Identification of High Conservation Value in the Model Area
Rainforest Alliance Consultants & Internships
Tengah, SingaporeSintang, West Kalimantan
Contract
Full-time
25 days ago
Summary Information· Department: Palm Oil (USAID BC - P000404)· Location(s ): Ketungau Tengah, Sintang, West Kalimantan· Commitment: 116 days· Desired start date and duration: April 29th, 2024 to August 22th, 2024· Under direction of: Team Manager, Palm OilA. BackgroundSintang district has 1.3% of total forest area in Indonesia, with protected and production forest areas covering 59% of the district. However, Sintang is one of the districts in West Kalimantan with the highest rates of deforestation and forest degradation. From 2000 to 2022, Sintang lost 147,000 ha of primary forest or 13% decrease in total primary forest. Furthermore, from 2013 to 2022, 77% of tree cover loss in Sintang occurred within natural forests. The main driver of deforestation and forest degradation in Sintang are among other is, forest conversion to plantation driven by commodity production, which results increased GHG emissions and threats to biodiversity. The agricultural sector, particularly land-based business management, dominates the regional economy in Sintang. The agricultural sector, which includes plantation subsector, was the largest contributor to Sintang’s gross regional domestic product (PDRB) in 2020 with a contribution 22.72%, as well as the largest labor-absorbing sector. The plantation subsector is a leading subsector and economic driver in Sintang, and land-based business management in the plantation subsector is essential for sustainable development and economic growth, so sustainable management efforts are required that take into account ecological, socio-cultural and economic aspects.Sintang district government, through the Sintang Lestari initiative, is committed to achieving sustainable development by encouraging sustainable landscape management practices that balance economic development with the protection and conservation of High Conservation Value (HCV) areas, with the involvement of multiple stakeholders. HCVs are biological, ecological, social, or cultural values that are considered outstandingly significant or critically important at the local, national, regional, and/or global level. In Sintang, an initiative has been initiated to identify HCV areas at the jurisdictional district scale. The initiative was conducted by WWF Indonesia in 2019 that resulted in an indicative map of HCV areas covering 1,177,989,60 ha (53.38% of the Sintang district area) and in 2023 identifying 1,137,546,20 ha of HCV areas (51.54% of the Sintang district area).Since 2018, the Rainforest Alliance (RA) has been working in Sintang district to promote an integrated landscape management approach that brings different land-users and stakeholders together to address ecological, social, economic, and government issues around oil palm and natural rubber production. RA through Business Case (BC) initiative is being implemented in 5 countries, and Sintang is site of the BC initiative in Indonesia. The BC initiative seeks to develop transformation solutions through public-private partnership to address environmental challenges associated with commodity-driven deforestation through a landscape approach and contribute to reduce GHG emissions and deforestation, conserve biodiversity, improved livelihoods and mobilizing sustainable investment. In Sintang, the BC initiative is finishing a Collective Landscape Action Plan (CLAP) at the jurisdictional scale. One of the agreed-upon objectives is that collective action will be implemented at Ketungau Landcape using an “model area” approach, with a focus on 4 villages, Engkitan, Panggi Agung, Panggi Ruguk and Sumber sari villages, Ketungau Tengah subdistrict. Ketungau Landscape has an area of 559,518 ha, which includes Ketungau Hulu, Ketungau Tengah, and Ketungau Hilir subdistricts, has an HCV area of 179,606.40 ha (39.76% of the total landscape area) and an oil palm plantation area of 74,234.49 ha or 36.61% of the total oil palm area in Sintang with a production of 381,218.99 tons in 2022. As a result, collective efforts are required to encourage the implementation of sustainability strategies at the jurisdictional and landscape scales in order to increase impactful interventions, particularly at the landscape scale by increasing partnerships at Ketungau Landscape through develop and management of multistakeholder forum (MSF), including formulation of a CLAP at Ketungau Landscape based on the CLAP agreed at the jurisdictional scale. Previously, RA developed an intervention for HCV area management partnership in and around oil palm plantation business licenses through the CGF-FPCoA initiative. The intervention is expected to produce a technical document in the manner of guidelines, which developed a collaborative framework. The intervention is promoted as part of an attempt to increase participation and collaboration among oil palm business licenses holders and communities around the business license area in order to achieve sustainable land management. Furthermore, the Packard and CGF-FPCoA initiatives develop interventions to increase the inclusion of oil palm independent smallholders in the supply chain by increasing the capacity through sustainable intensification, institutional governance, and encouraging compliance in the framework of readiness for ISPO and RSPO certification.The initiative promotes, among other objectives, the formation of alliances between different stakeholders in the model area scale. Because of this, as a previous step to the creation and adoption of CLAP in the model area through development of village CLAP. Integrating HCV and forest areas into village spatial planning is an initial effort to develop well-planned