Consultancy to Carry Out Participatory Vulnerability and Capacity Analysis (PVCA) at Nature Conservancy

Objectives and Scope of Work

• The contractor is required to work closely with TNC experts to develop all work identified below based on the review of data and results of ongoing work carried out by TNC on climate risks and vulnerabilities. They will also work directly with relevant stakeholders and partners, with technical guidance from the TNC’s Climate Adaptation Specialists to achieve the objectives outlined in the section below. This assessment shall be confined to settlement areas within the targeted conservancies as well as adjacent landscapes covering communities on the fringes of the conservancies

Objectives:

• Undertake local level Participatory Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (Task 1)
• Compilation of specific information on climate risk and vulnerability of the villages and conservancies of Kalama – Samburu, Nakuprat Gotu – Isiolo, Ngare Ndare – Laikipia, Melako – Marsabit, Lumo and Maungu in Taita Taveta (threats, vulnerability and social indicators); using TNC generated modeling and locally gathered data.
• Collect primary and secondary baseline data on factors that will most likely affect well-being of local communities, including livelihood characteristics, population growth, planned economic activities, urban development plans, disaster risk, and land-use change. For land use change assessments, contractor must work with information from the Forestry and other relevant government entities and Departments to ensure alignment with national efforts.
• Collect secondary information on the health of ecosystems in the selected area, based on existing assessments, reports and interviews with key informants
• Evaluate ongoing and planned adaptation responses by different agents (Task 4)
• Based on the literature review, focus group and key informant interviews and discussions with TNC teams (see point 1), the consultant will identify a series of feasible adaptation options (current/planned/potential) by the different interested actors.
• Assist TNC with a workshop designed to share the results of this study with local experts and key community groups for review and feedback. (TNC will host and facilitate the workshop, contractor will be expected to present the results of the Participatory and Vulnerability and Socio-Economic Assessment, and overall analysis of combined data and recommendations.) (Task 4)
• Final product: The consultant will prepare a succinct report compiling all of the above products as well as a summary of this information in a slide presentation.
• To support the above listed objectives the contractor will undertake the below activities:
• Specifically, the Contractor must perform the following activities for each of the project sites:
• Develop and submit and inception report with a detailed methodology and work plan outlining the activities to be performed and proposed timeline. This work plan will be used to coordinate activities in the field, as well as activities and consultations with other experts and the implementing partner - TNC, including workshops with the communities. ii. Conduct field trips, hold expert interviews and focus group discussions to gather and update (if applicable) the necessary information on habitats.
• Identify, locate, and map the major threats, vulnerabilities and pressures to the ecosystem and biodiversity by anthropogenic and natural phenomena (including climate change) within the three identified communities. The causes, sources, effects and impacts as well as the actors related (if applicable). iv. Conduct a participatory vulnerability assessment and socio-economic survey (including a high level gender analysis) to identify factors across the four areas of vulnerability: Social, economic, physical and environmental, factors that will most likely affect well-being of local communities, including population growth, planned economic activities, livelihood activities, urban development plans, disaster risk and land-use change.
• Provide an analysis of climate trajectories at the conservancy level and associated impacts on the villages and communities located within the Northern and Southern Kenyan Rangelands
• Conduct an inventory of the socio-economic and natural resource data
• Undertake analysis to determine the best, middle and worst case scenarios related to climate-related risks and resource availability under conditions of climate change,
• Develop recommendations for the protection, restoration, and conservation actions to increase the ecosystem services provided by the studied habitats, to abate threats, especially as they relate to climate change adaptation, disaster risk reduction, and livelihood provision.
• Propose at least five Nature based Solutions (NbS), and or Ecosystem based Adaptation (EbA) actions for the relevant villages and conservancies. We know that to reduce climate impacts, some solutions are socioeconomic, some hard infrastructure, some at the governance level and as such we encourage you to include other recommendations beyond NbS and EbA.
• Produce a draft, final and summary technical report of the assessments incorporating listed items above.
• Assist TNC in the design of a workshop and present the results of the combined report to local experts and key community groups for review and feedback. (TNC will host and facilitate the workshop.)