1.0 Introduction
The African Forest Forum (AFF) is a pan-African non-governmental organization with its headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. The purpose of AFF is to provide a platform and create an enabling environment for independent and objective analysis, advocacy and advice on relevant policy and technical issues pertaining to achieving sustainable management, use and conservation of Africa’s forest and tree resources as part of efforts to eradicate poverty, promote gender equality, and economic and social development.
AFF is implementing since 2011 a project entitled “African Forests, People and Climate Change”. The third phase of this project is guided by the following four specific objectives, which are to: (i) strengthen capacity of African forestry stakeholders in adopting best practices that integrate both adaptation and mitigation options in response to the impacts of climate change and variability to biophysical and social systems in different landscapes; (ii) enhance national forest governance by strengthening the capacity of African stakeholders to respond to the Paris Agreement and related global climate change policies and initiatives related to forestry; (iii) promote entrepreneurship opportunities and technologically efficient means for value addition in African forestry, including those related to climate change, that enhance livelihoods, national incomes and employment; and (iv) strengthen AFF’s institutional capacity in generating and sharing of relevant forest and tree-based knowledge and information for improved decision making. Through these objectives, the project is expected to contribute to AFF’s Programmatic Areas of approach, namely: contribution of forests and trees to environmental health; policies and governance; forests and trees in economic development and poverty eradication; capacity building and skills development; and information management and impact assessment. In addition, these project objectives are expected to enhance the role of African forestry and its contribution to adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change in various landscapes; and in ways that will improve livelihoods, sustain biodiversity and the quality of the environment. This is in addition to strengthening the capacity of Africa’s forests to adapt to climate change and to contribute to mitigation efforts.
1.1 Background
Africa’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change and climate variability poses serious threats to sustainable development, realization of sustainable development goals and Africa Agenda 2063. This is because the existing structures, institutional arrangements and frameworks, including policies and regulations, governing environmental and other economic based sectors have demonstrated weak capacity to adopt best practices that integrate both adaptation and mitigation options in response to the impacts of climate change and variability to biophysical and social systems in different landscapes. In this regard, appropriate interventions are needed to enable African countries to have better understanding of the integration of adaptation and mitigation options that address climate change challenges and opportunities in relevant sectors and social systems. Globally, various interventions have been identified that can enhance resilience and adaptive capacity of vulnerable communities, biophysical and social systems to cope with climate change.
For instance, ecosystem-based adaptation approaches are among the interventions recognized because of their multiple benefits such as conservation of ecosystems that are crucial to provision of important products and services to various sectors of the economy in most countries across the world. The ecosystem-based adaptation approach is also viewed to be cost effective and sustainable and generates a wide range of environmental, social, economic and cultural benefits.
At the global level, the role of forest and tree resources in climate change mitigation is appreciated and recognized through carbon sequestration. In this regard, various interventions have been spearheaded to enhance carbon sinks in different forest types. Some of these include, but not limited to, designing and implementation of reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), clean development mechanisms (CDM), carbon markets and trade, among others. It has also been argued that the integration of mitigation and adaptation options in response to climate change generate multiple benefits to different ecosystems. For example, implementation of REDD+ has been documented to not only reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, but also enhance conservation of biodiversity, sustainable management of forests and carbon stocks that contribute to adaptation goals. Therefore, a deliberate effort is required to identify best practices that integrate both adaptation and mitigation options which address impacts of climate change and variability; the aim being to improve their uptake among stakeholders in forestry.
There exists evidence that Sub-Saharan Africa is more vulnerable to climate change and variability, yet little is known and documented on the uptake of integrated forest and tree-based mitigation and adaptation options in addressing climate change challenges and opportunities in different forest types, tree resources outside forests, and social systems. In this regard, mainstreaming forest and tree resources into adaptation and mitigation policies, plans and actions is very important if the benefits from climate change to forests and trees outside forests are to be realized.
