Terms of Reference. Programme Formulation Joint Programme of Support to Combat Poaching & Illegal Wildlife Trafficking

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1 Terms of Reference Programme Formulation Joint Programme of Support to Combat Poaching & Illegal Wildlife Trafficking Type of contract: Individual Contract (International) Starting date: August 2013 Duration of appointment: 30 working days Agency: UNDP Duty Station: Dar es Salaam Supervisor: Deputy Country Director (Programme) Background Globally, the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife derivatives has an estimated value of USD 8-10 billion per annum, making this the third largest illegal trade, after that in narcotics and small arms. As is the case with other forms of illicit trade, the trafficking of wildlife is undermining national and regional security. Heavily armed and highly organized groups of poachers, often linked to organized crime syndicates, are exploiting the opportunities provided by corrupt officials, weak institutions and porous border controls in conducting the trade. There is increasing evidence that criminals engaged in this trade also engage in crime syndicates dealing in small arms, drugs and human trafficking, and speculation that some wildlife trafficking groups may be linked to militias involved in civil conflicts. Poaching for wildlife parts and meat for domestic consumption is an ongoing phenomenon in Africa. Much of this is small-scale poaching for domestic consumption by poor communities. However, in the past few years, Africa has witnessed a huge escalation in the trafficking of wildlife and wildlife parts, spurred by international demand for elephant ivory and rhino horn. This has corresponded in a striking shift in terms of the focus of poaching (elephant tusks and rhino horns, rather than a range of species including game), numbers poached (herds of up to 400 elephants killed in one day), and tools (poachers using helicopters and high-tech surveillance equipment and weaponry). The escalation in the wildlife trade is a major issue of concern to government authorities, development agencies and conservation groups in Africa. The upsurge in poaching of African Elephants is a major issue for Tanzania, as it is to varying degrees in all 38 African Elephant range states. A recent study conducted by the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) revealed that the number of elephants in two protected areas fell sharply (by more than 40 percent) in just three years, as poachers increasingly killed the animals for their tusks. The study was conducted in the Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park and revealed that elephant numbers had plunged from 70,406 in 2006 to 38,975 in 2009 (TAWIRI 2010). Given that the estimated total elephant population in Tanzania is between 110,000 and 140,000, the large drop in numbers over a short period of time portends badly for the future. Such levels of poaching have the potential to wipe out the country s elephant population in many areas within the next 7 years. This would have serious consequences for Tanzania s economically important tourism industry. UNDP supports a huge portfolio of projects managing biodiversity for development. UNDP is also providing support to countries to strengthen their protected area systems, and is currently providing support to over 1,000 protected areas globally, covering 300 million hectares. Much of this work has centred around strengthening capacities for protected areas management and managing public goods, 1 P a g e

2 and developing conservation-compatible community livelihoods. The area of intervention includes sites harbouring some of the largest populations of threatened species, particularly African Elephants. Escalating poaching by armed gangs is effectively privatizing public goods for illicit gain, and is undermining successes achieved by countries in biodiversity conservation through development assistance and with UNDP support. This is a serious governance problem. Moreover, there has been a significant increase in demand from programme countries in Africa and Asia for UNDP to strengthen support on enforcement. Joint Programme Context and Response Wildlife poaching has escalated in recent years to the point where it has the potential to undo hard-won development gains, threatening livelihoods and economic sectors such as tourism. The involvement of criminal syndicates poses a serious challenge to nation states such as Tanzania, committed to uprooting corruption and upholding the rule of law. In the spirit of Delivering as One, a joint programme of support to assist the Government of Tanzania is urgently needed --to be spearheaded through a partnership between UN agencies under the UNDAP as well as other development partners. The environment sub-component under the UNDAP strives to address the major outcome: Relevant MDAs, LGAs and Non-State Actors improve enforcement of environment laws and regulations for the protection of ecosystems, biodiversity and the sustainable management of natural resources. Addressing poaching falls squarely under this outcome. However, success in this endeavour demands strong coordination at all levels within the government of Tanzania, the UN System and development cooperation agencies. Any interventions should be in line with the MKUKUTA clusters and agencies mandates and comparative advantage. Implementation responsibilities will lie with the relevant sector ministries and LGAs working in collaboration with law enforcement institutions. UN agencies may be invited to undertake interventions at sector and local level in line with their specific area of focus. Partner agencies may include UNEP, UNODC and others that may be appropriate. UNDP is well placed to support countries to meet their commitments to the CBD and CITES pertaining to the conservation of wildlife, framed within the broader objective of achieving pathways for sustainable development and poverty eradication. This will include the systematic coordination of country programming efforts to achieve synergies between governance, anti-corruption, poverty alleviation, crisis recovery and biodiversity management work. The proposed programme of support will be expected to address the problem at the national and local scales: 1 National Scale: The programme will aim to strengthen governance, ensuring transparency, and supporting the government in enforcing wildlife protection and anti-corruption strategies. The strongest deterrent to poaching is the enforcement of the rule of law, starting with the formulation of well thought out policies, rules and laws, sensitization/awareness-raising including of the judiciary and law enforcement officers (facilitating coordination between eco-guards and the police). UNDP s work in governance and anticorruption can be used to leverage the necessary linkages and support. Input and support from other UN agencies and relevant institutions will be incorporated to ensure the programme provides a holistic solution building on existing national institutions and coordination structures to address the problem. This will therefore look into the following possible areas of intervention. - Legislative environment and policy framework - Institutional strengthening - Coordination of enforcement efforts (conservation agencies, police, intelligence networks, customs etc) 2 P a g e

