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Title

International Consultant: Expert on Environmental Economics, With Experience in Climate Change Adaptation Costing
Posted
Reference   (Please mention Stopdodo/Environment Jobs in your application)
Sectors
Location Albania - Europe
Town/City Home-based with missions in Tirana, ALBANIA
Type Temporary / Contract / Seasonal
Status Full Time
Level Mid Level
Deadline 18/02/2010
Company Name United Nations Development Program
Contact Name Human Resources
Website Further Details / Applications
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Description
The Drini and Mati River Deltas (DMRD) are 2 of 3 deltas in the northern Adriatic coast which harbors significant biodiversity values. Based on assessments of impacts of climate change, including variability, the DMRD has been identified as a region of critical vulnerability to climate change and variability. Climate change scenarios for Albania have predicted an increase in sea surface temperature and sea level rise of up to 61 cm. This is expected to place additional stress on marine and littoral biodiversity as well as livelihoods of local communities. Climate change, including variability, could undermine biodiversity conservation efforts under the protected area regime in the DMRD. Currently, there are no efforts underway to address climate change impacts on the DMRD ecosystem. However, due to the importance assigned to the target ecosystem the government plans to expand already existing network of protected areas to cover the entire region of Shëngjini (from Kune-Vain to Tale to River Mati to Patok to Fushë Kuqe to River Ishmi). This calls for consideration of climate change impacts to these efforts.
 
The overall development goal of this project is to assist Albania in establishing a mechanism by which strategies to moderate, cope with, and take advantage of the consequences of climate change are enhanced, developed, and implemented. The specific objective of the project is to build adaptive capacities in the DMRD to ensure resilience of the key ecosystems and local livelihoods to climate change. One of the main outcomes to achieve this objective is to develop capacities to monitor  and respond to anticipated climate change impacts in the DMRD at the institutional and community levels.
 
Further background information on climate change issues can be obtained from the UNDP Climate Change Programme in Albania website at http://www.ccalb.org/.
 
Specific background information for the assignment:
 
An important project component is to make data readily available for informed adaptation decision-making, expected to run in parallel with identifying adaptation measures, through the vulnerability and risk assessment analysis. This is to both ensure the cost-effective choice of Pilot Adaptation Measures within later project stages and to build capacity for on-going adaptation decision-making in Albania. As a result, costing the proposed Pilot Adaptation Measures will be an important immediate input into the project. In addition, the tools developed will support on-going adaptation decision-making efforts.
 
Currently, environmental economics approaches are not widely used in Government decision-making in Albania. Consequently, the role of the international expert on environmental economics (with experience in climate change adaptation costing), will also involve mentoring a national counterpart (environmental economics expert) and delivering a training programme to members of the broader project team and key project stakeholders.
 
Objective of the assignment:
 
The key assignment objective is for an expert in this field to lead the environmental economics component of the project’s vulnerability and risk assessment process, including the development of costings for climate change adaptation options. With support from the national counterpart, this will require the consultant to:
  • Convert the physical impacts of climate change into monetary values, using environmental economics techniques (physical impacts will be identified through a structured vulnerability and risk assessment process, lead by other project experts);
  • Calculate the resource cost of adaptation options;
  • Complete a cost-benefit analysis of adaptation options; and
  • Choose the preferred Pilot Adaptation Measures, taking into account risks and uncertainties.
In addition, the international expert on environmental economics will be responsible for ensuring that the methods and tools developed during the assignment are effectively shared with interested national stakeholders. Consequently, the international expert on environmental economics will be responsible for delivering a training program on climate change adaptation costing. The training programme will target key stakeholders within national and regional government departments.
 
The international expert on environmental economics will also work closely with the other Project Experts (PE’s) and consultants, under the overall supervision and guidance of the Project Coordinator.

