Overview

The Environmental Project Implementation Unit now invites eligible consulting firms (“Consultants”) to indicate their interest in providing the Services. Interested Consultants should provide information demonstrating that they have the required qualifications and relevant experience to perform the Services.

This consulting services is commissioned as part of the Armenia Resilient Landscapes Project which aims to establish an effective and sustainable framework for benefit-sharing between different stakeholders including local communities, private sector entities, government institutions, and other relevant parties involved in the management of Communities’ Benefits within Lori, Gegharkunik, Ararat and Syunik regions. The feasibility study will help assess various models of benefit-sharing and recommend the most viable approach.

This consulting service has following overall objectives:
– To assess the current legal, institutional, and policy frameworks that may influence or govern benefit-sharing in development of ecotourism in both forests and wetlands. The general approach will be strong community engagement; involvement of the private sector; and development of benefit sharing between communities, forestry enterprises, state sanctuaries, and developers;
– To identify key stakeholders and determine their interests and needs related to benefit-sharing. The benefits will have the social and gender dimension considering the vulnerability of the most exposed groups and focus on reducing such vulnerability;
– To develop and analyze potential models for benefit-sharing that could be applied in the context of third component of Armenia Resilient Landscapes Project, supporting income-generating livelihoods activities such as NTFP, value addition, and alternative livelihoods;
– To evaluate the feasibility of different benefit-sharing mechanisms, considering local economic, social, and environmental conditions. Community-level activities, whether related to wetland restoration, reforestation, or ecotourism, should be well integrated and anchored within the local development planning process;
– To assess concerns of impacts to livelihoods from the changes to policy, legal, regulatory, and administrative frameworks as well as from limiting activities in forests and to grazing;
– To develop and recommend a benefit-sharing framework and mechanism that aligns with the goals of equity, sustainability, and mutual benefits, strengthening community engagement and improving their livelihoods, integrated with the improved management of forests, wetlands, and protected areas;
– To propose monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for the implementation of the benefit-sharing framework.

The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR) for the assignment are attached to this request for expressions of interest in Annex A. (The full notice, including detailed TOR for the assignment, is available in the file attached below.)

Required Qualifications:
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The Qualifications criteria of the Consulting firm are:

The Consultant must have sufficient resources and capacity to carry out the services.

The selected consulting firm should have the following minimum experience:

  • Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated experience in conducting feasibility studies, benefit sharing policy and institutional assessments, and designing benefit sharing frameworks related to community-based natural resource management, ecotourism, or non-timber forest product (NTFP) value chains;
  • Proven experience working with government agencies on assignments related to environmental governance, forestry, wetland conservation, or rural development, preferably with involvement in participatory or community-focused initiatives;
  • Experience collaborating with international organizations or donor-funded projects (e.g. World Bank, UNDP, EU, GEF) will be considered a strong asset, particularly in the context of sustainability, community benefits, or conservation-based development;
  • Demonstrated ability to engage diverse stakeholders, including local communities, civil society organizations, and public institutions, through inclusive and participatory methodologies;
  • Capacity to mobilize a multidisciplinary team with appropriate expertise in environmental, legal, social, and economic dimensions of the assignment;
  • Proven experience working in Armenia and/or CIS countries.

Key Experts, whose requirements are specified in the TOR, will not be evaluated at this stage.
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