Consultancy to Prepare a Catalog of the Main Forest Pests in El Salvador
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Location:
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Salary:negotiable / YEAR
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Job type:CONTRACTOR
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Posted:2 days ago
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Category:Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
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Deadline:28/09/2024
JOB DESCRIPTION
Consultancy to Prepare a Catalog of the Main Forest Pests in El Salvador
INTRODUCTION TO GGGI
The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is a treaty-based international, inter-governmental organization dedicated to supporting and promoting strong, inclusive and sustainable economic growth in developing countries and emerging economies. To learn more please visit about GGGI web page.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
The countries of the Northern Triangle (El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala) are experiencing the negative impacts of climate change, and global climate models predict even more severe scenarios for the coming years. These scenarios include higher average annual temperatures with lower and more erratic rainfall, marked by extreme rainfall events during tropical cyclones and followed by prolonged droughts. The challenges posed by climate change are further intensified by human impact on natural and productive resources, with the alarming rate of deforestation in developing countries being particularly concerning.
The main direct causes of deforestation include land use change due to agriculture and livestock, unsustainable timber extraction for industrial and energy uses, and forest fires, mostly related to conventional slash-and-burn practices used to prepare soils for the establishment of annual crops and pastures. In addition, in recent years, massive deforestation has occurred due to pests that cause the death of thousands of trees. For example, during the last decade, a small beetle known as “pine weevil” (Dendroctonus frontalis) affected more than 500,000 hectares of pine forests in El Salvador and Honduras.
Given this reality, this project will provide a platform for technical collaboration with the Republic of Korea, Mexico, and the Northern Triangle countries to establish conducive environmental policies and accelerate green investments for local communities and small farmers, especially to reduce poverty in communities vulnerable to the climate and help stop the accelerated deterioration of forests.
In this sense, this project seeks to strengthen institutional capacities with a focus on forest landscape restoration, supporting the preparation of documents that help mitigate forest degradation and support their recovery in response to climate change.
In this context, GGGI is looking for an experienced Consultant to carry out the following activities:
- Prepare a Catalog of the Main Forest Pests in El Salvador (Catálogo de las Principales Plagas Forestales en El Salvador).
- Hold a participatory event with relevant government, academia, private, and primary sector stakeholders involved in forest restoration and conservation, to validate the Catalog’s content.
- Support GGGI’s team in developing the Catalog’s final (printable) version in coordination with the graphic designer to be hired for this end.
- In close coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), develop a Dissemination Strategy and Action Plan to ensure the Catalog is widely known to farmers and technicians in El Salvador.
It is important to mention that the MAG’s General Directorate of Forest Planning, Basins and Irrigation (DGFCR) has already collected an important amount of information related to this Catalog. Therefore, the consultant would already have the material to start this work. More than research, the scope of work requires compiling the necessary information to have a complete and finalized Catalog in collaboration with the DGFCR technical team. The Catalog should be oriented toward small, medium, and large-scale producers and technicians in El Salvador to facilitate the recognition of the main forest pests and carry out comprehensive management actions. The Catalog must be prepared in Spanish and presented in MS Word format. When GGGI and DGFCR approve content, the Consultant will review the graphic-designed version of the Catalog to ensure content has not been modified and that the messages are clearly presented and easy to read for the targeted audience. Consulting objective Prepare a Catalog on the Main Forest Pests in El Salvador (Catálogo de las Principales Plagas Forestales en El Salvador) to be used as a technical guide for small, medium and large-scale farmers and technicians to identify and control forest pests in all ecosystems with forested areas.
ACTIVITIES
The activities that the Consultant must complete within a period of 116 calendar days, are the following:
General Responsibilities:
- Present a detailed Work Plan for the preparation of the Catalog (include an execution schedule) – Product 1.
- Plan and coordinate the work with the DGFCR-MAG technical team and with GGGI’s Forestry Senior Associate.
- Submit a monthly report with the execution progress addressed to the Director of the DGFCR/MAG (or whomever he delegates) and to the Forestry Senior Associate of the GGGI.
Preparation of the Catalog of the Main Forest Pests in El Salvador:
- Plan, manage, and hold meetings as needed, but at least once a month, with the technical staff of the DGFCR-MAG to define, review, correct and validate the content of the Catalog.
- Plan and hold weekly meetings (in person or virtually) with GGGI’s Forestry Senior Associate to review advances in the execution of the consultancy.
