Posted on 03 September 2018

An Assessment of the Financial Feasibility of Setting up Community Resource Boards (CRBs) in the Upper Zambezi Game Management Area based on Evaluation of CRBs in Silowana Complex

About WWF

WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature is the world’s largest independent conservation organization, with close to five million supporters and a network active in more than 100 countries on five continents.  Our mission is to stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature by conserving the world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

In Zambia, WWF has been working and supporting conservation of natural resources for over 50 years in various landscapes including the Kafue, Bangweulu, Luangwa and the Upper Zambezi. At the heart of WWF Zambia’s 2030 vision is the secure and sustainable management of the environment, natural resources and biodiversity for people and nature. The Upper Zambezi is a vital conservation landscape that represents a completely free-flowing ecosystem that plays a disproportionately important role in supporting the health of the river, livelihoods of people and resilience of socio-economic development further downstream in the region.

Background and Purpose of the Assignment

The program in the Upper Zambezi entitled “a resilient Zambezi River Basin for the Benefit of People and Nature” aims to instill an integrated approach to conservation and natural resource management with greater inclusion and joint responsibility among partners in the Upper Zambezi. The program builds on new and existing relationships with partners such as the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, African Parks and the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) in the Liuwa Plains National Park, Upper West Zambezi Game Management Area and Sioma-Ngwezi National Park. To this end, one of the objectives of the program is to strengthen the participation of local communities in the management of Liuwa Plains National Park and mobilize community conservation structures (e.g. Community Resources Boards and others) in the Upper West Zambezi Game Management Area.

The assumption is that effective participation of local communities in natural resource management cannot be achieved without strong, accountable and democratic/transparent local level structures. In this regard, it is imperative that these structures are financially sustainable and self-sustaining through various nature based enterprises which are viable in their respective areas. In view of the foregoing, the Upper Zambezi Program seeks to engage a consultant to carry out a rapid assessment on the financial feasibility of setting up CRBs in the Upper West Zambezi Game Management Area.

The primary objective of this assignment is to conduct a financial feasibility assessment for establishing Community Resource Boards in the Upper West Zambezi Game Management Area by way of evaluating WWF support to CRBs in Silowana Complex (and possibly other WWF operational areas) and their performance. The feasibility assessment is meant to highlight some of the opportunities and challenges for establishing and supporting financially viable and sustainable Community Resource Boards in the Upper West Zambezi Game Management Area. The expected output of the assignment would be report on the findings of the financial feasibility assessment and make recommendations on activities that foster financial sustainability of CRBs in the Upper West Zambezi Game Management Area.

Methodology of the assignment

The Consultant will develop detailed methodology on how this will be conducted within the time frame of the assignment which is 40 person days which should include, meetings with the CRBs and important stakeholders in both the Silowana Complex and Upper West Zambezi Game Management Area including those outside these landscapes with an important bearing on the financial sustainability of the CRBs e.g. DNPW, African Parks, and the BRE.

Assignment and location:

The assignment will be conducted in the Sesheke, Mongu and Kalabo Districts.

Key Deliverables:

• Proposal on how to conduct the assignment along with methodology, tools, material, target audience, timeframe and a detailed budget.
• Joint meeting between Consultant and WWF to finalize task proposal, methodology, tools, material, target audience and timeframe at WWF Zambia Country Office (ZCO) in Lusaka.
• Orientation meeting (2/3 hrs; powerpoint presentation preferable) introducing the methodology, tools, material, target audience and timeframe to key partners.
• Thorough review on the financial feasibility of the CRBs in the Silowana complex to provide recommendations for the UPWZGMA.
• Conduct an assessment of the financial feasibility of setting up CRBs in the UPWZGMA
• Draft report of the whole assignment to be presented to all the stakeholders in Kalabo and Mongu.
• Final report addressing feedback from stakeholders and WWF.

Responsibility of the Consultant

• Develop a methodology and plan for the assignment.
• Review relevant documents.
• Design an assessment tool.
• Data collection.
• Data entry and analysis.
• Draft report preparation and submission to WWF for feedback before presentation to Stakeholders.
• Finalization of the report.

Required skills and competencies

• The consultant must have a minimum Master’s degree in Natural Resource Management, Economics, Business Administration (MBA) or related disciplines.
• Sound and proven experiences in similar assignments in rural context.
• Experience related to business plan development of agriculture or rural tourism related projects, business development services, training and/or technical assistance, marketing and competitiveness and value chains.
• Consultant must have significant knowledge and understanding about CBNRM in Zambia and the Southern African region and about the CRB operations in Zambia.
• Consultant must also possess high level of facilitation and consultation skills, high level of communication and interpersonal skills, ability to work effectively with small team and to interact with stakeholders at different levels.
• Excellent technical report writing skills.
• Ability to think in terms of processes and apply an adaptive approach based on experiential learning.
• Ability to plan and organize work effectively and work within the proposed timeframes with minimal supervision.

Timeline:

Total assignment will be completed within 40 Days from the date of offer letter.   

Evaluation of the consultant:

Consultants will be evaluated in following criteria:

• Technical proposal and understanding of assignment.
• Relevant experiences and assignments performed by Consultant.
• Financial Proposal (detailed budget).

Document to be submitted:

• Maximum 5 page CV highlighting related assignments done with client name, contract person and mobile number.
• Copies of Academic and Professional Qualifications held.
• Detailed proposal with an emphasis on suggested methodologies, implementation plan and financial proposal

WWF role and reporting line:

It is the responsibility of the Firm/ Consultant to plan and carry out the assignment. WWF will, through the Barotse Landscape Manager, link the consultant with the CRBs and other relevant stakeholders in both the Silowana Complex and Upper Zambezi Landscape. The consultant will be responsible for maintaining correspondence and outputs in a timely and efficient manner keeping the Landscape Manager informed via written email correspondence.

Application:

Interested candidates are requested to submit a technical proposal outlining understanding of the assignment; required documents including CVs, financial proposal by ………………… in a sealed envelope or Email Subject marked “Financial Feasibility Assessment of CRB sent ……………..