CPFES GIS/Map Consultant

USAID SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT PROJECT

INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT SCOPE OF WORK

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A. DAI ORGANIZATION AND VALUES

DAI Global LLC. is a development company with corporate offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, EU, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Palestine and implementing project operations worldwide including Vietnam. DAI tackles fundamental social and economic development problems caused by inefficient markets, ineffective governance, and instability. DAI works on the frontlines of global development, transforming ideas into action and actions into impact. We are committed to shaping a more livable world.

DAI and its employees are committed to confronting racism and holding ourselves accountable for positive change within the company and in the communities, cultures, and countries in which we live and work. DAI is committed to attracting and retaining the best employees from all races and backgrounds in our continued effort to become a better development partner.

DAI upholds the highest ethical standards. We are committed to the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment as well as other ethical breaches. All of our positions are therefore subject to stringent vetting and reference checks.

B. PROJECT BACKGROUND

DAI is implementing in Vietnam The USAID Sustainable Forest Management Project (the Project) to work with the Government of Vietnam (GVN), with MARD as its main counterpart, to reduce carbon emissions associated with deforestation and degradation of natural forests, and increase carbon sequestration by improving timber plantations 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.     Context

The Forestry Law (No. 16/2017/QH14) was approved by the 14th National Assembly on November 15, 2017 and came into force on January 1, 2019. Decree No. 156/2918/ND-CP, approved and promulgated by the Government on November 16, 2018, is one of the key legal documents that guides the implementation of the Forestry Law. The Decree regulates in detail a number of Articles in the Forestry Law that are related to:

1. Criteria for forest identification, forest classification and forest management regulations;
2. Allocating forests, leasing production forests, changing forest types, changing forest use; purposes to other purposes, recalling forests
3. Forest fire prevention and control;
4. Objects, forms of payment, level of payment for forest environmental services; adjustment, exemption or reduction of payment for forest environmental services; management and use of financial resource from payment for forest environmental services
5. Tasks, organizational structure, mechanism of management and financial use of the Forest Protection and Development Fund.
6. Investment policies for forest protection and development.

After over three years of implementation, upon reflection of concerned actors, who face difficulties in implementing the provisions of Decree 156, MARD, by issuing the Decision No. 5254/QD-BNN-PC dated 31 December 2021 on the Plan of developing legal documents of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2022, assigned the Vietnam Administration of Forestry (VNForest) to lead the revision of the Decree. Following MARD’s Decision, VNForest assigned the Department of Legal Affairs and Inspection (DLAI) to act as the focal point for the review and revision of provisions related to points 1 and 2; and the Forest Protection and Development Fund (VNFF) to point 4, 5 listed above.

Upon request of VNForest, the USAID-funded Sustainable Forest Management Project will support  VNFF by providing 04 consultants who help conducting necessary assessment, review of current policies on payment for forest environmental services (PFES), including the services of carbon sequestration and storage (C-PFES), and propose evidence-based revisions to the current regulations in Decree 156:

• Consultant 1: Policy consultant as team leader
• Consultant 2: Forestry consultant
• Consultant 3: Economist consultant
• Consultant 4: Forestry consultant on guidance of developing forest environmental services maps

This Scope of work (SOW) is intended to detail the tasks of Consultant 4 as part of the overall consultancies on PFES and CPFES to be provided.

2. OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY

Proposing methods, criteria, guidance and regulations that forest protection and development funds (FPDF) can use to develop maps for following types of forest environmental services:

• services of forest carbon sequestration and storage;
• services to protect and maintain the beauty of natural landscapes, preserve biodiversity of forest ecosystems used by tourism business;
• services from forest to supply of spawning grounds, feed sources, natural seedlings, water sources used by aquaculture business.

3. TASKS OF THE CONSULTANT

• Propose methods, guidelines for FPDF to build forest environmental services (FES) maps of the area providing 3 forest environmental services including carbon capture and filtration services by forests, forest environment services for tourism services; forest environmental services for aquaculture activities.
• Propose method that FPDF can base on FES maps to identify target group have to pay for using environmental services.
• Institutionalize methods building FES map and identify FES payers in the revised Decree 156.
• Receive and feedback and justify for comments of Ministries and government office on FES map developing methods.