1.2 Rationale and purpose of the work
The African Forest Forum in its annual work plan 2019 on the “African Forests, People and Climate Change” project, is recruiting two (2) experts, one for francophone countries and the second for Anglophone and Lusophone African countries to undertake in-depth studies that could generate information to guide strengthening of the capacity of African forestry stakeholders to integrate adaptation and mitigation options (in response to climate change and variability) in different forests (rain forest, mountains, mangroves, woodland and savanna, and parklands of the Sahel), tree resources outside forests, and social systems. The studies are expected to generate knowledge that could also guide targeting forestry sector inputs into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in line with Article 6 of Paris Agreement.
1.3 Specific tasks
Within the context of the chosen forest types (rain forest, mangroves, woodland and savanna, parklands of the Sahel), the experts will;
(i) Identify key stakeholders implementing promising forest-based adaptation and mitigation policies, strategies and actions;
(ii) Identify key stakeholders implementing promising on farm tree-based adaptation and mitigation activities in areas around the chosen forest type through Agroforestry and other Farm-based Management of Natural resources (FMNR) approaches;
Evaluate the determinants of choice of strategies in (i) and (ii), as well as levels of success in both (i) and (ii) above in addressing climate change and climate variability in the chosen forest and agroforest types;
Evaluate the external environment, including policies, legislation, incentives, that have facilitated implementation of these promising adaptation and mitigation activities in selected forest types and other land use based on trees outside forests;
(v) Develop a framework for integrating forest and tree-based adaptation and mitigation options in the chosen forest/agroforest types.
1.4 Deliverables
The experts will be expected to deliver the following at the end of the consultancy period:
(i) About 40-page report on the task;
(ii) At least one journal article to be published together with staff at Secretariat who will get involved in this work;
A draft policy brief to be finalized together with the staff at Secretariat who will get involved in this work;
A draft fact sheet to be finalised together with the staff at Secretariat who will get involved in this work;
(v) A draft framework for activity
(v) above.
2.0 Minimum qualifications and skills
The interested applicant should meet the following minimum qualifications and skills:
- Be a research scientist with proven knowledge and experience in forestry and climate change in Africa;
- Be knowledgeable on current and emerging issues in forestry, more specifically climate change;
- Have good and demonstrated experience in forest policy and management in Africa;
- Have good scientific writing skills and have at least written a book chapter and published peer reviewed journal papers;
- Have a master’s degree in any of the following areas: forestry, natural resources management, environmental issues, rural development, climate change, or any related area;
- A PhD will be an added advantage; and
- Have an excellent written and oral communication skills in English for Anglophone and French for francophone.
3.0 Application requirements
The applicant shall submit the following:
- Cover letter stating how the above qualifications and experience requirements are met.
- A brief proposal/concept note containing:
(a) key results area and corresponding activities;
(b) draft work plan (clear deliverables plotted against work weeks for each key results); and
3. Curriculum vitae.
4.0 Duration
The work will take 2-person months spread over a period of four calendar months.
5.0 Deadlines
(i) Applications must be received by the AFF Secretariat on or before 18th February 2019.
(ii) Successful applicants will be informed by 25th March 2019.
(iii) Consultancy activities must begin no later than 04th March 2019 and the selected consultants are expected to develop an outline of their study and discuss it at a methodologies’ harmonization workshop that will be held in Nairobi from 04th to 08th March 2019.
6.0 How to apply
All applications must be submitted by e-mail with the subject line: “Consultancy No: 02-111 “Strengthening capacity of African forestry stakeholders to integrate and uptake adaptation and mitigation options in response to climate change” to Dr. Marie Louise A. T. AVANA-TIENTCHEU and Dr. Vincent O. Oeba of the AFF Secretariat through the following e-mail addresses: m.avana@cgiar.org and v.oeba@cgiar.org and copied to Prof. Godwin Kowero (g.kowero@cgiar.org ) and to exec.sec@afforum.org .