National consultants in forest management planning

National consultants in forest management planning 

Job Posting

: 25/Nov/2019

Closure Date

: 09/Dec/2019, 10:59:00 PM

Organizational Unit: FNLEB

Job Type

: Non-staff opportunities

Type of Requisition: PSA (Personal Services Agreement)Grade Level: N/A

Primary Location

: Various Locations

Duration: Up to 60 working days spread over 6 MonthsPost Number: N/A

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please note that Closure Date and Time displayed above are based on date and time settings of your personal device

 

FAO seeks gender, geographical and linguistic diversity in order to best serve FAO Members in all regions.
 
 
Qualified female applicants are encouraged to apply.
 
People with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply.
 
All applications will be treated with the strictest confidentiality.

 

      

 

 

Organizational Setting 

Climate change and human activities are accelerating the pace of forest and land degradation and the depletion of natural resources. Poor rural populations in mountain forest areas are the most vulnerable to climate change, specifically the groups that rely on forest resources/services for part of their incomes and livelihoods (pine nuts, honey, aromatic and medicinal plants, ecotourism, charcoal production, grazing etc.). Anticipated increase in forest fires and pest outbreaks would further reduce availability of wood and non-wood forest products, while the demand on forest resources and services remains and further increases.

The Smart Adaptation of Forest Landscapes in Mountain Areas (SALMA) project aims to develop and implement sustainable forest management plans through a participatory approach in several Lebanese forest areas prone to climate-related risks, especially forest fires and pests. 

The project will undertake risk assessments to collect quantitative and qualitative data with a focus on socio-economic vulnerabilities to the impacts of climate change. This includes looking at different assets such as the livelihood, human, socio-economic and natural capitals, and collective action as enablers of adaptive capacity. A gendered approach shall be used throughout the information and data collection process, as vulnerability to climate change is shaped by gender roles and relations, with poor, rural women in developing countries generally being considered to be the most vulnerable to climate change (Brown 2011; Djoudi and Brockhaus 2011). This implies adopting systematically gender-specific research questions to capture men’s and women’s specific knowledge and priorities for forests and forest goods and services, to sort out differential access rights, capabilities and vulnerability to climate changes, and to be sure men, women and other disadvantaged social groups have been taken into account.

 

Several sites are assigned for this consultancy. An applicant may wish to apply to work on one or more sites, depending on her/his experience. The list of sites is found in Annex 1

  Reporting Lines 

• Maurice Saade, FAO Representative, Lebanon
• Hamid AbdelHamied, Lead Technical Officer

 Technical Focus 

In light of the above, experts are required to assist the FAO team in the forest management planning process, mainly setting the forest management targets with local stakeholders, conducting SWOT analysis, and participatory resources mapping. Each expert will be working on one or more sites.

 

The consultants will be in charge of achieving the below deliverables for each site:

 

• A report showing the forest management objectives, SWOT analysis and resources mapping results.

• A sustainable forest management plan for the target site.

 Tasks and responsibilities 

In the site of assignment, in close collaboration and coordination with the SALMA team, the local municipalities and the local team of the MOA (engineers and forest guards); Under direct supervision of the project manager, the technical guidance of the LTO, and the overall supervision of the FAOR, the consultant will:

 

• With the local community and concerned stakeholders, define the needs, concerns and issues related to the surrounding forest, so that those needs, concerns and issues are well captured and could be met while maintaining the sustainability of the forest and are in line with the goals and objectives of the SFM at the national level. This target setting process will be achieved through group meetings with local stakeholders, SWOT analysis of the forest site, and the development of a resources map.

 

• Conduct group and/or individual meetings with forest-dependent groups/individuals/SMEs, to identify and analyse their level of access to and degree of dependence on forest resources and their vulnerability to climate impacts affecting these resources. 

 

• Where applicable, work closely with the socio-economic expert in collecting socio-economic data in target areas

 

• Prepare reports on the results and findings of all of the above. 

 

• Attend the training/series of trainings on forest management planning organized by FAO.

 

• Based on the results of the meetings, and on the Sustainable Forest Management guidelines developed by the SALMA team, develop a management plan for the target site.

 

• A gender sensitive approach should be applied to all the activities above. Each planning meeting shall equally involve women, men, and youth to ensure an inclusive planning approach.

  

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

  

Minimum Requirements   

• A Master’s degree is social sciences, forestry, agribusiness, economics, or any related field;
• Or, proven experience in forest management, and/or working in the forest in the concerned area.
• Fluency in English and Arabic
• National of Lebanon or resident in the country with a regular work permit.

  

FAO Core Competencies

• Results Focus
• Teamwork
• Communication
• Building Effective Relationships
• Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

 

Technical/Functional Skills

• Excellent understanding of forests and forest management
• Excellent analytical and report writing skills

 

Selection Criteria

• Proactive and able to work with minimal supervision and high degree of initiative, reliability, flexibility, and self-motivation.
• Professionalism: flexibility to make ad-hoc changes as and when the need arises; ability to perform under stress; willingness to keep flexible working hours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please note that all candidates should adhere to FAO Values of Commitment to FAO, Respect for All and Integrity and Transparency.

 

 

 

 

 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
• FAO does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process (application, interview meeting, processing).
• Incomplete applications will not be considered. If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org
• Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.
• Only language proficiency certificates from UN accredited external providers and/or FAO language official examinations (LPE, ILE, LRT) will be accepted as proof of the level of knowledge of languages indicated in the online applications.
• For other issues, visit the FAO employment website: http://www.fao.org/employment/home/en/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOW TO APPLY
To apply, visit the recruitment website at Jobs at FAO and complete your online profile. Only applications received through the recruitment portal will be considered.
Candidates are requested to attach a letter of motivation to the online profile.
If you need help, or have queries, please contact: Careers@fao.org

 

FAO IS A NON-SMOKING ENVIRONMENT