Marine Transboundary Conservation Areas Expert at United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Duties and Responsibilities

• The consultant will be under the general supervision of the Head of the Secretariat for the Nairobi Convention and direct supervision of the Project Manager- ACP MEAs 3 Programme at the Nairobi Convention secretariat. The consultant will undertake the following activities: 1. Desk literature review from the latest scientific reports on emerging issues and trends on transboundary conservation areas (TBCA) in the Western Indian Ocean - on biophysical, socio-economic, institutional, and legal aspects of each TBCA, including stakeholder engagements, partnerships, and emerging best practises. These recent reports include, among others, the Western Indian Ocean Marine Protected Areas Outlook, Critical Habitats Outlook, Sharks and Rays Review Report, other successful transboundary conservation initiative, alongside enhanced ecological benefits, socio-economic resilience and strengthened political relations, guided by ongoing policy and political processes including CITES, CMS, BRS Conventions and ongoing discussions on protected areas, Sustainable Development Goals, CBD post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, African Union Agenda 2063, and all relevant stakeholders active in a proposed TBCA (Governments, non-state actors, and private sector). Where possible, conduct virtual consultation with relevant stakeholders.
• Elaborate, in particular, the justification for the proposed TBCAs between neighbouring countries including the value for conservation, protection, connectivity and applicable co-management, benefits for transboundary cooperation, interest, appropriateness, and relevance of the envisaged TBCA outcome, risks, and challenges.
• Detail emerging risks associated with the TBCAs such as transboundary interactions and relations, biodiversity loss (changes in sea use, species overexploitation, invasive species, pollution, climate change), human environmental damage, and extreme weather. Others may include erosion of social cohesion, livelihoods crisis, and maritime security.
• Using a standard template, develop a high-quality funding project proposal: a. Identify with the implementation of the two Strategic Action Programmes of the Western Indian Ocean.
• Detailing the geographical distribution, historical background, key natural resource issues, specific geographic opportunities for transboundary collaboration, role and the partners involved in the given TBCA and identify new and emerging environmental issues as well as ongoing global and regional discussions that should be taken into account in the literature review.
• Update on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for transboundary cooperation in the proposed TBCA and propose other fronts and issues that may be considered in order for the TBCA to be ecological connected, and to be a modern, practically managed seascape.
• Propose the piloting for eventual establishment of at least one TBCA and the strengthening of at least two other TBCAs and their associated locally managed marine areas.
• In the Theory of Change address the pressures, systemic drivers and stressors on the health of marine and coastal ecosystems in the Western Indian Ocean and in the proposed TBCAs; identify barriers, opportunities, and solutions for an integrated framework of action at transboundary and national level.
• align the efforts on establishment of TBCAs to respond to systemic and transformational change and the urgency to respond to global and national ambitions to address the drivers of change, such as to sustainably manage 100% of the ocean area under national jurisdiction by 2025, the high ambition coalition to bring 30% of oceans under protection by 2030, the ambitions of Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (towards reaching 2050 vision), and the ambition to halt nature loss and ensure that the world is nature-positive by 2030 and carbon neutral by 2050.
• Provide specific strategies to foster transboundary collaboration with other parties and partners to establish an effectively managed TBCA. Explain how the strategies will be achieved, for example, by country driven priorities as included in as included in nationally determined contribution, national biodiversity strategic action plans, and national adaptation plans; mainstream integrated programming by holding joint meetings, developing coordinated management plans, or adjusting management practices, aligning management objectives, cooperating on various management activities such as monitoring and control, and other work plans, and/or forming joint management committees, fostering staff exchanges and knowledge, learning, and experience sharing, coordinated financial planning complemented country-level investments with transboundary action and impact.
• Address efforts to end traditional silo thinking and to address the interrelated and interdependent challenges of marine biodiversity loss in the TBCAs, and associated ocean degradation, pollution, and climate change in an integrated and coherent way in the Theory of Change.
• Propose core ecological and social indicators and targets (medium and long term) leading to the establishment of the TBCA and incorporation of other effective conservation measures (OECM) and expand on policy coherence of TBCA establishment and co-management.
• Propose impactful outcomes leading to healthy and resilient Western Indian Ocean such as Post-COVID19 strategies by state and non-state actors to scale-up blue recovery actions in priority TBCAs and other seascapes, incentives and improved policy options promote innovations and behavior change for sustainability and resilience in transboundary ecosystems, and nature-based solutions and ecosystem services that underpin transformation of TBCAs
• Undertake key stakeholder mapping from each transboundary country who should be involved in the national and transboundary assessments; broaden the set of stakeholders to include those relevant agencies, local community members, and others who would be directly affected by the proposed TBCA.
• Incorporate a gender assessment and mobilization strategy of stakeholders, private sector, including engagement of non-traditional partners as key to co-management of TBCAs.
• Detail the diversity of private sector actors in the TBCAs, how to unlock private sector investment and in-country resources, to include parallel financing, co-financing, and development of multi-stakeholder platforms for technical assistance, capacity development, knowledge and information sharing.
• Detail the legal and governance framework which stipulates why the transboundary conservation area is being created, how it shall be constituted, governed, and financed, as well as who is responsible for what activities within the TBCA, and any other mainstreaming pathways, cooperation, and learning for local, national, and regional upscaling
• Provide technical support, as may be required, to address any reviews of the project proposal.

Qualifications/special skills

• Academic Qualifications: Academic Qualifications: An advanced university degree (Masters or PhD.) is required in ecology, natural resources management, environmental sciences, or ocean governance.A first level degree with two additional years of relevant work experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.
• Experience: Minimum of 7 years of relevant professional experience is required in natural resources management, including marine and coastal resources.
• Proven track record of engaging with national, regional and/or inter - governmental and non-governmental organisations and science - policy dialogues and extensive international publication record in the fields of natural resources management, ocean governance, coastal and marine resources and climate change policies is desired.
• Proven track record of research on natural resources management, coastal and marine areas in the Western Indian Ocean region.
• Excellent drafting skills is also desired.
• Language: Language: English and French are the official working languages of the United Nations. For this position fluency in both oral and written English is required.

Deadline: 1st May 2022