EL SALVADOR: CONSULTANT TO PREPARE AN ACTION PLAN ON RECOVERY OF GALLERY FOREST
JOB DETAIL
EL SALVADOR: CONSULTANT TO PREPARE AN ACTION PLAN ON RECOVERY OF GALLERY FOREST
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The countries of the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala) are experiencing the negative impacts of climate change, and global climate models predict even more severe scenarios for the coming years. These scenarios include higher average annual temperatures with lower and more erratic rainfall, marked by extreme rainfall events during tropical cyclones and followed by prolonged droughts. The lack of coverage by government agencies restricts their ability to provide farmers with technical assistance and extension, which in turn leads to the degradation of the top layer of soil and the land, ultimately reducing agricultural productivity.
The main direct causes of deforestation include: land use change due to agriculture and livestock, unsustainable extraction of wood for industrial and energy uses, and forest fires, mostly related to conventional slash-and-burn practices used to prepare soils for the establishment of annual crops and pastures.
This project will provide a platform for technical collaboration with the Republic of Korea, Mexico, and the Northern Triangle countries to establish enabling environmental policies and accelerate green investments for local communities and smallholder farmers, especially to reduce poverty in climate vulnerable communities.
In this sense, the project seeks to strengthen institutional capacity with a restoration focus by supporting the preparation of documents that help mitigate and recover degraded lands in response to climate change.
In El Salvador, the continuous intervention of human beings through indiscriminate logging, burning in order to establish crops and pastures for livestock, among others; has generated serious degradation and a decrease in the tree cover that develops on the edges of rivers, known as gallery forests.
In this context, GGGI is looking for an experienced consultant, to mainly carry out the following activities:
- Develop an Action Plan for the Recovery of Gallery Forest Implementing Agroforestry Systems in Protection Zones of the Amayo River, in the district of Texistepeque, department of Santa Ana.
- Hold consultation events with technical personnel specializing in forest restoration issues, as well as events with the population and local actors.
OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTING
Design an Action Plan to begin the recovery process of the gallery forest of the Amayo River, located in the district of Texistepeque; in order to stop its degradation, recover its ecological integrity, and at the same time improve human well-being, through a planned and orderly process of implementation of agroforestry systems.
ACTIVITIES
Below are the activities that the consultant must complete, which must be carried out in their entirety within an estimated period of 5 months (152 calendar days).
General responsibilities
- The Action Plan must be written in Spanish.
- Present a detailed Work Plan for the preparation of the Action Plan including an execution schedule – Deliverable No. 1.
- To prepare the Action Plan, you must plan and coordinate the necessary actions with the technical team of the General Directorate of Forest Planning, Watersheds, and Irrigation (DGFCR) of the MAG and with the Forestry Senior Associate of GGGI.
- Present monthly reports that demonstrate the progress of execution addressed to the Director of the DGFCR/MAG (or a designated member of his technical team) and to the GGGI Forestry Senior Associate.
- Plan, manage, and hold the necessary meetings with the different institutions involved in the issue of forest landscape restoration (MAG, MARN, CENTA), with the aim of validating the content of the Action Plan during execution.
- Include in the structure of the Action Plan at least the following aspects, this structure does not limit the consultant to propose or include other topics according to his experience:
- Introduction
- Environmental, Social and Governance Safeguards
- Objectives
- Importance of gallery forests
- Legal framework for the restoration of gallery forests
- Description of the Amayo River basin
- Delimitation of the area to be restored (maps, area).
7.1 Regulatory context and planning and decision-making instruments at the territorial level.
7.2 Biophysical context: geographic area, climate, watersheds and microwatersheds, natural cover/forest types, ecosystems, land use.
7.3 Socioeconomic context: demographics, economic situation, livelihoods, production activities, land ownership.
7.4 Identification of local actors and strategic alliances in the area of influence.
7. 5 Threats: illegal logging, expansion of the agricultural frontier, overflows, identification of pollution sources.
