Communication Consultant on Improving Perception Land Tenure and Community Forestry for the USAID Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Project

Consultancy announcement

Position: Communication consultant on improving perception land tenure and community forestry for the USAID Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Project, RECOFTC Viet Nam

Sub-Activity Code: 1.2.9.1 Communications and awareness raising to improve communities’ perception on tenure rights to forest land areas as secure in seven provinces

Application deadline: April 08, 2022

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.

The USAID Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Project supports the Government of Viet Nam to reduce carbon emissions associated with deforestation, degradation of natural forests and poor plantation management. The project implements 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 works in seven provinces: Lao Cai, Son La, Hoa Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Quang Tri and Quang Nam. It focuses on five main objectives:

1. Strengthening community forest management
2. Promoting conservation-friendly enterprises
3. Improving law enforcement to tackle environmental crimes
4. Enhancing the management of production forests
5. Mobilizing domestic resources

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.

RECOFTC is implementing Objective 1 by improving and expanding community forest management in the seven target provinces, in close coordination with other partners and Viet Nam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

RECOFTC Viet Nam is now inviting applicants for a communication consultant to work/assist in improving communities’ perception on land tenure and community forestry for the USAID Vietnam Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) Project.

Background

Forest dependent communities’ participation is increasingly recognized as an important factor in effectively maintaining forests. Forest dependent communities (hereinafter called as communities) have been engaged into forest management and protection in various forms. Four main types of these engagements include: traditional community forests; introduced community forests;groups of households managing forestlands; and individual households, who all individually own forestland, and collaborate in forest management.

Under the SFM Project, the concept of community forestry covers two forms of local people's participation in forest management. The first modality is community forest management (CFM) in which residential communities/villages manage allocated forests. This also covers the modality where communities manage households’ allocated forests as a community group. The second modality is community-based forest management (CBFM) in which village communities manage contracted forests with protection forest management boards. Therefore, community forest management under the SFM Project engages a wide range of stakeholders and targets audiences from central to provincial and grassroots levels in seven Project provinces. The Project has formulated its Communications and Outreach Plan which outlines various communications and outreach activities during the lifetime of the Project. It’s essential to support development and consolidation of technical materials on CFM and land perception of the forest dependent communities on tenure rights to forest land areas, contributing to successful implementation of the SFM Communications and Outreach Plan.

Objective of the consultancy

The overall objective of this assignment is to design and develop communications and outreach activities to improve stakeholders’ engagement in CFM andland perception of the communities on tenure rights to forest land areas as secure in seven provinces.

Scope of work and time frame

• Design, develop and review communications materials for conferences, meetings, awareness raising and outreach activities on CFM
• Draft and design brochures, booklets and posters to explain CFM, the project’s approach, community engagement strategies, CFM process, the various actions planned and enhance project visibility among partners on improving land perception of the communities on tenure rights to forest land areas as secure in seven provinces.
• Contribute, identify and capture Stories of Change, messages, lessons learnt in perception on tenure rights that are engaging, motivating, and can communicate project’s impact and successful demonstration models of community forestry
• Review and edit articles on community forest management including stories of changes, commentary, research, case studies, case series, case in images, policy briefs, or on improving land perception on tenure rights to forest land areas from project provinces.
• Participate in field visits to project provinces to support communications and outreach activities including taking photos, collecting information for communications purposes.
• Support the technical team of Objective 1 in writing/editing, translating key documents (English to Vietnamese and/or vice versa) on community forest management.

Expected deliverables

The estimated level of efforts (LOE) for this assignment is 84 days, starting as soon as possible but no later than April 1, 2022 and the last deliverable is to be submitted by September 15, 2022. The duration of the assignment also include time needed to travel to project sites. The required deliverables are listed to accepted by the Project as described the table below. All deliverables shall be submitted in English and Vietnamese.

Qualifications and experience

Essential

• A bachelor’s degree in communication, journalism, or related field
• At least 5 years of experience in communications, outreach and dissemination activities environmental and/or social development issues, especially in forestry sector in Viet Nam
• Good understanding of the issues related to forestry activities, especially community forestry.
• Excellent communication skills in both written and spoken English and Vietnamese (at least two writing samples in both languages to be provided)
• Fully conversant with use of new technology for communications and outreach, including the web and multimedia tools
• Ability to analyse complex information quickly and simply for grass-root level audiences
• Vietnamese nationality only

Desirable

• International professional experience of working in communications and/or natural resource management; and
• Photography, video and design/layout skills and experience

General:

• In additional to job specific skills and experience, the candidate should possess the following characteristics (including attitudes and skills):
• Ability to work as an active member of teams. This implies flexibility and open-mindedness;
• Initiative and ability to make informed independent judgments, that are not inconsistent with an overall team approach; and
• Ability to work in a varied cultural and institutional context.

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

How to apply

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