Consultant on Business Planning Tender, Albania - 25010641

Procurement Summary

Country : Albania

Summary : Consultant on Business Planning

Deadline : 27 Jul 2018

Other Information

Notice Type : Tender

TOT Ref.No.: 25010641

Document Ref. No. :

Competition : ICB

Financier : United Nations Secretariat

Purchaser Ownership : -

Tender Value : Refer Document

Purchaser's Detail

Purchaser : UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
"Skenderbej" Street, Gurten Building, 2nd Floor, Tirana Tel.: +355 (4) 2250 205, 2250 224, 2250 234 Fax: +355 (4) 2250 286, 2250 289
Albania
Email :registry.al@undp.org

Tender Details

Tenders are invited for Consultant on Business Planning.

Background

The Goverment of Albania (GoA) has recently approved a new law on protected areas and over the long-term, this should result in a significant improvement in the overall management effectiveness of the country-s system of protected areas, covering 460, 060 ha of marine and terrestrial habitats.

The current funding baselines for the PA system, and the capacities to administer and improve PA revenue streams, are still well below the levels required to ensure that the protected area system can properly serve its function as an important tool to protect biodiversity. So, if the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and its agencies is to fulfil its protected area mandate, it will need to have the ability to: (i) secure sufficient, stable and long-term financial resources for protected areas; (ii) allocate these resources in a timely manner and appropriate form to cover the full costs of protected areas; and (iii) ensure that the protected areas are managed effectively and efficiently with respect to conservation and other complementary objectives.

This project seeks to assist the GoA in reducing existing funding gaps for the system of protected areas, improving the management of individual protected areas, improving cost-efficiencies in individual protected areas and building the financial management capacities of protected area nationwide by increasing the capacity of the central and local staff. Therefore, it focuses activities at two levels of support: (i) building the financial management capacities of the agency responsible for administering the system of protected areas; and (ii) demonstrating the efficacy of different financing strategies in a sub-set of individual protected areas.

Since 2010, one of the immediate global biodiversity benefits relates to expanded protection coverage, by at least 12, 428 ha, for unique marine habitats hosting critically endangered, threatened and near-threatened species in MPA K-S, while important progress in terms of planning and management instruments was marked by development, approval and, since 2014 launching implementation of the Management Plan for K-S MPA, based on the priorities as identified in this plan; it has also indicated, for each proposed activity, an estimate of financial costs, as part of the business plan.

Former UNDP projects targeting the marine area of Vlora bay, have emphasised, the relevance of the terrestrial part adjacent to the marine site, and particularly the records and data for different biodiversity realms i.e. flora and vegetation, invertebrates, amphibian, reptiles, birds, mammals and rocky shore marine communities, physical and historical features, institutional framework engaged with management tasks; in addition both management plans (K-S MPA and Llogara NP), are adopted and ready-to-use / implement tools, by the Regional Administration of Protected Areas and other management authorities (MC, task forces etc.).

It is clearly noted and agreed on the presence of different terrestrial, marine an coastal protected areas in the region of Vlora, and in particular the Vjose-Narta Sea-Landscape PA in the North, Orikumi lagoon at the southern bottom of the bay, the peninsula of Karaburuni on the western side (namely the LLogara NP), and all these are linked (inter-related) by the developing activities carried out in the region from the socio-economic point of view; but these sites can also be perceived / be linked naturally through the habitats and ecosystems hosted in all of them, the way these habitats interact and rely on the marine and terrestrial resources, as well with the microclimate conditions - Karaburuni peninsula being the central element for nature conservation while the city of Vlora being the central element for development. It is this interacted ecosystem habitat exchange and complementarity that reveals multiple uses and allows multiple opportunities for development and economic activities.

Therefore, by developing the business planning of both the MPA K-S and the Llogara NP, as an entire ecosystem, attempts to provide a pragmatic approach aiming at establishing an equilibrium between sustainable economic development and natural resource conservation, ensuring long term protection and maintenance of biological diversity, while providing at the same time a sustainable flow of natural/ecosystem products and services to support coastal communities development.

