Consultancy Services For Natural Resources (Biodiversity Assets) Assessment In Five WMAS In Ruvuma Landscape-Job Vacancy July 2014
1. Background Information
The Government of Tanzania (GOT) recognizes that economic development is highly dependent on, and closely related to, the state of the environment and biodiversity. This realization was translated into policy and legal formulation which led to the introduction of the Wildlife Policy of Tanzania (WPT) that was passed in 1998 (and revised in 2007) as one of the policy changes fostering greater local community participation, ownership and benefit sharing. Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs) establishment and management also has a legal back up of Wildlife Conservation Act of 2010 and WMA Regulations of 2012.
rural areas adjacent to protected areas are able to obtain direct benefits from wildlife and to empower them with management responsibility for the wildlife and other resources on their lands.
The Ruvuma Landscape Programme is a WWF Coast East Africa Initiative (CEAI) aiming at promoting the integration of socio-ecological connectivity and resilience, stressing linkage of livelihoods and conservation of biodiversity in the Ruvuma Landscape.
The Greater Ruvuma Landscape is an extensive trans-frontier area of approximately 278,950 Sq Km, flanking the Ruvuma River, spanning Tanzania’s southern regions (Coast, Lindi, Mtwara, Morogoro and Ruvuma), to Mozambique’s northern provinces of Niassa and Cabo Delgado, forming the largest wilderness area of unfragmented Miombo woodland, coastal forests and associated ecosystems remaining in Africa.
Management of natural resources requires information about the different types and distribution of natural resources and biodiversity. All management strategies for the landscape must be able to respond to changes with appropriate management strategies that are backed by evidence from scientific research. The five WMAs named above, located within the Landscape, are in the formative phases and require information about natural resources and inventory of key species and ecological processes as well as distribution of flagship species within their boundaries.
2. Terms of Reference (TOR)
WWF-Tanzania Country Office (TCO) intends to engage the services of a team of Consultants or a Consulting Firm with the relevant skills and expertise in natural resources and wildlife management to undertake the consultancy. The main objective of the consultancy is to conduct a comprehensive biodiversity and natural resources assessment and economic valuation of the five WMAs within the Ruvuma Landscape namely: Mbarang’andu, Kimbanda, Kisungule, Nalika and Chingoli.
The Consultant shall be responsible for preparing a Biodiversity Assessment and Economic Valuation Report that captures the status of key wildlife species, flora, birdlife, fisheries, natural resources, biodiversity, and ecological processes in the five WMAs and recommend specific strategies for marketing as a means for communities to derive benefits from the management of natural resources within the WMAs and determine the type of utilization that is most appropriate for the wildlife resources within the respective WMAs through conducting the following, but not limited to: total numbers of wildlife species, size and structure of the population, distribution and movements, and classification and ordination of vegetation.
3. Expected Deliverables
The Consultant shall:-
- Submit Inception Report describing team composition and qualifications, methodology of undertaking the assignment, work plan and proposed content of the report. The inception report shall be submitted to WWF-TCO within one week after signing of the contract
- Progress Report, to be submitted not later than 45 days after signing the contract, with a short description of progress (technical) including, but not limited to, problems encountered and planned activities for the remaining period
- Natural Resources and Environmental Valuation Report, to be submitted along with the draft final report
- Draft Final Report, to be submitted not later than 2½ months after the commencement of the consultancy
- Final Report, to be submitted within two weeks after receiving comments on the draft final report
The assignment must be completed within 4 months after commencement