To prepare the review of the existing situation of the National Protected Area System. To undertake the capacity needs assessment and identify corresponding actions on strengthening the National Protected Area System on the basis of the prepared review and taking into account the international experience in similar environmental, social-economic and legal conditions with comparable threats to biodiversity. Under each outcome the IE will be responsible for the following:
Outcome 1: The Master Plan for Protected Area System of Uzbekistan is guiding the expansion Output 1.1 Progressive changes in legislation are realized and required implementing regulations are developed: - Assist the national technical advisor on developing ToRs for reviewing the legal and regulatory framework for strict nature reserves.
Output 1.2. Assessment of the representation and ecological gaps: 1. Assist with the development of ToRs for national consultants for: - Assessing and mapping the types of habitats in Uzbekistan, and the extent to which they are endangered or threatened;
- Assessing and mapping the species distributions for endemic and threatened taxa (where practicable);
- Assessing and mapping spatial surrogates of ecological and evolutionary processes (such as highland-lowland gradients as a surrogate for movement of biota and response to climate change);
- Mapping the different categories of protected areas;
- Defining and mapping the current, and projected, degree of landscape transformation; and
- Setting explicit quantitative conservation targets for habitats and species.
Output 1.3. Development of a PA Expansion Plan - Describe the current protected area system context and briefly summarizing global reviews of best practice in protected area establishment, planning and management;
- Work with national technical advisor and the national stakeholders to advice on establishing short- and long-term spatial targets for a representative protected area network design;
- Developing a standard approach to the establishment of protected areas, including drafting an agreed set of minimum standards which different categories of protected areas must meet to be incorporated in the National Protected Area System;
- Identifying a set of common broad management principles for protected areas, which embody contemporary thinking on protected area management, to ensure the on-going maintenance and management of their primary biodiversity and heritage conservation values;
- Identifying the role of the various stakeholders (communities and private sector) in protected area establishment and management;
- Identifying the reporting requirements to monitor management effectiveness of protected areas and the protected area system;
- Supporting the national technical advisor on Collating all the information into a ‘Master Plan for Protected Area System of Uzbekistan”.
Output 1.4 PA Financing Plan in place and screening tools for feasibility of financial mechanisms The international expert in close cooperation with the national technical advisor and stakeholders will provide the relevant institutions responsible for protected areas with the tools to identify and implement a range of affordable and sustainable financing options and mechanisms that could fund the planning and management of the protected area network. The international expert shall: - Assist the national technical advisor on developing ToRs for national experts for financial planning and assessment;
- Provide technical and advisory assistance to national experts for identification the current financing mechanisms for protected areas in Uzbekistan and lessons learnt from their implementation;
- Assist the national technical advisor for identification the range of appropriate financing mechanisms for the protected area network;
- Advise national expert team on developing of a broad financing plan for the protected areas network, and a detailed financing plan for individual protected areas (on a piloted, prioritized basis only).
Outcome 2: Strengthened institutional and individual capacity to enable expansion and improved management effectiveness Output 2.1 Coordination among agencies responsible for biodiversity and PA management strengthened The international expert will assist the national technical advisor for assessment the effectiveness of the current institutional arrangements for protected area management. The international expert on the basis of assessment will prepare recommendations for strengthen the current protected area institutions; enable better integration of different spheres of governance; optimize opportunities for co-management; develop partnerships; and support co-operative governance structures. The international expert shall: - Assist on developing ToRs for national consultants for reviewing the current institutional arrangements for protected area management;
- Conduct review equivalent global best practice in the institutional arrangements for protected areas management, and their efficacy in the Uzbekistan context;
- Support national expert team for identification of options for the national planning, coordination, supervision, monitoring and auditing of protected areas, with recommendations for confirming or reforming the current institutional arrangements;
- Assist the national technical advisor for identification of options for the co-operative governance structures for the protected area network and individual strictly nature reserves;
- Assist the national technical advisor for identification options for operational partnerships in protected area management with practical guidelines and tools based on a best practice review;
- Prepare the project the anticipated human resource capacity needs (staffing, skills, competence levels, knowledge) at the different institutional levels;
- Define the requisite resources (financing), training and development requirements to address the capacity gaps.
