Consultant - Establishing a Partnership Foundation between ICCN and WWF for the Co-Management of Salonga National Park

TERMS OF REFERENCE

No. 40000448 PROJECT

EU SALONGA

 

PURPOSE	Establishing a Partnership Foundation between ICCN and WWF for the co-management of Salonga National Park, DRC
BENEFICIARY	WWF Salonga Programme
VENUE	Salonga National Park
DURATION	Two months

 

I. CONTEXT:

 

Salonga National Park (SNP) was established in 1970 on 33,500 square kilometers in the central basin of the Congo Basin. It represents the largest area of protected tropical rainforest in Africa and the largest national park in Africa. SNP consists of two large blocks ("north" and "south") separated by a corridor about 45 km wide which was established as part of the relocation of the populations who were initially residing within the perimeter of the Park.

 

Ecologically, SNP primarily includes dryland forests and floodplain forests. Given the size of the Park, the diversity of plant and animal species is considerable. For example, the community of primates in SNP is one of the most diverse in Africa. The Park is home to species whose global conservation status is highly threatened, particularly the forest elephant, bonobo and the golden-bellied mangabey. Besides a high biological diversity and due to its size and relatively undisturbed condition, SNP is relatively unaltered and is functioning as a pristine forest ecosystem, with the exception of the elephant population that is highly threatened by heavy poaching. Ecosystem services provided by these ecosystems to human communities living around the Park as well as nationally are considerable. These services are also significant across the Congo Basin, especially in terms of carbon storage, climate regulation and fisheries production. Given its ecological value, SNP is registered since 1984 on the World Heritage List of UNESCO.

 

On August 27, 2015, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), through the Congolese Institute for Conservation of Nature (ICCN), have entered into a joint management agreement with the aim to ensure the long-term protection of the outstanding biodiversity and ecosystems services of SNP. To sustain the Co-management model the creation of a “Salonga” Foundation is foreseen as the management mechanism of SNP. This idea is supported by the European Union, and other donors such as KfW and USAID.

 

Pending the establishment and operation of this Foundation, a Steering Committee has been established and is composed of three representatives from ICCN and three representatives from WWF plus a representative from each of SNP’s partners and donors. The Steering Committee is providing guidance to the Park Management Unit, represented by the Director of the Park, contracted by WWF. It should be noted that these structures may be adapted as the creation process and operation of the future Foundation evolves.

 

It is expected that the future management model will be conducive to, and result in, a quantifiable improvement of the status of conservation in SNP, with the participation of local communities in the management of natural resources, local government buy-in, semi-autonomous financial and technical management authority and a mechanism for securing long term financing. The proposed Foundation will build on the lessons learned from similar mechanisms already established to contribute to the long-term management and funding of Virunga National Park (DRC), the Sangha Tri-national (Cameroon, Congo, Brazzaville and Central African Republic), Garamba National Park (DRC) and others protected areas in the Central African region and elsewhere.  

 

II. PROJECT BACKGROUND:

 

This consultancy is part of a grant contract of the European Union - between the European Union and WWF, DCI-ENV / 2014 / 354-247, from January 2016 to August 2016.

 

III. OBJECTIVE OF THE CONSULTANCY:

 

The overall objective of the consultancy is to provide recommendations on the key features (legal status, governance, funding) of a Foundation as a strong management and sustainable funding mechanism for SNP, together with a clear action plan leading to its creation and operation. The consultancy is the first step of a process that is expected to be completed by the end of 2017 at the latest. 

 

IV. TASKS AND METHODOLOGY :

 

The consultant will: 

• Provide an updated (at 31/03/2016) presentation of existing PPP related to the management and funding of protected areas in the Central African region (and elsewhere if relevant), together with lessons learned
• Present an in-depth analysis of the pro- and cons of the various options regarding the legal status of the proposed Foundation, including the regulatory requirements and tax aspects, and recommend one of such options,
• Propose governance and administrative arrangements for the operation of the proposed Foundation, including the organization of the Park Management Unit,
• Analyze the options regarding the financial structure of the proposed Foundation (endowment, sinking fund, etc.), taking into account its current and planned funding mobilization strategy,
• Present the steps leading to the development of the By-laws of the Foundation and its registration.  

The consultancy can be carried out in Kinshasa if the consultant is based in Kinshasa or partly outside Kinshasa if the consultant is based out of the DRC. It is expected that the consultant(s) will closely liaise with ICCN, WWF and the other SNP partners during the assignment, and will carefully take into account the legal, tax, institutional and economic context of the DRC.

 

V. EXPECTED RESULTS:

 

The consultant(s) will:  

• Deliver a draft report presenting the analyses of the five points mentioned above i.e. Presentation of current experiences and lessons learned, proposed legal status, propose governance and administrative arrangements, proposed financial structure and action plan,
• Present this draft report to the snp steering committee,
• Deliver a final report taking into account the input received from the Steering Committee.    

VI. DURATION OF THE CONSULTANCY:

 

This consultancy shall not exceed six weeks with a minimum of three weeks in-country, and deliverables must be accepted before 30 August 2016.

 

VII. TERMS OF SUBMISSION:

 

The consultants invited to tender for this consultancy must provide before April 10, 2016 (strict deadline) the following:

 

A technical proposal including:

• A note presenting their understanding of the terms of reference and their proposed methodology, including the planned intervention schedule
• Three references,
• Detailed CV with experience and technical skills, 

A financial proposal including the total budget (excluding tax and taxes included) and detailed prices (fees, daily allowances, transport ...).

 

The applications can be deposited at WWF RDC secretariat, located Avenue Sergent Moke, Gombe, Kinshasa (see concession Safricas) or sent in digital format to sverhage@wwfdrc.org

 

VIII. QUALIFICATIONS:

 

The consultant(s) shall preferably have proven experience in the establishment of foundations and conservation trust funds in Central Africa.

 

Specifically the skills to conduct this study covering the following areas: 

• Knowledge and experience in the field of setting up Foundations for the management of Protected Areas
• Strong knowledge on legal matters related to the creation of foundations or similar structures (or associated with a lawyer/law firm);
• Knowledge on sustainable financing of protected areas;
• Experience developing implementation plan in the conservation sector;
• Knowledge of the institutional and political context in DRC ;
• Knowledge of the context and the actors in the conservation sector in the DRC;
• Good knowledge of French and English.