REC Caucasus is a non-entrepreneurial (non-commercial) legal person – an independent, not-for-profit organization with international character based in Tbilisi, Georgia. The mission of REC Caucasus is to assist the Caucasus states in solving environmental problems and support in building the civil society through promotion of public participation in the decision-making process, development of free exchange of information and encouragement of cooperation at national and regional level among NGOs, governments, businesses, local communities and all other stakeholders.
Overall objective of the project is to support integration of good Landscape and Sustainable Land Management (L-SLM) principles and practices into national policy and institutional framework to ensure adoption of economically viable practices by rural communities.
The project aims to implement the pilot projects on SLM practices in Dedoplistskaro, Akhmeta, and Gardabani. Rehabilitation of the Windbreaks in Gardabani Municipality is one of the pilot projects. For implementation of the pilot project, REC Caucasus announces vacancy for GIS expert. The assignment of GIS expert is given in the Terms of Reference (TOR).
Other important details: Interested applicants should submit a current CV to the following e-mail address: vacancy@rec-caucasus.org with copy to Project manager: kety.tsereteli@rec-caucasus.org or submit hard copy application package to the following address: 13, Badri Shoshitaishvli Street, David Arakishvili 1st Dead-end, 0179 Tbilisi, Georgia
Deadline for application is 27 February, 2019. Only shortlisted candidates will be interviewed.
TOR for the position is attached.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
| Project Title | Applying Landscape and Sustainable Land Management (L-SLM) for mitigating land degradation and contributing to poverty reduction in rural areas |
| Donor: | Global Environmental Facility (GEF) |
| Implementing Agency: | United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) |
| Executing Agency: | Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus (REC Caucasus) |
| Post Title: | GIS Expert |
| Starting Date: | March 1, 2019 |
| End Date: | April 30, 2019 |
| Duty Station: | Tbilisi, Georgia |
A. SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT
Background
The lack of efficient land management policies, a weak regulatory framework, limited access to appropriate information and technology, a weak institutional capacities and a lack of cooperation between various stakeholders along with high rate of natural disasters are causing significant problems in land management sector and for overall ecosystem integrity.
Therefore, from the management point of view, one of the major problems Georgia is facing today is an absence of comprehensive and integrated approach in land management sector. In addition, an irrelevant legal framework sometimes is the source of additional “conflicts” with the evolved national strategic and policy packages.
Although Georgia has shown clear drive to combat land degradation and improve land management system by moving forward with the establishment of a strong baseline, this includes accession and implementation of most pertinent international agreements, adoption of several related policies and laws (NEAP, NAPCD, etc.)
The above mentioned factors underlines the importance of the review of the country’s existing policy and regulatory framework related to the management of land resources, that will serve as upmost important components to overcome existing barriers to mainstream L-SLM activities. National plans and policies do not reflect holistic land management principles and practices.
There is a failure of national and rural decision-making frameworks to provide adequate legal parameters and tools to support SLM. Current policies result in disparate organizations responsible for various land management sectors making unilateral decisions that lead to uncoordinated approaches. Consequently, “on the ground” management decisions made by responsible communities and resource users do not benefit from the guidance of coordinated, national strategies.
Capacity and information pathways do not exist to provide rural community members with examples of alternative, sustainable methods of resource use. Remote communities and resource users now responsible for many land management issues do not have satisfactory access to the information and tools necessary for informed decision-making. As a result, community land use plans and other decision-making tools intended to address land degradation fail to reflect L-SLM principles and practices.
The overall objective of the project is to support integration of good Landscape and Sustainable Land management (SLM) principles and practices into national policy and institutional framework to ensure adoption of economically viable practices by rural communities.
The project follows up on the achievements, pilot projects were developed and this TOR was elaborated due to implement the pilot project on Windbreak rehabilitation in Gardabani municipality. Besides activities that address an improvement of the national policy and institutional framework for the adoption of SLM practices, pilot projects on municipal and community level shall yield concrete positive social and environmental impacts.
Rationale
The project is focused on Demonstrating benefits of introducing best L-SLM practices in the production system, particularly by 6 pilot (micro) projects applying L-SLM for mitigating land degradation and contributing to poverty reduction in 3 rural municipalities of Georgia: Gardabani, Akhmeta and Dedoplistskaro.
This TOR has been developed to conduct consultancy service for elaboration of the a pilot (micro) project to introduce L-SLM practices within in Gardabani(Kvemo Kartli Region) via rehabilitation of windbreaks on 6 ha of territory adjacent to the degraded arable land.
The desertification process is very intensively presented on the area of 32000,0 hectares of area in Gardabani region. The windbreak rehabilitation is the one of the goals of the Kvemo Kartli Regional Development plan 2014-2021.
Local climate conditions are a key constant in management approaches, and have to be integrated into the planning of pilot (micro) projects focusing on windbreaks. The impacts of extreme weather condition have to be assessed and relevant mitigating activities have to be considered in the pilot (micro) projects.
Farming is the primary economic activity and therefore farmers will have to play a central role in the implementation of the pilot (micro) project.
Pilot (micro) projects focused on agroforestry (windbreak management) with real social impacts have to ensure participation of more community members in agricultural markets, thus increasing household incomes. This will contribute to securing livelihoods and food security in the short term as well as increasing prosperity for the rural poor in the long-term. Revitalizing local institutions for range and resources management and governance will also increase social capital and enable empowerment of rural people.
Pilot (micro) project has to include appropriate information pathways to provide potential implementers (farmers, rural community members) with links/sources on examples of alternative, sustainable methods of resource use.
This TOR is elaborated to design the selected windbreak areas at the cadastre map and identification of plots ownership and areas at a distance 300 m.
B. SCOPE OF THE ASSIGNMENT
To address the underlying objective of the assignment , scope of work shall include, but not limited to:
· Identify the area at the cadastre map based on the coordinates provided by the windbreak development expert;
· Underline the area on the map and indicate the points and measure the length of the planned area to be developed;
· Identify the ownership and the area of the selected territory to be developed at a distance of 300 m.
· Identify the beneficiaries and design the list indicating the areas of their plots.
· Create the table of x, y coordinate of the points at the maps.
The main deliverables will be as outlined below:
All documentation should be provided to the Project Manager
C. Qualifications and Experience
The expert should have the following qualifications and experience:
· minimum 5 years’ experience in cartography, Geoinformation systems;
· knowledge of land cadastre systems;
Language:
Fluency in Georgian, knowledge of English is an asset.
