Consultancy to Undertake an Assessment Tender - 47502781

Procurement Summary

Country: Saint Lucia

Summary: Consultancy to Undertake an Assessment of Terrestrial Resources in the South East Coast

Deadline: 24 Nov 2020

Posting Date: 13 Nov 2020

Other Information

Notice Type: Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 47502781

Document Ref. No.:

Competition: ICB

Financier: Global Environment Facility (GEF)

Purchaser Ownership: -

Tender Value: Refer Document

CPV Classification

45454100 - Restoration work

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Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Consultancy to Undertake an Assessment of Terrestrial Resources in the South East Coast.
INVITATION TO TENDER
GEF 6 - Integrated Ecosystems Management and Restoration of Forests in the South East Coast Project
INVITATION
The Government of Saint Lucia through the Department of Sustainable Development (Ministry of Education, Innovation, Gender Relations and Sustainable Development) is inviting suitably qualified consultants to submit tenders for a consultancy to undertake an Assessment of Terrestrial Resources in the South East Coast.
Project Location
The South East Coast of Saint Lucia extending from Mandele Point in Dennery to Laborie is the project area and the focus of this Terms of Reference.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
1.0 BACKGROUND
1.1 Integrated Ecosystem Management and Restoration of Forests on the South East Coast of Saint Lucia project is aimed at developing ecosystems management systems and practices, restoring productive landscapes and enabling sustainable socio-economic development by creating avenues for sustainable livelihood in the communities in the South East Coast region of the island. The main problem that the project seeks to address is the lack of integrated protection hectares and sustainable management of ecosystems. This area encompasses some of the island-s dry forest ecosystems namely; the Mandele Dry Forest which is critical to thecontinued survival of some of its threatened endemic species and sub-species such as the White-Breasted Thrasher, Saint Lucia Oriole, Saint Lucia Black Finch, the Saint Lucia Pewee, the Antillean Euphonia, Bridled quail dove, Grey Trembler, three hummingbird species and possibly the Rufous Nightjar. (Bird Life International, 2018). Other non- bird biodiversity that can be found in this area are the agouti, the boa constrictor and the fer-delance. Point Sables, another key biodiversity area found in the South East Coast is approximately 774 hectares and is home to at least thirty-two bird species (cite Robert L Norton 1989), five endemic species of herpetofauna, two of which are only found in Saint Lucia. They are The Saint Lucia racer and the Saint Lucia whiptail.
1.2 Main threats to these existing ecosystems include natural disasters, charcoal production, mining, habitat modification and destruction. The island-s vulnerability to natural disasters such as hurricanes and storms may have catastrophic effects on the natural resources of the area. Charcoal production by the Aupicon Charcoal production Group contributes to increases in emissions of greenhouse gases and the most commonly stated impact is deforestation.
1.3 Mining and quarrying activities result in the discharge of chemicals and industrial waste

into the environment. Lastly, habitat change is occurring at a rapid rate and is expected to

increase even further in the future with the projected increases in hotels, housing,

infrastructure and other developments that may negatively impact dry forest areas.

1.4 The application and expansion of these interventions in the South East Coast, particularly

concerning long-term sustainability have been impeded by inadequacies within the wider

policy and institutional environments that do not adequately allow for the mainstreaming of

these interventions beyond the realm of “project-driven, site-specific” actions. Further, the

mechanisms for the implementation of appropriate and “fit-to-purpose” sustainable land and

water management and biodiversity conservation interventions have remained outside of

traditional government programmes and budgets and as a result, these remain some areas of

key concern in the South East Coast:

1.4.1 Land Use Planning: Absence of planned, guided and managed development of all

types (residential, agricultural, touristic and access) which takes into account

ecosystem goods and services.

1.4.2 Safeguarding of Key areas: Lack of measures to safeguard key areas of global and

national significance such as forests and coastal and marine ecosystems which

also take into account national development needs.

1.4.3 Continuity: Lack of follow up or financing for completed biodiversity assessment

and priority setting exercises.

1.4.4 Sustainable replacements: Lack of sustainable options to reduce pressures on

ecosystem services and goods.