landscape in the model area to ensure the presence of essential ecosystems with sourcing regions and ultimately stabilize critical deforestation frontiers by demonstrating the business case for collective landscape action and enabling its application globally.B. TargetSupport the project implementation of “Business Case for Collective Landscape Action: innovative data, finance, finance and partnerships for impact at scale” pada Activity 1.3.6IN Technical Assistance provided directly or with stakeholders to local forest communities, and smallholders organizations included the association within high biodiversity areas.C. Contribution1. Objective 1. By 2026, four local landscape partnerships have reduced GHG emissions, deforestation, and biodiversity threats while increasing restoration and boosting livelihoods through implementing collective landscape action, measured by landscape-scale performance frameworks and impacting >1.8 M ha and >12,000 people.2. IR 1.3. Sustainable production, livelihoods diversification and community conservation LAP activities, which were prioritized by local communities and marginalized groups, are implemented.3. KR 5. Landscape partnership sustainably manages standing natural forests.D. ObjectivesThe purpose of this consultancy is to:Identify biophysical and socio-community conditions, as well as interaction patterns in the model area, Ketungau Tengah subdistrict, Sintang district.Identify HCV areas in the model area, Ketungau Tengah subdistrict, Sintang district.Recommend HCV areas management and monitoring plans, including a synthesis of collaborative management schemes.Analyze Go and No-Go areas based on HCV findings, including scenario analysis to integrate HCV areas into village spatial and/or land use planning.E. Expected ProductsProduct #1: A final comprehensive report document on the results of identification of HCV in the model area, as well as a recommendation for HCV areas management and monitoring plans, synthesis of collaborative management for HCV areas in the model area, including high-quality images, shapefile, maps, and associated data.Product #2: A narrative report document on the analysis of HCV findings to determine Go and No-Go areas through a matrix of criteria, as well as integration into village spatial and/or land use planning.F. ActivitiesThe consultant or consulting firm will implement at least the following activities:Develop technical approach and methodology for conducting this consultancy, that includes identification, analysis, and interpretation, as well as ensuring the FPIC process.Conduct desk study and fieldwork based on technical approach and methodology, as well as stakeholder consultation, analysis and interpretation data and information from both primary and secondary sources.Drafting report of study findings, as well as PowerPoint presentation summarizing the findings for public consultation.Conduct a public consultation and peer review (if applicable) of the study findings.Insight and in-depth analysis to provide recommendations to meet the objectives of this consultancy.Report finalization to amend and adjust based on public consultation, peer review (if applicable), and RA’s feedback.G. ReportingThe consultant or consulting firm will be responsible for reporting to the Team Manager, Palm Oil at Rainforest Alliance Indonesia, as well as working closely with team of Palm Oil in Sintang district.H. Reporting Schedule and Payment MechanismThe project will be conducted for a period of 116 days, starting from April 29th, 2024 to August 22th, 2024 with the following detailed reporting schedule:The consultant or consulting firm will develop a schedule plan of activities to be conducted during the contract period. The schedule plan must outline, in detail, information about the activities, timeline, objectives, and desired outcomes based on the deliverable due dates. This schedule plan must be delivered no later than one week after the contract commences.The consultancy fee will be paid in three instalments (30%, 40%, 30%) with invoice submission attached to the interim reports.The consultant or consulting firm will submit the final report at the end of the contract period.General terms and conditions for Request for proposalProposals and/or any additional information received after the submission time and date are subject to rejection by The Rainforest Alliance. Incomplete proposals may be rejected by RA at its discretion.The Rainforest Alliance reserves the right to request additional information at any time during the procurement process.RA is at liberty to make multiple or no selections as part of the proposal process. RA also reserves the right to cancel the procurement.All proposal costs shall be borne by the applicant and will not be reimbursed by RA.Selection CriteriaThe consultant or consulting firm that can legally work in Indonesia.The consultant consisted of one team leader and several team members with relevant expertise such as, landscape ecology, biodiversity, hydrology and watershed management, ecosystem services, socio-economic and cultural, GIS and remote sensing, and spatial planning.Proven expertise and experience in HCV/HCSA assessment, as well as HCV areas management and monitoring, especially in landscape initiatives such as production landscape. A consultant with HCV Resource Network licenced assessor (ALS) is an advantage.Proven track record of good writing skills and ability to produce reports and maps.Working Experience in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia.Proposal Process and FormatPlease send your application no later than 19 April 2024. Interested parties should apply to Rainforest Alliance and include the following:· Cover Letter· CVs· Budget proposalThank you for your interest in working with The Rainforest Alliance