 

Duties and Responsibilities
The successful applicants’ responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
  • Review the existing methods and tools for costing climate change adaptation options with specific reference to coastal systems (in conjunction with the national counterpart). The review should analyze approaches to climate change adaptation costing used within Annex I Parties to the UNFCCC and those either used, or proposed to be used, within non-Annex I Parties. In addition, approaches to climate change adaptation costing currently applied with the European Union should be reviewed;
  • Advise on the most appropriate economic assessment methods for DRMD climate change adaptation costing assessment. This advice should be based on the outcomes of the review (above), together with advice provided by the national expert team;
  • Advise on data collection requirements to inform adaptation costing activities;
  • Undertake a first mission to Tirana and the DRMD (planned for mid 2010), to:
    1. define methods to be used to undertake the cost-benefit analysis for adaptation options in the DRMD;
    2. undertake data collection activities; and
    3. deliver an environmental economic assessment training course, with respect to climate change adaptation costing, to selected representatives of key stakeholders within national and regional government departments (estimated number of participants 15-20).
  • Prepare the Adaptation Measures economic assessment estimation report (in conjunction with the national expert), based on outputs from the vulnerability and risk assessment. This should include costs of anticipated impacts on the DRMD system; for example, cost of land loss, damage to infrastructure, forced retreat etc. The report will include costs and benefits of proposed adaptation measures, and will help the project build a solid and justifiable case for adaptation;
  • Undertake a second mission to Tirana to present findings of the climate change adaptation costing work undertaken and to be involved in a roundtable for the selection of adaptation options (planned for mid 2011), to promote diffusion of knowledge on economic assessments of climate change to national experts working in other Albanian coastal regions; and
  • Prepare a final report (in conjunction with the national counterpart), on climate change adaptation costing activities, specific to DRMD, that summarizes all project components.
List of deliverables and timeline:
 
The deliverables for this assignment include, but are not limited to the following:
 
Deliverable 1:
 
Review Report on existing methods and tools used for the costing of climate change adaptation options, with specific reference to coastal systems in non-Annex I parties to the UNFCCC and the European Union and their application in Albania, given inherent national capacity constraints (2 months after signing the contract).
 
Deliverable 2: 
 
Report on the optimal economic assessment methods related to climate change adaptation costing assessment within the DRMD, including a detailed work plan for data collection and mentoring/support of the national counterpart (6 months after signing the contract).
 
Deliverable 3:
 
Economic Assessment Estimation Report on adaptation measures that details costs and benefits of adaptation measures identified through the DRMD vulnerability and risk assessment (prepared together with the national counterpart). The Report is to detail the costs of proposed Pilot Adaptation Measures in the DRMD (12 months after signing the contract).
 
Deliverable 4:
 
Provide an environmental economics assessment training programme with selected representatives of key stakeholders, including the delivery of training presentations and development of support materials (14 months after signing the contract).
 
Deliverable 5:
 
Report on the costing of prioritized adaptation measures in the DMRD, including costs and benefits (in conjunction with the national counterpart) (18 months after signing the contract).
 
Deliverable 6:
 
Final Project Report on climate change adaptation costing activities, specific to the DRMD, as per the requirements outlined in this ToRs, including recommendations on the mainstreaming of economic assessment approaches in Albania (in conjunction with the national counterpart) (22 months after signing the contract).
 
Timeline and implementation arrangements:
 
The total assignment duration will be up to 50 working days for the period 5 March 2010 to 30 December 2011. The assignment will be accomplished working in conjunction with the national counterpart and will involve at least two missions to Albania.
 
The successful consultant will work in consultation with the other Project experts (PE’s) and consultants in selecting the adaptation planning process. The expert will report directly to the Project Coordinator.
Throughout the assignment, the successful consultant will provide online technical support and advice as per the aforementioned tasks.

 

Competencies
  • Understanding of adaptation costing approaches used in EU is preferred
  • Extensive conceptual and practical knowledge of climate change adaptation costing methods and tools
  • Demonstrated ability of analytical and drafting work
  • Demonstrated ability to conduct training programmes
  • Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
  • Familiarity with computers and word processing
  • Fluency in English

 

Required Skills and Experience
  • A University degree in economics, environmental science or other related disciplines
  • Minimum 5 years working experience in environmental economics and climate change adaptation costing
  • Working experience in climate change adaptation costing in coastal systems is preferred;
  • Working experience in both non-Annex I and Annex I countries on climate change adaptation costing is preferred
  • Working experience with local stakeholders
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