Deadline: 20-Dec-21
The African Forest Forum (AFF), with funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) is pleased to launch a project titled “Strengthening management and use of forest ecosystems for sustainable development in Africa”.
The project seeks to generate and share knowledge and information through partnerships in ways that will provide inputs into policy options and capacity building efforts for improved forest management that will better address climate change impacts as well as contribute to poverty alleviation and environmental protection in Africa.
One of the objectives of this project is “to improve knowledge and capacities of African stakeholders in responding to adverse effects of climate change through better management and use of forest ecosystems and trees outside forests”. One of the expectations (output) in pursuing this objective is “improved quality and updated knowledge on African forest types and trees outside forests under changing climate”.
Such knowledge is expected to support improved decision making for better management of forests that respond to adverse effect of climate change. However, since climate changes with time, this knowledge will need updating with new information in future. This can be facilitated by having and monitoring permanent sample plots that could be established and/or monitor if any such plots were already established in selected countries.
AFF intends to launch such an activity per forest type in selected countries and working in partnerships with experts and institutions in those countries.
Purpose of Work and Target Forest Types
- This consultancy aims at providing “updated knowledge on the dynamics of vegetation in different forest types in Africa under changing climate”.
- The study will look at different forest ecosystems, namely:
- dry tropical forests,
- moist tropical forests,
- savanna woodlands and
- mangroves.
- One expert / team will be recruited for each forest type.
Specific Tasks
The specific tasks for the assignment include:
- With local partners set up modalities for continuous monitoring of the vegetation on existing forestry PSP sites in the selected countries.
- Collect any existing data on the PSP and together with partners update it and analyze the dynamics of the vegetation, taking into account aspects of climate change (impact of climate change on the vegetation).
- Together with local partners draft a plan on how the PSPs can be managed jointly between AFF and local partners/authorities over time, and including the financial implications and roles of partners.
Duration
- The tasks in these ToRs are expected to be completed within 3-4 months (between January and April 2022).
Expected Deliverables
Selected experts are expected to produce the following deliverables:
- A technical report of about 40 pages long, excluding references;
- A journal article, policy brief and a fact sheet;
- A project concept note to set the basis for jointly exploring with AFF opportunities to mobilize funding to sustain maintenance of the PSP site and regular monitoring.
All to be finalized in collaboration with relevant staff at the AFF Secretariat.
Eligibility Criteria
This consultancy is meant for experts demonstrating the following skills. Application as a team of 2 or 3 experts with complementary skills are also encouraged:
- Have a PhD degree in natural resources management, forestry, climate change, environment management or any related area;
- Be an expert with proven knowledge, and at least five years’ experience, in the broad areas of forest ecology including issues related to climate change, its adaptation and mitigation in forestry, sustainable development and natural resources management;
- Have a good understanding and use of climate data;
- Have good scientific writing skills, including a good list of publications in reputable journals;
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3lkkTqj