The Wildlife Conservation Society is seeking a Sustainable Finance Consultant as part of an effort to tackle the issue of deteriorating marine environments in the Western Indian Ocean by expanding MPAs and improving their management.
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and partners are tackling the issue of deteriorating marine environments in the Western Indian Ocean by expanding MPAs and improving their management. The Western Indian Ocean is a socially and biologically diverse region that contains some of the world’s most extensive and most climate resilient coral reefs and mangroves, which are critical sources of protein, coastal protection, and income to coastal populations. Yet, the integrity of the region’s ecosystems is threatened by the overexploitation of fisheries, habitat clearing, and pollution. These threats are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, including sea level rise, coral bleaching, and storm events, as well as the insufficient levels of financing available to provide adequate protection and management. WCS is currently leading a project on the proposed Trans-Boundary Conservation Area (TBCA) between southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. The project addresses these challenges by supporting improved management of a network of climate resilient, sustainable and effectively managed marine protected areas in the Western Indian Ocean. Understanding the cost of this management and identifying and developing potential sources of sustainable financing is essential to meeting conservation objectives for these area. The project will thus contribute to maintaining the critical ecosystems in the region and ensure sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities.
Terms
The work will take place over a period of three months. We are accepting bids for this work. The consulting fees agreed to will includes time and all other associated costs (e.g. printing, internet, phone), but excluding the field-based assistants who will be covered separately. There will be no travel associated with this consultancy.
The work schedule (Table 1) outlines timeline for completion of deliverables.
Application Process
Interested consultants, who meet can carry out the above assignment, should send their expression of interest note by emailing to: joleary@wcs.org. Please include “MPA Sustainable Finance Consultancy TBCA” in the subject line of your email. Deadline: 18th June 2021.