Consultancy for training on FRMS Mobile for forest patrolling, protection and annual forest changes monitoring for communities allocated forests in Nghe An province

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A. RECOFTC ORGANIZATION AND VALUES

At RECOFTC, we believe in a future where people live equitably and sustainably in and beside healthy, resilient forests. We take a long-term, landscape-based and inclusive approach to supporting local communities to secure their land and resource rights, stop deforestation, find alternative livelihoods and foster gender equity. We are the only non-profit organization of our kind in Asia and the Pacific. We have more than 30 years of experience working with people and forests and have built trusting relationships with partners at all levels. Our influence and partnerships extend from multilateral institutions to governments, private sector and local communities. Our innovations, knowledge and initiatives enable countries to foster good forest governance, mitigate and adapt to climate change, and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.

At RECOFTC, our core values are the foundation of our culture and guide all our work. In addition to job specific skills and experience, the applicant should possess the following characteristics, attitudes and skills:

• Embrace innovation
• Adapt to, and learn from, challenges
• Collaborate with partners and stakeholders
• Nurture commitment, responsibility and ownership
• Prioritize sustainability
• Cultivate participation, social inclusion and gender equity

B. PROJECT BACKGROUND

The USAID Sustainable Forest Management Project (the Project) will work with the Government of Vietnam (GVN) to reduce carbon emissions associated with deforestation, the degradation of natural forests, and poor plantation management. The Project will implement a “Green Prosperity” approach that strengthens local communities’ ability to protect their natural resource base and reduce emissions while building a strong foundation for sustainable livelihoods and equitable economic growth.

The Project will work in seven provinces (Lao Cai, Son La, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri, Quang Nam) and focus on five objectives:

1. Improve and expand community forest management
2. Increase conservation-friendly enterprises in forest-dependent communities
3. Increase functionality of law enforcement system for forest crimes
4. Improve production forest management practices
5. Mobilize domestic resources for forest management and protection

The Project will be implemented during the period 2020-2025 by DAI in collaboration with RECOFTC and Preferred by Nature as partners, with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) as the counterpart and the Management Board of Forestry Projects (MBFP) as project owner.

C. DESCRIPTION OF CONSULTANCY SERVICE:

1. Background

In recent years, the active participation of communities living near forests in forest protection management has been increasingly recognized as an important factor in effectively maintaining forest resources. The community has been involved in forest management and protection in various forms. There are four main types of participation including i) traditional community forests, ii) community-based forest management, iii) group of households managing forest land, and iv) individual households, all of which own individual forest land, but collaborate in forest protection management.

The SFM project focuses on two forms of community forestry to promote local participation in forest management. The first method is community forest management (CFM), in which the community/village, the assigned forest management of the community. This also includes how the community manages the assigned forest of the household as a community group. The second method is community-based forest management (CBFM) in which the village community manages the forest with forest owners such as the protection forest management board.

According to Article 33   of Circular 33/2018/TT-BNNPTNT of MARD, communities as forest owners are responsible for reporting to local forest rangers when there are any changes in the assigned forest area. According to Document No. 433/KL-QLR of the Forest Protection Department on the deployment of FRMS 4.0 software to update, report and synchronize forest changes data, in order to perform the tasks of forest owners, communities allocated forest land should be trained in using FRMS software during forests patrol and protection in order to promptly detect forest changes to report to forest rangers.

RECOFTC Vietnam invites candidates to participate in training on FRMS Mobile for forest patrolling, protection and annual forest changes updating for communities allocated forests in Nghe An province.

This activity is expected to contribute directly to the main indicators: Indicator 2: The number of organizations with enhanced capacity to solve sustainable landscape problems; and Indicator 8: Number of hectares in natural resource management, safe and sustainable business practices (in the project's 11 monitoring and evaluation indicators).

2. Purpose of the consultation package

Strengthen the capacity of the community assigned to the forest to patrol and monitor forest developments through the FRMS Mobile application under the guidance and coordination of the Forest Rangers.

3. Expected results

• Manual on using FRMS Mobile in patrolling, protecting forests and monitoring annual forest developments: Vietnamese.
• 01 Training course on using FRMS Mobile for members of the community's forest patrol team.
• Report on training FRMS Mobile: Vietnamese
• Report on the pilot implementation of FRMS Mobile in patrolling, forest protection and monitoring of annual forest developments of the community: Vietnamese and English.

4. Location: Nghe An province

5. Task

5.1. Preparation

• Collect relevant documents on FRMS Mobile application in forest patrol and protection and annual forest changes monitoring.
• Collect the most updated forest changes maps of FPD.

5.2.  Develop documentation for using FRMS Mobile

The training materials for FRMS Mobile is developed on the basis of Document No. 433/KL-QLR of Forest Protection Department on the deployment of FRMS 4.0 software to update, report and synchronize forest changes data.

5.3. Training on FRMS Mobile

• Conduct 01 training course on using FRMS Mobile for forest patrolling, protection and annual forest changes monitoring for selected CFM communities in Tuong Duong and Con Cuong districts.
• Develop training reports.

5.4. Technical support for the application of FRMS Mobile

In the process of applying FRMS Mobile for forest patrolling, protection and annual forest changes monitoring by the selected CFM communities in Tuong Duong and Con Cuong districts, the consultant will provide technical support to users via online or phone call to ensure effective use until September 2023.

5.5. Develop a report on pilot results and propose solutions for scaling up.

6. Level of Effort (LOE) and Deliverables

8. Qualifications

• Vietnamese nationality only.
• Graduated in forestry or information technology, with at least 10 years of experience in the field of forestry, especially in information technology applied in forestry.
• Experience in using FRMS mobile for forest patrolling, protection and annual forest changes monitoring.
• Have in-depth knowledge and understanding of forest patrolling, monitoring; assessment of forest changes; priority is given to community forests.
• Experience in training local people.
• Experience and skills in writing Vietnamese reports; being able to use English at work is an advantage.

9. How to apply and requested documents

Interested individuals are requested to submit their CV and a cover letter indicating why they are suitable for this consultancy along with the expected fee or daily rate and current contact details of three references, to [email protected]. Please quote the consultancy title in the subject line of the email. Only shortlisted individuals will be notified.

For any further information you may need about the consultancy, please contact [email protected].

To learn more about RECOFTC, please visit our website www.recoftc.org.