Consultancy to develop a restoration program on protected areas Jobs

Introduction

The World Wide Fund for Nature Tanzania Office is implementing the Trillion Trees Program aiming at unlocking sustainable financing for Forest Landscapes Restoration. Trillion Trees (TT) is a major initiative conceived by Restore Our Planet, a UK-based environmental foundation. A group of three international conservation organizations – the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-UK & Tanzania) and BirdLife International (BLI) will implement the program.

The world’s forests face a host of threats, which often reflect the fact that forests and the services they provide are not adequately valued in decision making and economic policy frameworks. These pressures are well known and many major international initiatives are attempting to respond to them. Rather than competing with these existing global initiatives TT will support them in their aims, with a particular focus on enhancing the scale and effectiveness of implementation. Trillion Trees (TT) is just one part of the very significant global effort that is needed. The TT seeks to promote even higher levels of ambition regarding both outcomes and the mobilization of finance, and a longer-term vision.

Background

The East Usambaras forests are among the most important forests for biodiversity conservation in Africa. This ecosystem has a wide variety of forest types, created naturally because of the varied topography and varied rainfall patterns that the topography generates, and a variety of forests created by human influence namely forest plantations, thickets and woodlands in different stages of fire succession, and regenerated forests with various percentages of exotic tree species. Research on the distribution of forests in the East Usambaras indicates that if the forests become too fragmented and isolated then a number of the species only known to exist from this area will become globally extinct. Pressure on land is high in the East Usambaras from growing populations in the adjacent agriculturally dependent communities. Cardamom production is widespread and increasing rapidly, threatening under story species which account for the majority of the East Usambara’s biodiversity and endemism.
These forests are threatened by scattered cultivation including grassland, woodlots, and long fallows border all the forests, indicating that dense population pressure is the main factor keeping forest from re-growing. Most villages also desire to expand their forest reserves. Forest will also not naturally regrow without help from tree planting projects in most of the East Usambaras due to frequent fires and the drying climate.Most of the forest fragments existing in the corridors between government reserves are village sacred forests occurring on hilltops. These forests have, for the most part, never been deforested, and although they may have suffered a small amount of selective harvesting, contain old mature trees and a high diversity of trees and under story plants.
Clearance of forest up to the boundaries of the forest reserves has meant that the reserves are frequently affected by fire from the burning of adjacent fields. Fire is the single biggest threat to these forests. Clearance of forest on general and village land has also meant that communities are forced to collect wood products from within the Catchment Forest Reserves causing further degradation of the forest. Hunting for duiker, bush pigs and hyraxes is also common and is sometimes the source of forest fires when hunters use fire to smoke out the animals. Gold mining to the north east of the Amani Rainforest, first discovered some years ago has caused the influx of thousands of immigrants, most with no regard to the history and culture of the forests.
Based on the above information, it is of paramount importance to develop a corridors connectivity restoration program in order to safeguard the biodiversity potential of these forests.

The Objective

The main focus of the consultancy will be to develop a project proposal, work plan and budget for restoration work on protected areas connectivity using pioneer tree species and high value crops in the East Usambara landscape, with focus on village land forest reserves and enhancing the conservation status of selected forest reserves, primarily in the lowlands.

Scope of the work

Main activities to be undertaken:

1. Work with the Trillion Trees Manager in WWF UK and WWF Tanzania Forest Program Coordinator and facilitate development of a five year nature connectivity corridors restoration program for the Amani Nature Reserve in the East Usambara mountains
2. Undertake literature review on restoration work in the East Usambara and identify key problems and gaps that require interventions for sustainable landscape restoration
3. Develop 2-3 fundable smaller project proposals within the overall forest restoration program for nature connectivity corridors around Amani Nature Reserve
4. Develop the theory of change (project log frame), work plan and budget for the smaller project proposals developed within the overall forest restoration program
5. Identify other stakeholders funding restoration work in the East Usambaras
6. Scope and identify potential sources of funding for corridor connectivity restoration in East Usambara around Amani Nature Reserve
7. Propose effective partnerships for sustainable restoration program in the East Usambara

Profile Required Functional Skills

• University degree in Natural Resources Management, Project Design and Management, Business Management, Development Studies or related fields;
• Highly competent on proposal writing skills and fundraising
• Knowledge and experience of the realities of development issues, donor institutions, and the not-for-profit sector;
• Previous experience in undertaking a similar assignment
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in English; and Kiswahili will be an added advantage.

Required Behavioural Skills

• Excellent understanding of development partnerships, fund-raising, donor strategies, functions and international relations;
• Personal integrity with an honest and open personal style;
• Approachable, and an ability to engage partners at all levels;
• Adherence to WWF’s social policies

Line of communication

The consultant will report to the WWF Tanzania Forest Program Coordinator with technical guidance from the Trillion Trees Manager, WWF UK

Contract duration

This assignment will last for two months (June to July, 2019)
If interested please send your CV and a cover note clearly articulating why you are suitable for the assignment, how you would carry it out as well as a proposed budget to
Lucason Maiga copying Lawrence Mbwambo (lmbwambo@wwftz.org) and Mxolisi
Sibanda.”

Contact person in Tanzania

Lucas Maiga,
Operations Manager
WWF Tanzania Office
Email: lmaiga@wwftz.org
Mobile: +255 787 819946

Contact person in WWF UK

Mxolisi Sibanda
Regional Manager, East Africa
WWF UK,
Mobile: +44 (0)7538044422 Email: msibanda@wwf.org.uk