TERMS OF REFERENCE

International Consultant on ROAM Analysis

 

Country: Cameroon

Study Location: National

Organization: International Bamboo and Rattan Organization -INBAR

Program: INBAR Global Program

Project: Cameroon TRI Project

Languages Required: English and French

Expected Duration of Assignment: 12 Weeks

 

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The Cameroon TRI Project is one of the twelve Child Projects of The Restoration Initiative (TRI) implemented by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Food and Agricultural organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the UN Environment Program (UNEP) to contribute towards global efforts in support of the Bonn Challenge, the New York Declaration on Forests, the AFR100 Intiative, and the restoration priorities of the Republic of Cameroon. The objective of the Cameroon TRI project is to support the implementation and scaling up of Forest Landscape Restoration in Cameroon, notably by a) improving Cameroon Government policy commitment to forest landscape restoration and sustainable land management ; b) piloting and assessing the effectiveness of restoration using Bambusa spp and other indigenous NTFP like Irvingia spp, Ricinodendron heudelotii, etc, and ensuring the development of their value chains to support biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods and GHG emissions reduction; c) enhancing institutional capacities and financing arrangements for large-scale forest landscape restoration in Project sites in Cameroon; and d) improving knowledge of best practices in landscape restoration and Monitoring and Evaluation among Project stakeholders.

A specific focus of the Project will be to support efforts to further assess, pilot the application of, and disseminate knowledge on, the role that bamboo and other indigenous species can play in supporting restoration efforts in Cameroon. The Project will assess, replicate and upscale strategies to highlight how bamboo and, where appropriate, other priority indigenous NTFP species can be used to 1) Restore productivity of degraded landscapes and conserve biodiversity since it grows fast over a short period of time; 2) generate household revenues for rural communities through development and enhancement of bamboo and other priority NTFP value chain; 3) sequester carbon from the atmosphere to fight climate change; and 4) assess the degree to which bamboo can contribute in raising water table in degraded landscapes. The Cameroon TRI project is executed in four sites:  Site 1: the Degraded Sudano-Sahel savannah of the Waza landscape in the Extreme North Region of Cameroon;  Site 2: the Montagne forests of the Bakossi – Bayang-Mbo landscape in the South West Region of Cameroon;  Site 3: the degraded Forest Margins of the Mbalmayo cluster in the Center Region of Cameroon;  Site 4: the degraded Mangroves of the Douala-Edea landscapes in the Littoral Region of Cameroon.

INTRODUCTION

In order to identify areas for land and forest restoration, the project intends to use the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM). ROAM was developed by IUCN and WRI in 2014 to implement global initiatives such as Bonn Challenge, AFR100 and NDC’s climate change commitments (Nationally Determined Contributions to the Paris Agreement). It is a collaborative and participatory methodology aimed at facilitating land use planning and decision‐making for forest landscape restoration. ROAM is designed to provide necessary assistance to countries seeking to implement or fast‐track landscape restoration programs and strategies in support of national and international objectives. It is a flexible and adaptable framework for countries wishing to identify and assess FLR opportunities as well as identify priority and high‐value FLR interventions at the national or sub‐national level. ROAM can help inform where, when and how opportunities will bring benefits and can provide the knowledge that communities, governments and the private sector need to generate the best investment returns.

Apart from tree planting, ROAM is an instrument for implementing national priorities such as water and food security and rural development, while helping countries meet their international commitments on biodiversity, land degradation neutrality and climate change mitigation and adaptation. ROAM is a robust, flexible and affordable methodological framework that can be used by countries to assess opportunities for forest landscape restoration at the national or subnational level. It also mobilizes inter‐sectoral stakeholders and promotes gender mainstreaming. ROAM provides the following products:  Priority areas identified for restoration;  A list of the most relevant and feasible types of restoration interventions in the assessment area;  Quantified costs and benefits for each type of intervention;  Estimated values of additional carbon sequestered by these types of interventions;  Analysis of financing and investment options for restoration in the assessment area;  A diagnosis of “restoration preparedness” and strategies to address key political and institutional bottlenecks.

OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The main objective of this assignment is to conduct a detailed sub-national ROAM assessment in the four sites where the TRI Project is being implemented in Cameroon; notably the Waza, Mbalmayo, Douala-Edea and Bakossi-Bayang-Mbo landscapes. Specifically, it consist of:  Conducting a survey and compile data on best practices and outcomes of various forest and landscape restoration interventions such as sustainable forestry, natural regeneration, enrichment planting, reforestation, eco‐friendly mining and other tree management practices such as traditional and improved agroforestry systems.  Developing the first maps of tree restoration opportunities, prepare reports on the outcomes and ground survey requirements.  Collecting information on human populations and socio‐economic dynamics to assess the origins of threats to natural resources and their impact on livelihoods and sustainable resource management. Negotiating integrated land use planning in a participatory manner with stakeholders and target groups

SPECIFIC TASKS

 Lead a study on Restoration Opportunity Assessment Methodology (ROAM) in the four regions of Cameroon; notably the Waza, Mbalmayo, Douala-Edea and Bakossi-BayangMbo landscapes;  Organize and oversee the preparation and planning of sub-national ROAM assessment;  Collaborate with local experts to organize stakeholders’ inception and validation workshops on early findings and plan,  Work with local experts to conduct studies on stakeholder’s prioritization of restoration intervention; restoration economic modelling and valuation, restoration finance and resourcing analysis, restoration cost-benefit-carbon modelling and restoration diagnostic of presence of key success factor;  Undertake a restoration opportunity mapping;  Elaborate a high quality ROAM assessment report;  Collaborate with INBAR, IUCN and MINEPDED for the organization of a national workshop to validate the ROAM assessment report.

EXPECTED OUTCOME OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The consultant will submit a comprehensive policy integration analysis report with disaggregated data including following, but not necessarily limited to:  Identification of key stakeholders to be involved in restoration activities;  A detailed assessment of best restoration opportunities, key success factors and enabling conditions for restoration at scale;  A multi‐criteria spatial analysis and mapping of degraded areas, opportunity areas and priority areas for restoration;  Identification and prioritization of identified restoration options and associated technical packages;  Identification of potential costs and benefits, including carbon storage, associated with identified recovery strategies and options;  Propose special restoration models suitable for farmers’ financing, investment and participation in restoration activities;  Propose a land use plan for the community by linking key enabling factors to specific restoration interventions.

SUPERVISION AND REPORTING

The consultant will report to the TRI Project Coordinator at INBAR Regional Office for Central Africa. All reports, notes and other documents prepared by the consulting will be written in English, with a summary in French.

DELIVERABLES

1) ROAM Report for specific sites including Integrated land Use Plan; 2) Guidelines for restoration of productivity of tree-based systems produced to promote the use of best practices in forest and landscape restoration interventions and sedentary agricultural practices in the main production sectors affecting forest ecosystems

QUALIFYING CRITERIA FOR CONSULTANT

The lead consultant and local partners are expected to demonstrate competence and experience as indicated below:
 A Master’s or equivalent degree in a relevant discipline (forestry, land use, natural resource, environmental management, or other relevant academic field) ;  At least 10 years of professional work experience in forest management, forest landscape restoration, climate change and REDD related issues;  Strong knowledge of community development and participatory-based approaches, with a proven track-record of ROAM related studies;  Organizational experience, including a proven ability to work on a variety of tasks simultaneously, and to perform well under pressure;  Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, especially within team members and multistakeholder contexts;  A strong delivery-oriented work ethic with the ability to provide deliverables within a challenging timelines;  Strong written and spoken in either English or French with an excellent report writing skills

APPLICATION PROCESS

The application must contain:

 A technical proposal detailing the understanding of the mission, methodology, activities to perform and timeframe;  A detailed financial proposal;  01 page document that clearly presents the experiences of the consultant with similar missions;  A CV of the consultant not exceeding 4-5 pages and that of local partners

Please send your applications to fjmuafor@inbar.int and copy INBAR Human Resources Department, hr@inbar.int or send to INBAR Regional Office for Central Arica, situated behind Usine Bastos, P.O. Box 17056 Yaoundé, Cameroun. Applications will be received until the 10th October 2019.

Please use “ROAM Consultant Cameroon TRI Project, Your name” as the subject of the e-mail.

To download the Terms of Reference (ToRs) click here.

To learn more about INBAR, please visit : www.inbar.int