1.5 Under its sixth replenishment funding cycle (GEF6) The Global Environment Facility

provided funding to the Government of Saint Lucia through the Ministry of Sustainable

Development as project Executing Agency, to implement a project entitled ‘Integrated

Ecosystems Management and Restoration of Forests of the South East Coast-, which focuses

on Land use planning; Safeguarding of key areas; Continuity and Sustainable replacements.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the project Implementing Agency.

The project aims to address these concerns in three distinct components with an

accompanying overarching Project Management and Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)

system:

Component 1: Ecosystems Management - as applied to South East Coast.

Component 2: Rehabilitated or Restored Landscapes

Component 3: Sustainable Livelihoods - Enhanced Capacity for the production of

biodiversity-friendly goods and services in inland forest and coastal communities (National

with emphasis on the South East Coast).

1.6 Overall, the GEF intervention will build on the existing legal framework to develop

appropriate supporting regulations and guidelines which integrate environmental sensitivities,

priorities and sustainable management options in forest, coastal and marine ecosystems. In

the absence of a national land use plan, the assessment of terrestrial resources for an area of

critical global significance would constitute an incremental building block to move towards

this overarching goal. Without the GEF intervention the high biodiversity, priority forest,

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and marine areas of the South East Coast would continue to be degraded and imperiled by

initiatives from individuals, community residents and developers that fail to take into account

local, national and global environmental considerations.

1.7 Building on anti-poverty initiatives, GEF support will permit testing of innovative

sustainable use of biodiversity resources. Of particular emphasis is the opportunity to

integrate biodiversity concerns and sustainable land use options into the forthcoming

development scenario for the South East Coast (highway, tourism development).

2. OBJECTIVE, PURPOSE & EXPECTED RESULTS

2.1. The overall objective of this consultancy is to undertake a Baseline Assessment of the

terrestrial Biological Resources in the South East Coast of Saint Lucia to improve the

framework for protected areas management in the project area, particularly in areas of high

biodiversity value and threat.

2.2. The Purpose of the consultancy is the Assessment of Terrestrial Resources in the South

East Coast to establish a foundation for effective management of existing and new protected

areas in the South East Coast. This will be achieved through participatory research that takes

into account the provisioning and accounting of ecosystem goods and services and the

development of sustainable management options in terrestrial and forest ecosystems in the

South East Coast.

2.3. Results to be achieved by the Consultant

2.3.1 Results to be achieved include defining specific costed activities, which relate to the

following:

1. Improved Sustainable management planning for the South East Coast incorporates

considerations for biodiversity conservation in terrestrial, forest, coastal and marine

ecosystems.

2. Groundwork to underpin sustainable management of landscapes and seascapes that

integrate biodiversity conservation in the South East Coast regional level is enhanced through

the generation of new data and information/development of TORs.

3. At least one Terrestrial Protected Area identified within the project area with the elements

of a management plan developed.

4. Possible innovative sustainable financing modalities identified for conservation and socio -

development in the South East Coast Region

The consultancy is also expected to give due consideration to the activities under Component

two (Rehabilitated or Restored Landscapes) to facilitate synergy-building and enhanced

project effectiveness.

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3.0 METHODOLOGY:

3.1 The Consultant will employ a participatory approach at all phases of the assignment, to

derive wherever possible the necessary synergies from tasks/activities, that will allow for all

the stakeholders and beneficiaries to be involved in the formulation and description of the

document.

3.2 The Consultant will undertake focus group discussions (FGDs), one-on-one

meetings/interviews, local community groups consultations and brief online surveys, as

needed, for information gathering in the preparation, completion, validation and finalization

of the Baseline Assessment Report and other related documents.

4.0 SCOPE OF THE WORK

4.1 The Consultant, in conjunction with technical personnel from all relevant government

agencies including but not limited to, the Departments of Fisheries, Forestry and the

Biodiversity and Coastal Zone Unit of the Department of Sustainable Development and other

counterpart agencies; including amongst others, the Saint Lucia National Trust, will be

expected to;

(1) Undertake a comprehensive baseline assessment of the terrestrial ecosystem in the

project area.

(2) Develop costed activities for key elements for the establishment of an overarching

biodiversity/protected areas management plan

(3) Identify and determine management interventions and implementation mechanisms for

terrestrial areas in the South East Coast

(4) Identify possible sustainable financing modalities for the South East Coast.
The Department of Sustainable Development, in conjunction with the Departments of

Fores

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