3 - Advocacy 2- Local Scale: Local communities and underpaid/ill-equipped eco-guards have been involved in poaching activities due to economic constraints and lack of access to the benefits from the natural resources within their locality. Providing communities with secure sources of income that minimize the incentive to collaborate with the criminal syndicates is thus critical. At the same time there is an urgent need to strengthen the surveillance and enforcement capabilities of conservation agencies such as TANAPA ensuring that staff cadres are capacitated and equipped to perform these functions. The response can be built upon the existing work at site where UNDP is building the enforcement capabilities of Tanzania National Parks in Ruaha National Park (NP), through a GEF funded project (Strengthening the Protected Area Network in Southern Tanzania - SPANEST) and scaling it up to other affected NPs. The SPANEST project is assisting the Government to create an inter-agency law enforcement unit supporting enforcement efforts in Southern NPs that will include Tanzanian National Parks as well as the police/ intelligence services. - Institutional strengthening (readiness, communications, monitoring) - Capacity development and skills development and staff safety - Sustainable livelihoods - Human-animal conflict management Overall objective In light of this description, UNDP seeks a consultant, with expertise in project development, to undertake the formulation of a joint programme of support taking a multi-disciplinary approach that aims to strengthen the capacities of national institutions to combat poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking in the country. The programme document should identify key interventions to address the problem and will be used as a basis for the prioritization of catalytic follow up actions (including interventions undertaken by the UN/UNDP to support Government), reporting on good management practices, review of funding gaps, and strengthening of resource mobilization efforts. The assignment will cover 30 workings days. The first draft of the programme document will be delivered no later than 8 October 2013 at which point it will be circulated widely for review and comment. The final draft will be submitted no later than October 25, addressing the comments received from stakeholders. This will include travel in and around Tanzania for consultations with Government agencies, conservation agencies, development partners, CSOs, and private sector involved in the hunting and tourism industry. Deliverables Reporting to the UNDP Deputy Director (Programme), working closely with the Programme Specialist for Environment & Natural Resources Management, the global head of the UNDP Biodiversity programme and the UNDP governance cluster and relevant national stakeholders, the consultant will be responsible for delivering the following: 1. Programme document, which should serve as a basis for agreement with the Government on UN/UNDP engagement in addressing enforcement, describe the proposed approach, and identify the roles and expectations of the various partners. The document should further indicate proposed implementation modalities, management and logistical arrangements as well as necessary programme support/oversight mechanisms. 2. The programme document will include (1) background data and analysis of the problem; (2) baseline interventions; (3) barriers; (4) interventions to address barriers; (5) list of short, medium 3 P a g e

4 and long term priorities; (6) an indicative budget (7) an annex documenting the consultations held in developing the document and (8) a clear results and resources framework, which includes the identification of key results, indicators, activities, inputs, budgets, assumptions, risks and division of labour for addressing the problem. Duties and Responsibilities In drafting the programme document, the consultant will: Work collaboratively with government stakeholders, UNDP, relevant UN agencies and development cooperation agencies in shaping programme design incorporating feedback into the document; Undertake a background review of relevant national policies integral to wildlife management, governance issues, benefit-sharing options for local communities, law enforcement and available technologies and other issues necessary to situate the programme in the context of national policies; Review existing institutional arrangements and mandates governing the roles and interaction of national and sub-national government agencies and UNDP with regard to the wildlife enforcement and development agendas; Review implementation capacities and make recommendations on operational resource needs to support implementation. 4 P a g e

5 Schedule of Payments Key deliverables 1. Draft programme document with all the relevant sections fully elaborated upon 2. Revised version of the project document after inputs from UNDP and key stakeholders Payment schedule/amounts 50% of the consultancy fee Expected duration: 20 working days 50% of the consultancy fee Expected duration: 10 working days Qualifications Advanced university degree in environment and development, environmental management, environmental law, biodiversity protection or other relevant field At least ten years of professional experience at the international level in environment and natural resource management Recent experience working on wildlife enforcement in Tanzania Demonstrated capacity to apply tools/approaches for Results Based Management and Monitoring and Evaluation. Proven qualities of and experience in: programme design, research and oral/written communication. Knowledge of methodologies for local solutions to economic empowerment and income generation options. Computer literacy, including familiarity with spreadsheets, power point presentations and databases. Strong inter-personal skills and a demonstrated capacity to deal with colleagues and counterparts from different backgrounds, and proven ability to function in a multi-cultural and multi-ethnical environment. Fluency in written and spoken English is required. Working knowledge of spoken Swahili is preferred. 5 P a g e