The Government of Mauritius has mandated FAO to lead the development of a project funded through the 8th funding cycle of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project will be entitled “Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions in land-use systems for productive and resilient ecosystems” and ambitions to support transforming land use systems throughout the country by putting NbS at the heart of sustainable development, delivering on Mauritius’s commitments under multiple MEAs, increasing sustainable food production and enhancing the provision of ecosystem services that underpin it, while adapting to climate change and creating inclusive employment opportunities and wealth. The project will be structured around 4 main components, namely: (1) Enabling policy environment for the governance and management of healthy and productive ecosystems; (2) Nature-based solutions (NbS) for sustainable, resilient and productive landscapes ; (3) Unlocking private sector capital for improved ecosystem services and livelihood opportunities and (4) Knowledge management and learning for scaling.

A Country Concept Note describing the main elements of the project was included in the technically cleared Program Framework Document (PFD) approved by the GEF Council in June 2023. FAO has now engaged into the Project Preparation Grant (PPG) phase that will lead to drafting the detailed project document and its annexes, all to be submitted to the GEF Secretariat by June 2024. Project preparation activities will include desk studies as well as multi-stakeholder consultations and workshops to ensure the participation of key stakeholders in the project design processes. These activities will contribute to project awareness and ensure active participation of technical sectors and political support to maximize synergies during the project development phase.

The main outputs that will contribute to the preparation of the detailed project document will be: relevant baseline data and information collected during the preparation period, workshop reports, analyses and recommendations delivered by the consultants, financing plan and risk analysis and mitigation measures and realistic targets and indicators. The final product will be the detailed design of the project components, including the results framework, budget allocations and co-financing mobilization, based on which the FAO-GEF project document and CEO approval request will be prepared.

Tasks and Responsibilities

Under the supervision of the FAO Representative, of the National Correspondent in Mauritius, the technical supervision of the international GEF design expert, and in close collaboration with other national and international experts, as well as FAO project task force, the incumbent will provide technical thought leadership for project formulation and provide technical orientations to other PPG team members. In particular, technical inputs and expertise on the following topics is expected, working closely with other PPG members:

•  Policy frameworks
•  Building on the information in the PFD, analyse national action plans, strategies, legal and territorial planning instruments and propose ways to mainstream nature into agriculture policies, plans and strategies.
•  Conduct rapid analysis of available sustainable Natural Resources Management /NbS instruments/incentive mechanisms (market and non-market). Summarize current disincentives and potential policy incentives for effective management of private, communal and Government-managed lands more effectively.
•  Knowledge management
•  Identify and collect information on existing local monitoring systems for projects and initiatives linked to the sustainable management of natural resources, and previous experiences (e.g. community-based citizens’ Sustainable Land Management and biodiversity monitoring), and identify the gaps;
•  Identify and collect information on existing knowledge capturing systems and knowledge-sharing platforms (including government platforms to share information on projects and programmes) at the national and regional levels on the role and functioning of ecosystems, economic opportunities from sustainable management and evidence-based good practices for access by government and communities respectively, describe the level of use of these platforms by government institutions and community members, identify the strength and weaknesses of these systems;
•  Propose interventions to improve knowledge capturing (including monitoring) and accessibility for informed decision making and sustainable land management and conservation at the national level (e.g. national awareness-raising campaigns, knowledge sharing activities with countries in the sub-region on good practices and tools, institutionalized national monitoring system, organizing communication activities in selected sites);
•  Propose specific interventions for timely and efficient sharing of information on the progress, results and lessons learned from the GEF-8 project as well as other relevant projects;
•  Identify indicators for knowledge management.
•  Biodiversity
•  Propose ways to align the project with the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KM GBF) baseline indicators on biodiversity;
•  Define the baseline for biodiversity-relevant elements of the PFD;
•  Propose appropriate sustainable NbS that will ensure rational and sustainable use of forest and agro-ecosystems and biodiversity conservation in project areas while providing decent incomes to local populations;
•  Unpack the assumptions that underlie the project;
•  Based on the policy/institutional framework analysis, assess the level of perception and understanding by technical staff, policy makers, planners and key decision makers and influencers, of the social, economic and cultural value and importance of conservation and sustainable and integrated use of biodiversity in the target landscapes;
•  Assess the level of knowledge by technical staff, academics and researchers, of the wealth of species, determining the status of biodiversity and natural habitats, and gaps to fill;
•  Conduct field visits and interviews with local stakeholders involved in the sustainable management of forest ecosystems, biodiversity and land.
•  Prodoc inputs
•  Define interventions to address identified knowledge gaps including the number of beneficiaries for each intervention, provide inputs assess costs for these interventions, and propose their implementation strategy;
•  Building on the information in the PFD on lessons learned from previous interventions, suggest ways to incorporate lessons learned in the proposed interventions;
•  Provide inputs to the relevant sections of the Prodoc.
•  Other
•  Maintain continuous communication with other experts, and provide inputs for other experts deliverables wherever necessary;
•  Work with the other experts on refining the interventions sites for the project; eDJz1hM DTNv5g
•  Undertake other tasks as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING:

Minimum Requirements

•  Master’s degree in Agronomy, Forestry, Environment, Ecosystem and Landscape
•  At least 5 years of experience with managing project implementation/ design teams
•  Working knowledge of English (level C) and limited knowledge of French (level B)
•  Nationality of Mauritius or a resident with a valid work permit

FAO Core Competencies

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

Technical/Functional Skills

•  Relevance of qualification;
•  Extent of relevant working experience and technical experience;
•  Personal skills: Self-driven, team player, patient, self-confident, reliable and empathetic;
•  Demonstrated organizational, communication and organizational skills;
•  Quality of oral and written communication skills in English and French;
•  Previous experience working on GEF projects or other international donors’ projects highly preferable;
•  Familiarity with government processes, institutions and policies of relevance to NR management;
•  Excellent planning, facilitation, writing, and communication skills;
•  Experience with policy analysis, stakeholder engagement and mapping, capacity needs analysis, and knowledge management.