7.6 Opportunities and Barriers for the establishment of agroforestry systems with a productive focus.
7.7 Identification of potential markets and their link with value chains.
7.8 Identification of areas with potential for ecotourism.
8. Strategic plan for restoration
8.1 Proposed mechanisms for the restoration of gallery forests.
8.2 Selection of suitable species for restoration that adapt to the target area.
8.3 Arrangements with proposed agroforestry and silvopastoral systems.
8.4 Establishment and management of local nurseries
8.5 Selection of beneficiaries.
8.6 Mitigation measures.
9. Identification of capacity strengthening in SAF
10. Establishment of demonstration plots
11. Technical assistance for restoration
12. Budget.
13. Financial programming.
14. Execution schedule, with identified responsible entities.
15. Potential sources of financing.
16. Conclusions.
17. Recommendations.
Hold up to a maximum of 3 participatory public consultation events to ensure that beneficiary populations know the plan and the expected benefits of the restoration in terms of climate.
- resilience at the landscape level, as well as collect key information that must be included in the Action Plan. These events must be carried out in the project intervention area, which includes the geographical area of influence of the sub-basin or micro-basin of the Amayo River.
- Articulate in the Action Plan (according to the technical considerations of the DGFCR-MAG team) the actions mentioned in the different strategic axes of the Forestry Strategy of El Salvador[1].
- Write the Action Plan with a focus on promoting the change from the current use of land without forest to an appropriate agroforestry use, which allows guiding the planned and orderly development of management activities and the increase of forest cover; both with objectives of production of goods, and conservation of ecosystems, and prevention and mitigation of risks.
- Incorporate into the Action Plan criteria for integrating value chains and promoting associative arrangements.
- Incorporate into the Action Plan the evaluation of possible financing sources and long-term sustainability criteria.
- Hold monthly meetings with DGFCR staff to review, correct, and validate the document being prepared, until it is determined that it is finalized.
- 75 days after signing the contract, you must present the Action Plan with an estimated progress of 50%, the estimate of said progress will be determined in the Work Plan. This will be Deliverable No. 2.
- Finally, 77 days after receipt of Deliverable No. 2, the Action Plan must be finalized, and must be received and validated by the Director of the DGFCR-MAG and the Forestry Senior Associate of GGGI, drawing up a record with the respective signatures endorsing the term and acceptance of the document to proceed with the payment of Deliverable No. 3.
[1] https://www.mag.gob.sv/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/9Estrategia-Forestal-de-El-Salvador.pdf
DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE
The payment method will be established as follows:
Deliverable No. 1: Work Plan
Date of delivery: 10 days after signing the contract
Percentage of payment: 20%
Deliverable No. 2: Action Plan Document advanced by 50%, received in accordance with the plan
Date of delivery: 75 days after signing the contract
Percentage of payment: 40%
Deliverable No. 3: Completed Action Plan Document, received in accordance with the plan
Date of delivery: 77 days after receipt of Deliverable No. 2
Percentage of payment: 40%
EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR CONSULTING
- University professional graduated in Agronomic, Forestry, Environmental Sciences, or related careers.
- Postgraduate or specialization in Agronomic, Forestry, Environmental or related Sciences is desirable.
- A minimum of 5 years of work experience
- With proven experience in the preparation of technical documents on agricultural issues, preferably agroforestry or related to consulting.
- With knowledge of forest restoration and climate change issues
- Salvadoran nationality or with a work permit in El Salvador
- Use of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
- Ease of writing and preparing reports
- Availability to move by one’s own means
- Have the necessary computer equipment for consulting
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Applicants must include the following in their application package:
- A cover letter of no more than 2 pages that demonstrates how the candidate’s qualifications meet job requirements.
- A resume that, at a minimum, describes education, recent experience, and professional achievements.
- A verifiable list of publications that the candidate has made or contributed to.
- Individual consultants or a multidisciplinary team of professionals represented by a consultant as owner may apply, who must present the offer.
- If a team of professionals applies, the titular consultant must include the CVs of each of them in the offer.
To be considered for the position, the candidate must meet the minimum qualifications listed above. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. GGGI does not pay any expenses associated with interviews unless the expenses are pre-authorized.
The closing date is Korea Standard Time (KST). Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered an application. The cover letter and CV must be sent in English. A consortium or company may not be hired for the assignment of an individual consultant.