The content of the Catalog must include at least the following topics:
- Introduction
- Objective
- Relevance
- Problem
- Basic concepts of what is a pest and how are they classified
- Main forest pests in El Salvador
For each pest mentioned in the Catalog, a technical sheet must be prepared and should include (whenever applicable) hosts, importance, symptoms, biological cycle, and control or management, supported by high-quality photographs.
Other topics may be added according to the criteria and experience of the Consultant, or at the suggestion of the DGFCR_MAG technical team, as long as it does not affect the execution period of the Consultancy.
Prepare the Catalog using inclusive language well adapted to the target population, i.e., farmers with forest crops and technicians, whether or not they are forestry specialists.
Participatory validation event:
The Consultant must carry out a participatory validation event with key stakeholders from the government, private, and primary sectors involved in forest restoration and conservation to validate the Catalog.
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Once it is validated, the Consultant must present the document in Spanish and in MS Word format for review and final approval from the Director of the DGFCR-MAG (or whomever he delegates) and to GGGI’s Forestry Senior Associate, who will prepare a record with the respective signatures endorsing the acceptance of the document to proceed with the payment of Product No. 2.
Support the development of the printable version of the Catalog:
Once the technical content of the Catalog has been finalized and approved, the Consultant will support GGGI’s team in reviewing the design and layout of the draft document before sending it to print, to ensure that the content of the printable version is clear, easy to read and appropriate for the target audience. The design and layout phase will last about 20 days and will be funded by GGGI. Once the printable version of the Catalog is ready, a receipt document will be signed to proceed with payment for Product 3.
Catalog Dissemination Strategy:
In coordination with MAG and GGGI, the Consultant will develop a Dissemination Strategy and Action Plan to widely promote the use of the Catalog aimed at technicians and small, medium, and large-scale farmers at the national level. The Action Plan should suggest names of institutions, organizations, and individuals responsible for outreach activities and the average costs of the suggested activities.
Final Report:
Present a Final Report that systematizes the execution of the consultancy, including evidence of meetings or events (photographic archive, process documentation, among others). The report must be approved by the Director of the DGFCR-MAG (or whomever he delegates) and GGGI’s Forestry Senior Associate. Once approved, a receipt document will be signed to proceed with payment for Product 4.
DELIVERABLES AND PAYMENT SCHEDULE
The payment method will be established as follows:
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Requirement for payment |
Date of delivery |
% |
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Product 1: Work plan for the development of the Catalog |
10 calendar days after signing the Contract |
25 |
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Product 2: Validated and accepted Catalog |
55 calendar days after receipt of the Product 1 Advertisement
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40 |
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Product 3: Designed catalog reviewed and with suggestions to the designer for quality and content insurance. |
21 calendar days after receipt of the Product 2 |
25 |
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Product 4: Dissemination Strategy and Action Plan, and Final Report |
30 calendar days after receipt of the Product 3 |
10 |
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TOTAL |
100 |
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EXPERIENCE REQUIRED FOR THE CONSULTANT
The consultant is expected to possess the following qualifications, professional experience, and skills:
Qualifications:
- Academic training in agronomy, agroforestry, biology, environmental sciences, or a related field.
- A postgraduate degree in entomology, phytopathology, or a related degree is desirable.
- Fluency in Spanish.
- Salvadoran nationality or with a work permit in El Salvador.
Professional experience:
- Minimum work experience of 5 years.
- With proven experience in preparing technical documents on agricultural topics, preferably including forestry, agroforestry, phytopathology, entomology, or other areas related to the consulting aimed at small, medium and large-scale farmers and technicians, using appropriate language.
- Solid understanding of forest restoration, phytopathology and climate change issues.
- Experience in communications and dissemination strategies of technical agriculture and/or forestry institutional documents will be an asset.
Skills:
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- Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
- Analytical and report writing skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Strong interpersonal and teamwork skills.
- Ability to work independently and take initiative.
- Time management and organizational skills.
ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION
Applicants must include in their application package the following:
- A cover letter of no more than two (2) pages that demonstrates how the candidate’s qualifications meet job requirements;
- A resume describing education, recent experience, and professional achievements; and
- A verifiable list of publications to which the candidate has contributed or an excerpt of the candidate’s written work.
To be considered for the position, the candidate must meet the minimum qualifications listed above. Please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. GGGI does not pay any expenses associated with interviews unless the expenses are pre-authorized.
Announcement: 2 weeks.
The closing date is Korea Standard Time (KST). Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered an Application. The cover letter and CV must be sent in English. A consortium or company cannot be hired for the individual consulting assignment.
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