I. Background
Local communities have participated in the monitoring of forest resources, through national programmes and development co-operation prior to the advent of political traction for forest carbon financing. REDD+ presents a new opportunity to capitalize on previous experiences whilst presenting new technical challenges in terms of forest carbon monitoring. International commitment to REDD+ safeguards also demand monitoring systems to demonstrate social and environmental performance of REDD+; forest carbon supplier countries need to track both carbon and non-carbon forest values, such as biodiversity, livelihoods, and governance indicators. Other applications of participatory forest monitoring (PFM) for REDD+ could include a partial basis for REDD+ revenue benefit distribution systems (BDS), in addition to impact monitoring of local measures under the five identified REDD+ activities.
SNV aims to add value to participatory monitoring of forests through application of emerging best practice in methodological innovation, together with operational frameworks based on existing systems and experiences in Vietnam. Recognition of local actor contributions to sub-national and, ultimately, national REDD+ monitoring systems are key to securing forest carbon financing as a significant contribution to the livelihoods of rural poor communities, together with recurrent investments in the conservation of the biological diversity that underpins these livelihoods.
A key area of intervention for SNV REDD+ programme is the development and pilot demonstration of PFM model(s) for REDD+ applications. At present, there exists a polarised debate, both at international and national levels, about the role of local (government and community) actors in PFM for REDD+ (particularly for REDD+ greenhouse gas inventory measurement, reporting and verification systems). The SNV-Vietnam REDD+ programme intends to pilot PFM at scale in the province of Lam Dong, within the Cat Tien landscape to demonstrate PFM potential for REDD+, and wider, forest inventory and monitoring, applications in the Vietnamese context.
To inform this piloting, whilst contributing to the international policy dialogue and leading technical thinking on PFM, SNV-Vietnam seeks to commission a national lessons learnt paper on Vietnam’s experiences with community-based and participatory monitoring of biological diversity. The focus of this study will be community-based and participatory biodiversity monitoring for REDD+ safeguard applications. Resultant reports are to be profiled with high visibility at key international REDD+ events in 2011 (FCPF Participatory Carbon Monitoring workshop, Mexico, September; UNFCCC CoP 17, South Africa, December).
II. Objective
Experiences and lessons learnt for community-based and participatory biodiversity monitoring approaches in Vietnam are analysed, synthesised, and summarised through novel and innovative research
III. Strategic objectives
- contribute significant and necessary added value to national and international debates on PFM role and function in REDD+ and wider forestry inventory and monitoring applications
- advocate the role and functions of PFM in REDD+ to national governments readying for REDD+
- profile SNV and donors nationally and internationally
IV. Tasks
- Assisting novel and innovative research analysing, synthesising, and summarising lessons learnt[1] from community-based[2] and participatory[3] biodiversity (both taxonomic composition and ecosystem functioning) monitoring approaches in Vietnam
- Assisting in development of a concise questionnaire to extract data and information from community-based/participatory biodiversity monitoring practitioners in Vietnam no longer working in the country
- Collecting and collating secondary data from written documents and interview of key proponents with experience of community-based and participatory biodiversity monitoring approaches in Vietnam
- Facilitating in-country workshop(s) to capture perceptions, attitudes and experiences of community-based/participatory biodiversity monitoring practitioners in Vietnam
V. Deliverables
- A lessons learnt review on national experiences of community-based and participatory biodiversity monitoring approaches in Vietnam to inform potential REDD+ applications and broader forestry inventorying and monitoring reforms
Indicative Table of Contents (ToC):
- Executive summary – detachable and standalone summary of report that serves as a discrete policy brief
1. Introduction – historical, context-setting, narrative synthesizing history of community-based and participatory biodiversity monitoring in Vietnam
2. Experiences to date – comprehensive survey of community-based and participatory biodiversity monitoring interventions in Vietnam to date
3. Lessons learnt - drawing out emerging themes of critical success factors and unresolved challenges
4. Recommendations for future REDD+ applications in the context of forest carbon MRV
Style: highly visual, user friendly report appealing to national decision makers with limited time resources (SNV will take the lead in report design and production in Vietnam)
Audience: primarily national governments developing REDD+ strategies; secondarily, potential donors, INGO peers, academia, other civil society orgs, and other REDD+ practitioners
VI. Work Plan: Duration – 25 July to 31 October 2011
20 Aug - finalised questionniare and annotated ToCs for both reports, in addition to a bibliograpphy of main secondary data sources
2 Sep - coherent first draft report submited to SNV-Vietnam for comment and input
21 Oct - final report, incorporating peer review and SNV comments submitted
VII. Supervision
- The Local Capacity Builder team will work under the guidance, and report directly to of the REDD+ Senior Advisor, SNV-Vietnam Programme; technical supervision will be provided by an international counterpart
VIII. Location
National lessons learnt study is to comprise 10 days data collection and analysis, in addition to 5 days desk-based report writing to be conducted at the consultants’ offices
IX. Qualifications
The consultant should have demonstrated expertise in:
- Establishment, implementation, and operation of participatory/community-based biodiversity monitoring programmes in Vietnam
- Sound understanding of REDD+, particularly safeguards and forest carbon measurement issues
- Sound understanding of existing forest inventorying and monitoring protocols and practices in Vietnam
- Working as part of a multi-disciplinary team
- National workshop facilitation skills
- Fluent English and Vietnamese language
Interested consultants or consulting firms must provide information indicating that they are qualified to perform these services to the highest professional standard. A consultant for this assignment will be selected in accordance with the procedures set out by SNV. Expressions of interest should be emailed to SNV Senior REDD+ Advisor, Steve Swan ([email protected] [1]) and should be clearly marked ‘Lessons learnt from Community-Based and Participatory Biodiversity Monitoring and Patrolling in Vietnam’, by no later than 12 August 2011.