Title: Resource assessment consultant(s)
Duration: 15th January to 15th March, 2014
Duty Station: Project site is located in Nam Xuan Lac Species and Habitat Conservation Area
Supervisor: TSEA GMP Forest Trade Officer and Coordinator
Background
TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network, works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. TRAFFIC is a strategic alliance between WWF, the conservation organization, and IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature.
TRAFFIC monitors wildlife trade at international, regional and national levels – researching both domestic and international chains of supply and demand to identify where interventions could take place to increase management efficiency. TRAFFIC works closely with governments, providing critical information on the impacts of trade, encouraging the increase in ecological sustainability of trade in wild species, and helping to improve enforcement of wildlife trade controls.
TRAFFIC Southeast Asia - Greater Mekong Programme is a sub-programme of TRAFFIC Southeast Asia (TSEA), which is the Southeast Asian regional office of the TRAFFIC network. The TRAFFIC Southeast Asia programme was established in 1991 and continues to work with partners to address key wildlife trade issues in the region. This work is carried out in close collaboration with TRAFFIC offices in consumer regions such as East Asia, Europe and North America.
TRAFFIC Southeast Asia – Greater Mekong Programme, with financial support from the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Foundation (CEPF) has successfully implemented a project titled “Developing a model for the sustainable wild collection of medicinal plants through the implementation of FairWild in Viet Nam” which started in June 2011. This project piloted sustainable harvesting of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) by about 100 households in seven villages of two communes in the buffer zone of Nam Xuan Lac Species and Habitat Conservation Area (Cho Don District, Bac Kan Province), in order to protect overexploited MAPs while improving the limited and unstable income of local collectors. This project also identified trade chains for two target species groups Thao Dau Khau (Alpinia laislabris, Alpinia malaccensis and Alpinia menhainensis) and Sa Nhan (Amomum villosum and Amomum xanthioides). Through identification of the trade chain and assessment of the market, the project was able to identify the key factors influencing the market of these species.
Under funding provided by the Keidanren Nature Conservation Fund (KNCF) TRAFFIC is looking to scale up this project. We are looking for a national consultant or group to assist by completing a resource assessment for the two previous species groups and an additional five species (Bach Bo: Stemona tuberose, Cau tich Cibotium barometz; Thien Nien Kien Homalomena occulata; Che day: Ampelopsis cantoniensis and Giao co lam: Gynostemma pentaphyllum).
Scope and focus of the assessment
The resource assessment will include the following tasks:
- Conduct an initial inventory to identify populations of the target species, the species’ natural distributions, density and other related biological characteristics;
- Identify current collection protocols (parts collected, preferred age/size-classes, methods, frequency and intensity and recovery after harvest);
- Identify related market requirements/quality preferences on parts collected;
- Estimate volume/per area, history of collection, current practice of sustainable harvesting in the project site;
- Identify sustainable harvesting quotation/limits for each species (How much of the target resource (quality and quantity) can be harvested season after season without damaging the long-term stability of the target species populations?);
- Determine/suggest appropriate sustainable harvesting techniques to minimize impacts in natural habitats when collecting to ensure the recovery of the target resource and ecosystem;
- Make the needed adjustments in harvest protocols to maintain the target resource at sustainable levels;
- Map the species’ distribution with the allocated forest-land and recommend collection areas;
- Develop document regarding the local community, collector knowledge and expertise (participatory processes, open-ended interviews);
- Update the information about the land/resource tenure;
- Identify the importance of the species for the companies in different sectors (medicine, food, cosmetics) and collector/intermediary communities.
Assessment approach:
The assessment will be undertaken through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods that will be used to gather data and information from the main project stakeholder.
The method for the study is envisioned to cover the following:
- Review project documents: the KNCF project and its work plan, relevant CEPF project reports;
- Qualitative techniques: observation, focus group discussion, in depth interviews and expert knowledge;
- Quantitative data collection: observation, applying appropriate methods to measure/collect the outputs mentioned above, for example the field transects and sampling plots in which the selection of a sample site can be based on typical sites, random samples, systematic samples in a regular pattern, or by a combination a random and systematic selection.
Requirements
A consultant or consultant group needs to meet a number of requirements as follows:
- Vietnamese botanic expert(s) with a very good understanding of medicinal and aromatic plant (MAP) products, usages and their markets;
- Understanding of sustainable harvesting practice is desirable;
- Ability to write good reports in both English and Vietnamese.
Schedule:
The timeframe for the work is mentioned above but a detailed, fixed schedule will be made on selection of the successful candidate.
Application guideline
Applications should consist of a cover letter, which includes specific references to prior relevant experience, the financial proposal including all the expenses (consultancy fees, travel costs, accommodations, etc.), and the CVs of the applicants.
Deadline for applications is 5 pm on 8th January, 2014. Applications should be sent to Ms. Nguyen Do Thu Minh at [email protected] [1]