Consultancy Service: Environment for Assessment for Mangrove Shrimp Project & Sustainable Management Plan For Organic Certification in Ca Mau Province

CONSULTANCY SERVICE: ENVIRONMENT ASSESSMENT FOR MANGROVE SHRIMP PROJECTS & SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR ORGANIC CERTIFICATION IN CA MAU PROVINCE

Name of the project: Scaling up Mangrove EbA in the Mekong Delta (MAM2 project)

Terms of Reference

I. Background

Southeast Asia has lost half their mangroves over the past 30 years, primarily as a result of clearing for shrimp ponds.  This has serious consequences: mangroves protect against tidal waves and storm surges; they are vital fish nursery-grounds, provide timber, honey, and other products; and raise land level by trapping sediment.  They also sequester carbon faster than any other forest type.  Healthy mangroves thus make important contributions to both climate change adaptation and mitigation and form the basis of coastal ecosystem-based adaptation.

Scaling up Mangrove EbA in the Mekong Delta (MAM2), implemented by SNV and funded by Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). This project has tried to build capacity for local stakeholders (Aquaculture/forestry sectors, local authority, private companies, and farmers); improve livelihood of mangrove – shrimp farmers on degraded mangroves by promoting shrimp certification and restoration; recommend for policy makers for Payment for Ecosystem Services on Aquaculture; and create enable conditions for accessing climate change fund, REDD+. Project focused sites will be in Ngoc Hien district for these activities.

The MAM2 project, SNV-Vietnam REDD+ programme is cooperating with Ca Mau PPC/DARD; seafood enterprises; FMBs and shrimp households in Ca Mau province to extend and develop the model of organic shrimp to adapt international certification.

The MAM2 project is now seeking national specialists with capacity of environment, in order to inspection plan of environment for shrimp forest area in Ca Mau to adapt international certification (Naturland, BioSuisse, EU, BAP).

II. Consultancy service description:

1. Objectives

• Monitoring, assessing environmental factors and comparing environment loading between extensive mangrove shrimp farming with intensive shrimp farming in Ca Mau province. In order to propose the management plan for sustainable environment for whole area.
• Creating environment management plans for Nhung Mien, Dat Mui, Nam Can FMBs orientate to organic,  sustainable standards as guidance of The European Parliament and the Council (2014/52/EU OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 16 April 2014)
• Link: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia/pdf/Revised%20EIA.pdf  

2. Scope of work

This study areas are mainly implement in the area of FMBs Nhung Mien, Dat Mui, Nam Can of Ngoc Hien district, which are compared with next intensive production area: Nam Can district, or Dam Doi in Ca Mau province. Specialist has to work closely with Ca Mau PPC/DARD, Ngoc Hien district, FMBs and MAM2 project in order to ensure the quality of information, data and research result to adapt requirement, coincide with reality.

3. Methodology/ Tasks

• Collecting data for report in researched area for this inspection.
• Investigating environment of farming areas; collecting samples, sediment sample for primary data of analyzation environment characteristic; and accessing the potential or influence of mangrove shrimp farming to environment, risk assessment for current farming practices to suggest for sustainable management plans.
• Capacity building for implementation staffs & technicians of FMBs, Ca Mau PPC/DARD, ICS of Enterprises about monitoring environment, collecting methodology and preservation samples, creating environment management plan.

4. Deliverables:

All deliverable in Vietnamese and English with content as below:

• Report for existing environment assessment: characteristics of farming area, soils, water, sediment, farming, land usage, biodiversity; current loading of environment of Nhung Mien area, compare with intensive farming area in Nam Can/ Dam Doi; compare with current status 2017 and report the assessment of previous situation (Can Tho University, 2014 in Nhung Mien).
• Report on environment risks assessment from mangrove shrimp farming, forecasting influence to environment of organic farming area in next coming years; suggestion of stable precautions.
• Create sustainable environment management plan for organic shrimp farm area in Nhung Mien, Dat Mui, Nam Can and similar shrimp farm area in Ngoc Hien district (as guidance annex 2014/52/EU).
• Statistical table for analyzation data of environmental quality criteria: land, water and sediment to compare with previous result and analyse environment loading as above mention.

5. Timeline:  From March 2017 to 31 November 2017.

III. Qualifications, skills and experience required:

Consultant has to adapt requirements as below:

• Specialist certification of expertise in research area, practical of environment in Mekong Delta. Having at least 10 year experience in this area;
• Special, having practical experience in coastal environment in Ca Mau province, having knowledge, experience from working in organic certification project, with shrimp forest; having excellent building capacity, transfer technology and training.
• Having capacity of reporting in Vietnamese and English in this topic.

IV.   How to apply:

Interested consultants/ firms are requested to submit:

• Curriculum Vitae (CV); Updated experience working document.
• Detail of proposal demonstrating the ability to deliver on this assignment, included financial, area survey, logistic support etc. during implementation of this assignment; Estimate working days with above detail (with supporting from Field Coordinator, partners in Provinces, FMBs).
• Deadline: by 17:00 hours March 10, 2017.
• Proposal is requested to send email to: [email protected] with the title: “Environment assessment for mangrove shrimp project sites”

The ToRs (in English and Vietnamese) are attached for more information

Components of the technical proposal:

• Understanding of the assignment
• Proposed assignment approach, methodology and tools
• Work plan and resource arrangement
• Team roles and specific tasks

Annexes: CVs of team members, relevant publications or other evidence of relevant capacities

Components of the budget proposal:

• Package rate of the work and daily rate of each member
• Operational and support costs
• Total estimated costs