Specific tasks include:

3.1.  Develop workplan and questionnaire

The consultant work with other team members to develop workplan for revising Decree 156 and submit to VNFF and the Project. The workplan will be approved by VNFF and the Project. Beside the consultant and other team members prepare questionnaires to consult provincial stakeholders to conduct impact assessment for 3 types of forest environmental services mentioned in point 3.2 and assessment of methods to identify potential payers for those services.

3.2.  Write and complete technical report

The consultant collaborates with policy consultant to develop technical report of below content:

3.2.1.     Proposed method of building a FES map

The consultant will be responsible for proposing appropriate methods and guidance for building FES maps by FPDFs, VNFF, and by forest owners who have forest providing any of 3 types of services:

• Services of carbon sequestration and storage by forests:  maps should highlight amount of carbon sequestered and stored to be traded, transferred and as potential to trade and transfer in a certain time;
• Services to protect and maintain the beauty of natural landscapes, preserve biodiversity of forest ecosystems for tourism business: maps should highlight the areas providing forest environmental services used for ecotourism activities;
• Service to supply of spawning grounds, feed sources, natural seedlings, water sources for aquaculture activities: maps should highlight the areas that aquaculture companies using forest environmental services for their business as well as areas having potential to call for investment for aquaculture activities.

The FES map will provide information for FPDF to distribute payments from emission, tourism or aquaculture companies to FES providers.

In order to carry out this activity, it is necessary to review other guidelines such as Circular 60/2012/TT-BNNPTNT dated November 9, 2012, or related articles in Decree 156/2018 for developing PFES map for distribution payment from hydropower plants and water companies.

3.2.2.     Proposing methods to identify key payers and recipients

The consultant and other consultants in the group based on guidance to develop FES maps above develop methods or guideline that FPDF can use to identify relevant services users (who will have to pay) in their provinces. The guidelines include methods to:

• identify emission companies, organizations who will buy carbon credits, and carbon credit sellers
• Identify tourism companies will have to pay for forest environmental services that they use to attract tourists and forest owners who receive payment from tourism companies;
• Identify aquaculture companies will have to pay for forest areas they use to have aquaculture business and forest owners who receive payment from tourism companies.

3.3.  Participating in the draft decree

The consultant should coordinate with the policy consultant to draft additional annexes of guidance for developing FES and PFES maps for three forest environmental services mentioned above. The regulations should be easy to understand and easy to apply by FPDFs and forest owners as organizations.

3.4.  Contribute to impact assessment report

The policy and economist consultants will conduct a socio-economic, environmental impact assessment for any amendment in Decree 156. The consultant who supports develop guidance for FES mapping will need to support and provide information for the other two consultants to complete the socio-economic, environmental impact assessment.  

3.5.  Participate in workshops, technical and field meetings in the province

The mapping consultant will have to participate in technical meetings, and national workshop as presenters if requested by VNFF to present of guidance for developing FES maps and to complete the draft amendment to ND156/2018. These meetings will take place until the Government Office approves the draft amendment to ND156 scheduled for December 2022.

3.6.  Feedback for comments from relevant stakeholders

With the amendment Decree 156, the consultant groups will receive comments from different Ministries, provinces, and the Government Office. The mapping consultant will need to provide feedback to comments related to developing FES and PFES maps.         

D. LOCATION

Hanoi and some provinces.

E. CONSULTING TIME (LOE) AND DELIVERABLES

All products are delivered in Vietnamese and approved by VNFF and the Project.

F. REQUIREMENTS FOR ADVICE

G. SUBMIT YOUR APPLICATION

Interested individual are requested to submit:

1. A CV in English and Vietnamese
2. A cover letter in English indicating why they are suitable for this position current contact details of at least three referees
3. Scanned copy of related degrees

via email to our recruitment email at [email protected]. Please quote the position title in the subject line: “Candidate’s full name _ Decree 156 _ Map developing consultant”

Application deadline: 5.00pm (Hanoi time), 25/04/2022

Note:If being recruited, the candidate will have to provide DAI with a release letter with authorized signature and stamp from current employer to certify that candidate will not receive salary from current employer/or take unpaid leave during the implementation of this consultancy assignment candidate commits to carry out the assignment outside normal working hours. This release letter is required for candidate who are currently working for government agencies only.

For more information about DAI, please visit the www.dai.com website.

DAI is an employer that applies equal opportunity/affirmative action with a commitment to diversity. DAI does not discriminate in employment based on race, color, religion, gender (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political party, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, parental status, veteran status, or other incompetence factor.