International Consultant on Wetland Ecosystem Assessment and Management

Consultant type

International Consultant (Individual)

Contract type:

Special Service Agreement

Duration:

74 working days from June to December 2015

Work Location:

MRC Secretariat in Vientiane, Lao PDR and Member Countries

Division/Section: 

Environment Programme (EP), Environment Division (ENVD)

Key Responsibilities
  • Provide technical advice and support on wetland inventory and prioritisation; and wetland database system development and mapping;
  • Design and provide training courses on the wetland inventory methodology;
  • Develop technical notes and the guideline for conducting wetland inventory and wetland prioritisation;
  • Develop an appropriate methodology and tool for wetland function and ecosystem services assessment and management in the Lower Mekong Basin;
  • Design and provide training courses on methodologies for wetland function and ecosystem services assessment and management for strengthening and building capacity in Member Countries;
  • Identify and develop appropriate criteria and procedures for the selection of pilot sites and the recording of expected outputs for the testing of methodologies and tools, taking into account the multi-management context;
  • Provide guidance to the national wetland consultants and riparian GIS data base specialists, supervise the field testing and application of the above methodologies, and assist in data analyzing and report writing;
  • Ensure that during the development, training and field testing of the above methodologies and tool, the representatives of local communities and line agencies as well as national consultants are involved in these processes in a participatory manner;
  • Prepare the results and outputs (methodologies and tools for wetland inventory, reports on field testing of wetland functions and ecosystem services assessment and management, and training documents such as presentations handouts, discussion questionnaires, group discussion and presentation flipcharts, training reports, etc.) in a user-friendly and accessible format, facilitate the organization of the national and regional consultation workshops, and presents those results and outputs, as required;
  • Identify appropriate guidelines on how to use the results of the wetland inventory and wetland ecosystem function assessment and management, and monitor/minimize the identified threats to wetlands;
  • Develop the outline of the training package and training manual related to the application of the developed methodologies and tools within the component timeframe;
  • Submit and provide responses to EP Programme Coordinator comments and makes necessary revision to the results and outputs;
  • Work closely with MRCS/EP, the national EP Coordinators, national wetland consultants and riparian GIS Data Base Specialists to achieve the required outputs.
Qualifications/Requirements:
  • Master degree or higher in wetland and aquatic science, biology, ecology, natural science, environmental and natural resource management or similar with focus on wetland and aquatic ecosystem service studies, research, development, management and conservation;
  • At least 12 years relevant experience in wetland management and governance, wetland restoration and conservation, preferably on both practical field experiences and academic research;
  • Knowledge and skills on wetland inventory and prioritisation, wetland functions and ecosystem services assessment and management, economic valuation of wetlands, wetland biodiversity monitoring methodologies, livelihood assessment, wetland classification and database system development and management, GIS and mapping techniques;
  • Experience in preparation and organizing of training courses on wetland ecosystem inventory, prioritisation, assessment, restoration, conservation and management;
  • Knowledge and skills on training package and training manual development;
  • Experience with and good knowledge of the Mekong riparian countries or similar tropical regions;
  • Experience in working in a multicultural and international multiple partner environment;
  • Fluency in written and spoken English and at least one of Mekong riparian languages is essential.
Application procedures:

The application should include (i) a cover letter outlining clearly how the candidate meets the requirements of the position, (ii) a detailed CV, and (iii) MRC Personal History Form. The position title and section/division must be indicated in the cover letter.

Closing date for applications:

12 June 2015

The Terms of Reference can be downloaded from the download box. Qualified female candidates are encouraged to apply. Only short-listed candidates will be notified.

The application should be sent to:


Mekong River Commission
Office of the Secretariat in Vientiane (OSV)
P.O. Box 6101, 184 Fa Ngoum Road
Ban Sithane Neua, Sikhottabong District,
Vientiane 01000, Lao PDR.
Tel: (856) 21 263 263
Email: mrcs@mrcmekong.org 

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