Output 2.2. Business and management planning for Protected Area staff:
The international expert will provide assistance to the national technical advisor for identification of approach to the drafting, and formatting, of management and business plans. The international expert will provide advisory assistance to the national expert team for preparation of clear guidelines, templates and tools to enable them to meet their legal obligations for the drafting of protected area management plans.
The international expert shall:
- Review selected Central Asian and wider regional samples and best practice/lessons learnt reviews of management plan formats and processes;
- Assist the national technical advisor on developing generic guiding principles for management planning;
- Prepare in close cooperation with technical project team description of the management plan, its component parts and the integration of these component parts;
- Assist national technical experts and provide advisory assistance for description of process of adaptive management plan process and the iterative performance monitoring and review mechanisms for the management plan;
- Provide technical and advisory assistance to the national technical advisor for development detailed generic templates, and guidelines for drafting the component parts of a management plan for the different IUCN management category protected areas;
- Control of integrating the guidelines into the Uzbekistan’s Protected Area Master Plan.
Output 2.3 New staffing and reporting system for strictly nature reserves (SNR) and personnel qualifications requirements upgraded
The international expert will assist the national technical advisor on definition of the required positions for the organizational structure for SNRs with actively managed buffer zones, including, but not to confine himself to mention about: - definition of basic qualifications for staff by position;
- preparation of job descriptions;
- definition of thematic areas for required training to upgrade staff qualifications.
Output 2.4 Standardized methodologies for inventorying, monitoring and data management on SNRs biodiversity are developed. The international expert will provide technical assistance to the national technical advisor on designing of a comprehensive and management needs driven biodiversity monitoring programme. Outcome 3. Demonstration of new conservation management approaches (new governance approaches) in buffer areas of strictly nature reserves in Uzbekistan Output 3.1. The pilot reserve’s boundary is adjusted to improve its conservation effectiveness:
The international expert will provide technical and advisory assistance to national expert team for expansion of the SNR coverage according to the procedures set out in output 1.3. and 1.4. Output 3.2 Legal designation is provided for the buffer zone around the reserve:
The international expert will provide technical and advisory assistance to national expert team on active management of buffer zones including support of alternative activity (e.g. community-based hunting, forestry plantations and recreational facilities) as a source of financing of SNR. The international expert in close cooperation with national project team will suggest tools and mechanisms for replicable best practice.
Within the framework of his/her duties the international expert:
- Will prepare the Terms or References for all experts involved in the project as well as the budget (during the first mission).
- Will work in close cooperation with all experts, including national and international staff.
- Will provide related technical assistance and advice to national consultants; he/she will also provide related training for Protected Area national specialists in order to improve their capacities.
Deliverables: - Report on the analysis and assessment of the situation with planning of the Protected Areas in the country as well as the important needs for its change.
- Recommendations on development of the Master Plan.
- Report on the analysis of institutional and personnel potential and recommendations on their strengthening.
- Report on “The analysis of versions of the Protected Area planning in the country”.
- Recommendations on developing Management Plans for Strict Nature Reserves.
- Recommendations on strengthening the structure of management at the Strict Nature Reserve level.
- Recommendations on “The structure of management and professional requirements for employees of Strict Nature Reserves”.
- Manual for monitoring and evaluation.
- The report on “The review of Protected Areas in a context of their representativeness of territories and recommendations for their expansion”.
The location is home-based with at least 3 (three) missions to Uzbekistan. As a result of the first mission the International Expert will: - Present the detailed analysis and assessment of the situation with planning of Protected Areas in the country and the needs assessment for its change in order to strengthen the sustainability of the National Protected Area System.
- Present the agreed and approved work plan of the project.
- Finalize the Terms of references for national experts of the project.
- Present the Budget of the project.
The first mission should take place latest at the beginning of 2009. The number of the following missions and their detailed plans for 2009-2010 will be identified as a result of the first mission, which will be then approved by the International Expert in written form. | 