Encompassing approximately 20 weeks of work throughout the duration of the PPG and reporting to the PPG Activity Coordinator, the national ‘Leading national BD Expert’ will lead BD mainstreaming and baseline assessment expert. He/she will work in close collaboration with the will work in close collaboration with the international ‘BD Mainstreaming Policy And Capacity Development Specialist’ and the remainder of the PPG team members, and will be responsible for the following work:
i) Describe, analyze and the extent possible map the project’s Delta biodiversity baseline. Conduct detailed biodiversity study (i.e. species, habitats and ecosystem processes, protected areas) with particular focus on unique flora and IUCN Red List. Collect and analyze available ecological data on terrestrial, aquatic, coastal and marine biodiversity, including data on threats, ecosystem services and selected taxa. This study will serve as the up-to-date description of globally significant biological and ecological diversity. This will also result in the elaboration of a preliminary list of and map of “key biodiversity areas” in the Delta;
Note: The collation of baseline information for the project area will primarily involve a desk review of existing data and reports. This will then be supplemented by focused interviews and consultations with key stakeholders. No new field research or surveys will be conducted with PPG funding support.
ii) Produce a minimum set of biodiversity and ecological indicators for the project;
iii) Develop a concise suite of activities to elaborate and operationalize an Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT) under the the full-size project;
iv) Highlight globally significant biodiversity in the Delta region specifically affected or threatened with the O&G development plans. Analyze and document threats and impacts to Delta biodiversity from O&G development plans and operations and their root causes; consider the socio-economic context and barriers to mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into O&G policies, planning and operations; To the extent available data allows, this expert will work with the international O&G Industry Specialist to produce spatial data for assessing impacts linked to O&G on biological resources and fisheries in the Delta. This will include the elaboration of basic maps highlighting the overlap or not of O&G activity and key biodiversity areas;
v) Confirm the spatial extent of the proposed project area.
The lead expert will have overall coordination role among the national experts in collecting and compiling baseline information by other national PPG experts and communicating closely with the international consultants on baseline development matters. In this aspect of the consultant’s work, collaboration with the other national (and international) experts will be required. The work will include the following:
vi) Determine the current spatial distribution of land uses and levels of transformation in the Delta, existing and potential conflicts among land uses affecting conservation objectives;
vii) Analyze O&G development plans, projects, programs and initiatives affecting or impacting Delta biodiversity and offer recommendations to improve the proposed solutions as need be;
viii) Complete the SP-2 Biodiversity Tracking Tool as a baseline for future project M&E at the implementation phase;
ix) Assist the Capacity Development Specialist in carrying out the Baseline Capacity Study with respect to the biodiversity conservation programs, and policies. The study will target the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture (forest reserves) and local government in targeted coastal communities and will contribute to the completion of the UNDP Capacity Assessment Scorecard;
x) Contribute to the completion of the GEF Tracking Tool for BD-SO2 and SP4;
xi) Develop practical, affordable monitoring plan for Delta biodiversity, taking into account that the IBAT capacity and the GEF SP-2 Biodiversity tracking tool.
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