Consultant for GIS Training

Country:     Vietnam
Organisation:    SNV – Netherlands Development Organisation
Program:     Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
Project:    Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests
Abstract:     Consulting services to deliver GIS training 
Schedule:     The training courses will be conducted in August, 2015

I.Introduction

The United States Agency for International Development-funded Lowering Emissions in Asia’s Forests (USAID LEAF) program is currently being implemented by Winrock International in partnership with SNV - Netherlands Development Organization, Climate Focus and The Centre for People and Forests (RECOFTC).

USAID LEAF is a five year program (2011-2015), which complements the efforts of numerous other donor organizations, private sector investors and non-government organizations in working to develop REDD+ capacity and operational frameworks in parallel with on-going United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations that seek to define an effective and equitable REDD+ mechanism.

USAID LEAF is being implemented in six countries: Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea. The main purpose of the Program is to strengthen the capacity of participating countries to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the forestry-land use sector in Southeast Asia, and support these countries so that they can benefit from the emerging international REDD+ framework. 

USAID-LEAF’s goal to achieve meaningful and sustained reductions in GHG emissions from the forestry-land use sector will be accomplished by working towards four objectives:

1)Replicating and scaling-up innovation through regional platforms and partnerships;
2)Establishing policy and market incentives for GHG reductions;
3)Building and institutionalizing technical capacity for economic valuation of forest ecosystem services and monitoring changes in forest carbon stocks; 
4)Demonstrating innovation in sustainable land management.

II.Background

In Vietnam, USAID LEAF was approved by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) in Decision No. 1006/QD-BNN-HTQT, dated 4th May, 2012. The Program is focusing its efforts in the country on supporting pilot initiatives for emissions reduction through sustainable land management in two provinces: Lam Dong and Nghe An.

In Lam Dong, USAID LEAF’s main achievement has been leading the development of the Provincial REDD+ Action Plan (PRAP), which involved a three-year collaborative planning and capacity building process, culminating with the official approval of the Plan by the Provincial People’s Committee in Decision No. 247/QD-UBND on 21st January 2015. By 2020, the PRAP aims to have reduced GHG emissions in Lam Dong by 27% compared with 2010 levels, primarily by enhancing the carbon sequestration capacity of the province’s forests, and by reducing the threat of deforestation and forest degradation. The PRAP is one of the first of its kind in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, and serves as a leading example of a forestry-land use plan that balances economic growth, environmental protection, social equity and reduction of GHG emissions.

One of the main tasks of the Lam Dong PRAP is sustainable forest management. In 2015, USAID LEAF supported the Don Duong State Forestry Company (SFC) in developing a Sustainable Forest Management Plan (SFMP), following Circular No. 38 issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) on 3rd November, 2014. GIS plays a vital role in the development of SFMPs, such as through its use in establishing the forest sample plot system, biodiversity and NTFP inventory systems, and transect line system, in addition to the generation of forest function zoning maps, forest business zoning maps and forest production planning maps.

GIS skills also play an important role in the implementation of SFMPs and conducting the steps necessary to apply for Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. To ensure the program has long-term impact in Vietnam, USAID LEAF will now support GIS training for beneficiaries (i.e., forestry companies in Lam Dong province and staff of related agencies) implementing their own SFMPs and preparing applications for FSC certification.

III.Objectives

Deliver training courses that provide appropriate GIS skills, including using relevant GIS software, to support beneficiaries update thematic maps for use in implementing and monitoring the activities of their own SFMPs, and in preparing to apply for FSC certification on their own and without having to enlist the support of external service providers.

IV.Tasks

• Develop a training agenda, documents, hand-outs, and presentations;
• Conduct training on GIS, for which the consultant will need to develop appropriate practical exercises, in addition to preparing all required data and temporary licences for participants to use the software during the training;
• Complete a report detailing the outcomes of the training, including the result of participant evaluations of it.

V.Deliverables

• Following the completion of the assignment tasks, the consultant team will need to submit the following deliverables
• Training agenda;
• Lectures and presentations provided during the training in PowerPoint format;
• Data used during the completion of practical exercises;
• Completed reports detailing training outcomes, results of participant evaluations and suggestions for suitable follow-up activities in both Vietnamese and English.

VI.Expected outputs for the participants

Following the training courses, participants should have the ability to apply necessary GIS skills in the development of their own SFMP and in applying for FSC certification.

VII.Qualifications

• The GIS expert must hold at least a Master’s degree in geography, natural resources, computer science or any other related discipline, while the training assistant must have completed a relevant Bachelor’s degree;
• Consultant team members must have significant professional experience in GIS;
• Experiences in the development of SFMPs and/or FSC would be highly regarded;
• Consultant team members must also be proficient in conducting community training, and have the necessary communications skills to effectively assist and pass on knowledge to the participants.

VIII.Schedule

The assignment will be conducted in August, 2015

IX.Deadlines

Interested consultant teams should submit their proposal for the delivery of the GIS training, in addition to an estimated training budget, to Ms Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh via email: [email protected], before 25th July, 2015.