in PAs, best practices and challenges in other countries involving representatives from government and non-government institutions, local authorities, academia and private sector.
- Conduct a training session targeting practitioners to enhance their understanding the requirements, potential and benefits of the PA concession system;
- Conduct a training session for decision makers across different sections of the Government in order to enhance their understanding on the potential of a PA concession system in the country and to generate high-level interests and discussion.
- Provide technical support for a national workshop on this topic to cultivate buy-in for the action plans at the highest possible level
DELIVERABLES OF THE ASSIGNMENT:
May 2
- Work plan and methodology and approach of the assignment
- Training agenda
May30th
- First Mission Report
- Draft report with the strategy on implementing contemporary concession framework in Mongolia and identification of viable business opportunities that can be tendered to the tourism business sector in the projects two demonstration sites
June 25th
- Final report of the assignment, including final strategy on implementing contemporary concession framework in Mongolia and identification of viable tourism opportunities through concessions in the project two demonstration sites.
IMPLEMENTATION ARRANGEMENTS:
The principal responsibility for managing this assignment resides with the UNDP Country Office (UNDP CO) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The UNDP CO will contract the consultants and ensure the timely provision of per diems and travel arrangements within the country for the review team. The SPAN project team will be responsible for liaising with the review team to set up stakeholder interviews, arrange field visits with missions to the Orkhon Valley, Ikh Nart reserve and other PA.
TIMEFRAME:
The duration of consultancy service will be for 20 working days within 2 months starting from 25 April till 25 June 2013. For the international expert, one mission will be in Ulaanbaatar, the capital city, for 14 days (needs to be agreed upon selection of the Consultant).
- Desk review and Preparation of training materials 25 April - 2 May (5 working days)
- Field visit, trainings on PA concession,
- draft assignment report and PPP
- for the national seminar on concession 10 – 30 May (14 working days)
- Finalization of final report and PPP 14 June – 25 June (6 days)
The Activity Time frame is over 8 weeks from 25 April to 25 June, with total of 20 working days (5+14+6) from which 14 days to be spent in Mongolia.
TEAM COMPOSITION:
The international consultant will be supported by one national expert.
The international consultant will be responsible to UNDP Mongolia, and will report to the National Project Director (NPD), UNDP, and the Project Implementing Unit (PIU) on the status of the work.
PAYMENT MODALITIES AND SPECIFICATIONS"
Tentative schedule and payment conditions for the above-mentioned deliverable are given as follows:
- 1st Installment, upon submission and acceptance of the work plan, methodology, approach of the assignment and training materials
- 2nd Installment, upon submission and acceptance of Draft report with the strategy on implementing contemporary concession framework in Mongolia and identification of viable business opportunities that can be tendered to the tourism business sector in the projects two demonstration sites, along with the draft Power point presentation (PPP) for national seminar on concession
- Final Installment, upon submission and acceptance of Final synthesis report of the assignment, including final strategy on implementing contemporary concession framework in Mongolia and identification of viable tourism opportunities through concessions in the project two demonstration sites and the PPP.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Recommended Presentation of Proposal:
- Introduction about the consultant/CV;
- Proposed methodology and workplan (max 1 page);
- Financial proposal, including proposed fee and all other travel related costs (such as flight ticket, per diem, etc.)
Criteria for Evaluation of Proposal:
The selection will be made based on the educational background and experience on similar assignments. The price proposal will weigh as 30% of the total scoring.
|