UNDP project has already developed and shared with local stakeholder the business plan for K-S MPA and its main findings, while such a plan is not yet designed for Llogara NP; all these factors, provide a common ground and understanding that adequate implementation of the management principles for both terrestrial and marine site, are not only an suitable tool for biodiversity conservation but also for sustained socio-economic development of the whole region.




Duties and Responsibilities

The general objective for this assignment is that, relying on the existing information on the biodiversity & natural resources and their conservation status, to review the respective socio - economic values and trends in the ecosystem Llogara in liaison with MPA K-S business plan, define and provide the financial strategy and business plan for the management of the Llogara NP;

There are two main objectives to lead drafting of the business plan & elaboration of the financial strategy (along with implementation of the management plan):

· Provision of an overall economic picture on the characteristics of the area, allowing performing diagnostic analysis of the present situation, and

· Weight basic elements of analysis which will determine the priority actions that enable the business management of this target area (costs and revenues analyses, financial gaps and alternative mechanisms to bridge them)

The assignment will be accomplished in close partnership with the NAPA/RAPA to ensure ongoing support as well as with the MCPA project, particularly in the areas where the respective project activities are complementary and synergistic[i], seeking to harmonize its outputs and activities, notably in respect of revenue-generating opportunities that are prioritized - with the management planning processes that are being revised, or are already under development. The MCPA project will provide the necessary support and information regarding topography, climate, geo resources, bio resources, historic and cultural heritages, demography for the targeted area.

Task 1. Review of the existing baseline information of the ecosystem Llogara, Karaburun, Marine Park Karaburun - Sazan (incl biodiversity, natural and socio-economic values, institutional and management setup, main threats to PA);

Some of the main enlightenments and issues of relevant reference to be considered are:

A) Socioeconomic context

· Diagnosis of economic characteristics, analysed from an environmental standpoint, which should encapsulate a much wider areas than the project area

· Conflicts with other sectors related to socio-economic development, recognizing the need for inter-institutional and cross-sectoral collaboration for effective management of targeted PAs

· The level of social services - Infrastructure [communications, energy], equipment [urban planning, focusing more on health and education, plans provisions for expansion and investments]

· Cumulative economic activities- basic information about the Fishing, Hunting and harvesting

· Economic activities of exploitation of natural resources - information about the Agricultural Economics and breeding, Silviculture economy, Economics of aquaculture

· Craftsmanship, light industry - particularly their impacts on the environment (collection, pollution, development, etc.)

· Tourist exploitation - the effects of positive and negative impacts in the area; present the preferred pathways, settlements and activities favoured by tourists.

· pedagogical Utilization- Opportunity for continuous benefit that such activities can bring the area (schools, scientific research studies)

· Recreational use of the area - particularly its impact on the environment (collection, pollution, development, etc.), mainly related to sports activities (mention the frequency of these activities)

· Annual income of local residents - different social categories that operate in this area according to their income

· Status and prospects of employment-the employment situation and its progress in this area.

In doing the above work the consultant will:

· Review and utilise relevant documentation including scientific literature and existing information;

· Undertake field visits to verify /update, verbal and/or written information and gather additional primary information.

· Consult with the NAPA, RAPA and other relevant stakeholders to verify information.

B. Institutional and legal context

· Legal frame and status of land use - systems of land ownership and rights to resources (use of the system of concessions for public properties), real ownership over resources, nature of mortgage of land and traditions,

· Summary of urban planning documentation

· Mapping of land ownership and right of use

· Legislative and regulatory framework concerning the protection (within or adjacent to area)

· Typology and classification (agricultural land, cultivation, meadow, grazing, timber surface, water surface, etc.)

C. Management plan / planning instruments

· Planning and decision-making bodies

· Enforcement and control mechanisms

· Urban planning regulations - the impact on local level, urban development in the vicinity and within the area, entities and local practices[ii

Documents

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