Country:Global
Programme:REDD+/REAP
Project:Delivering Multiple Benefits from REDD+ In Southeast Asia
Implementers:SNV – The Netherlands Development Organisation
Donor:SNV;
the German Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and
Nuclear Safety (BMU), International Climate Initiative (ICI)
Abstract:Consulting
services to produce a reference manual, and associated outputs, on
approaches to mainstreaming multiple benefits into subnational planning
Duration:40 person-days over the period 01 January to 30 April 2014
Background:
SNV REDD+ programme, through REAP[1] and the MB-REDD[2]
project is exploring how REDD+ revenues, under a future compliance
regime, could reduce land use conflicts by integrating socio-economic
development of poor farmers with environmentally sustainable commodity
production. In four pilot agricultural commodities - palm oil, cocoa,
coffee and shrimp - REAP is supporting on-farm sustainable
intensification and best management practices, to increase yields and
income, in addition to promoting diversification of production systems
to mitigate impact of agricultural expansion of adjacent natural
forests. In parallel to REAP’s on-the-ground interventions with
farmers, the MB-REDD project has been exploring how national REDD+
programmes could safeguard, mainstream and incentivise multiple benefits
(see Annex I) in agricultural-forest mosaic landscapes.
The
thinking behind the development of knowledge products to support these
initiatives is causing SNV REDD+ team to return to the lessons of
integrated conservation and development project (ICDP) failures. At the
close of the twentieth century, site-based ICDPs, focusing on local
solutions, were struggling to influence the underlying pressures on
natural forests, pressures that were operating at scales greater than
that of the project. Drivers of deforestation and forest degradation
are the result of decisions made at higher levels subnationally and
nationally, and are not the product of individual choice on the part of
local farmers.
Tropical deforestation and degradation in the
twenty first century is now driven by increasing over-consumptive
demand, met by liberalised global markets, for food, fuel and timber.
Tropical developing countries need to balance economic growth from
commodity exports with gains for rural society and environmental
sustainability. This can only be achieved through a conducive policy
framework at the national level, and a triple bottom line to land-based
low emissions development planning (LEDP) at the subnational level to
operationalize these policies.
REAPs localised context-specific
solutions to reduce deforestation and forest degradation in commodity
supply chains to an ideal zero can only be realised, with impact at
scale, through securing enabling environments at higher planning and
policy levels. The focus of this assignment is on the subnational
planning level and how stakeholders can negotiate the trade-offs between
economic, environmental and social returns from a productive landscape.
REAP
and MB-REDD have already identified, and started developing, a number
of approaches and mechanisms to support subnational stakeholders to
mainstream multiple benefits into subnational planning, such as spatial
analysis (Smit et al. in prep.); participatory environmental and social
analysis and monitoring; and economic valuation of multiple benefits
(Richards et al. in prep.). The purpose of this assignment is to build
on these initial opportunistic interventions and conduct a comprehensive
global methodological review of approaches and mechanisms to mainstream
multiple benefits into LEDPs. This work should elaborate on MB-REDD’s
evolving conceptual framework for delivering multiple benefits through
REDD+ (Rey et al. 2013), and is to be conducted in concert with a sister
assignment on complementary local solutions for ‘land sharing’ –
agricultural intensification coupled with increased farmers’
responsibilities for natural forest protection (see separate ToR).
Objective:
A
reference manual, and corresponding policy brief, of approaches,
methods, and mechanisms for mainstreaming multiple benefits into
subnational, land-based LEDP produced through comprehensive global
methodological review.
Tasks:
- Understanding SNV REDD+ REAP and MB-REDD initiatives and conceptual approach to assisting developing countries address the drivers of deforestation and forest degradation at the landscape nexus agriculture, energy and forestry (1 day)
- Collecting and collating existing information on international best practice for mainstreaming environmental and social considerations in to subnational (socio-economic development; spatial; land use) planning (6 days)
- Analysing the identified approaches, methods and mechanisms against criteria, determined in consultation with SNV REDD+ team, such as (10 days):
- what type of approach/method/mechanism is it?
- what is its specific purpose?
- how is it applied?
- what is the scale of application?
- what assumptions does it make?
- how stakeholders (particular vulnerable groups are involved)?
- what are the (human, money, time) costs?
- what are some notable key examples of application?
- Developing, based on this analysis, a conceptual framework and typology of approaches, methods and mechanisms for mainstreaming multiple benefits into LEDP (8 days)
- Presenting analysis and resultant typology as a concise[3] reference manual for SNV REDD+ and other practitioners technically assisting countries with REDD+ readiness and demonstration activities (9 days)
- Producing a corresponding international policy brief on mainstreaming multiple benefits into subnational planning, based on the executive summary of the reference manual (2 days)
- Make presentation and facilitate discussion at feedback and consolidation workshop that organizes by project at nation (3 days, including travel and work with project team)
- Counselling and advising the project team recommendations on a follow up on mainstreaming multiple benefits into subnational planning, based on the reference manual produced under this assignment
Deliverables:
- Work plan for the assignment with milestones for draft and final outputs
- Draft annotated Table of Contents (ToC) of the main reference manual
- Iterative drafts of the main reference manual, responding to feedback from SNV
- Policy brief culled and edited from the reference manual’s executive summary
- ToR for developing follow-on guidelines and/or decision support
- Bibliography and soft/hard copies of all documentation consulted
Requirements:
- Advanced university degree (Masters or PhD) in the fields of environmental or social science, rural development, environmental economics or policy a minimum requirement
- A minimum of 10 years progressive experience in forest, land use or sustainable development policy and planning at international and national levels
- Experience working for and with international organizations dealing with sustainable development, forest/land use and climate change issues.
- Extensive and nuanced knowledge of REDD+, payment for ecosystem services (PES) and other performance-based forestry financing mechanisms
- Knowledge of global forest, sustainable landscapes and climate change debates and their emerging implications for developing countries pursuing REDD+ readiness
- Extensive understanding of the development and environment nexus in general, particularly in the context of agriculture, energy and forestry sectoral convergence
Application:
Please send your application letter and CV, together with an indication of your expected fee rates, to Nguyen Van Bang at Bnguyenvan@snvworld.org by 30 November, 2013
Annex I Potential multiple benefits of REDD+
- Pro-poor rural development - REDD+ could provide important opportunities to reduce poverty if it can deliver significant financial flows to rural areas, which are among the poorest parts of most developing economies.
- Improved forest governance - The performance-based nature of REDD+ should drive significant improvements in forest management that can only be achieved through reforms and strengthening of forest governance systems.
- Protection of human rights - The heightened international scrutiny of forest management that will accompany REDD+ finance could strengthen the implementation of existing safeguards and have positive implications for the respect for human rights.
- Biodiversity conservation and other ecosystem services - REDD+ presents both opportunities and risks to biodiversity. The possible negative impacts can be mitigated and potential opportunities promoted through nationally appropriate balance of regulatory and economic incentives.
- Climate change adaptation - As a climate change policy tool intended to protect and reduce impacts on tropical forests, REDD+ can mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and at the same time help forest- dependent communities to adapt to the impacts of climate change.