BID ANNOUNCEMENT TO CONDUCT A SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF HERDER HOUSEHOLDS IN ALTAI SAYAN ECO REGION ALIGNING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS

Нийтлэгдсэн 22 August 2024

The purpose of this assignment is to undertake a comprehensive socio-economic assessment of herder families in the targeted locations within Altai-Sayan ecoregion by identifying impacts of interventions relating to environmental and social safeguards.

Background: It has been over three decades since the WWF-Mongolia program office initiated its nature conservation activities in the Altai-Sayan ecoregion. Throughout this period, we have successfully implemented various initiatives aimed at protecting wildlife and enhancing the understanding of local communities about nature conservation. Apart from educational programs we are engaging in preservation and monitoring of wildlife with the involvement of local community efforts and supporting alternative livelihood opportunities by introducing sustainable practices that provide economic benefits while reducing pressure on natural resources.
As we face the ongoing impacts of climate change and global warming the environmental and climatic conditions in the Altai-Sayan ecoregion are evolving. This shift requires a thorough review and refinement of our future policies and strategies for nature conservation. Additionally, the WWF is committed to managing potential risks associated with our interventions, thereby optimizing benefits for local communities. Thus, to effectively identify any adverse environmental and social impacts on these communities and to ensure the sustainability of our initiatives, an in-depth assessment of the socio-economic conditions of herder families is essential. We believe that the data collected will serve as a strong foundation for aligning our goals with environmental and social safeguards, thereby preventing harm and promoting sustainability.
The purpose of this assignment is to undertake a comprehensive socio-economic assessment of herder families in the targeted locations within Altai-Sayan ecoregion by identifying impacts of interventions relating to environmental and social safeguards.
Tasks and scope of assignment:
General data but is not limited to:
Gather data and identify income sources and structures (e.g. seasonal changes, substantial periodic and single payments and expenditures, financial needs and loan environment, etc.)
Identify existing and potential sources of viable alternative livelihoods and define barriers and sustainability issues
Identify the use of essential natural resources, including water and pastureland resources (include viewpoints of women and vulnerable groups) and the level of knowledge about climate change and its impact.
Data related to knowledge and stakeholder engagement:
Assess the level of knowledge and perceptions of herder families about WWF’s work      (e.g fencing of spring heads, eco club activities, Credit and Saving cooperatives, wildlife monitoring, etc.). Identify good practices in WWF’s activities affecting herder families, any potential negative impacts to herder families and areas for improvement so that the needs and expectations of herder communities are well reflected in the plans.
Analyse WWF’s existing practices to engage herder families against environmental and social safeguards’ criteria on the Safeguard on Stakeholder Engagement. Identify barriers to participation (e.g. for women, vulnerable groups), access to grievance mechanism and propose recommendations to strengthen WWF’s community engagement procedures and practices based on internationally recognised principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).
Assess herder community perceptions of the effectiveness of environmental law enforcement (e.g Law on Natural resource use payment, livestock tax, etc.)
Conduct a desk review of the nationwide effectiveness of environmental law enforcement, analyse the results and compare with the findings from ASER ecoregion. Include these insights in the Recommendations section.
Assessment sites include:
Few soums within five provinces of the ASER ecoregion: Gobi-Altai, Khovd, Bayan-Ulgii, Uvs, and Zavkhan. (Specific soum locations will be finalized during the meeting with the selected contractor)
Expected results:
Information about the socio-economic status of herder households in the target locations, identifying groups or subgroups who may be in vulnerable situations
Information on the level of involvement of women and vulnerable groups in decisions related to livelihoods and natural resource management
Comparative analysis of the enforcement of environmental laws at the national level and within the ASER ecoregion
Recommendations for:
Strengthening WWF’s community engagement practices based on FPIC principles.
Expanding the inclusion of women and vulnerable groups in WWF’s activities (e.g. Savings and Loan program)
Increasing the current grievance mechanism's efficacy
Improving the strategy and initiatives to promote livelihoods and diversify sources of income
Refining the interventions designed to enhance the effectiveness of environmental law enforcement
Reporting and delivery timeline:
Inception meeting to come up with full understanding of the assignment and put full detailed work plan & schedule – 3 days after contract signing
Desk review of WWF’s Environmental and Social safeguards and other documents available – 14 days
Field work - 21 days
Progress report submission – 14 days after field work completion
Final report submission – 7 days after feedback and comments to the Progress report provided
Qualifications of the Successful Applicants:
A consultant team should have performed socio-economic assessments for at least five years.
A consultant team should be knowledgeable about and demonstrate appropriate use of various tools and procedures, such as participatory techniques like timeline analysis, social mapping, and ranking exercises
A Consultant team should be composed of the following specialists: lawyer (team leader), economist and sociologist.
Be able to analyze the data in-depth to identify socio-economic trends, opportunities, statistical analysis, and vulnerabilities. Additionally, must be able to write a structured report in both English and Mongolian that outlines the methodology, the main conclusions and recommendations.
Documents for submission:
Letter of Interest,
Proposed draft version of work plan with timeline.
Organization’s /team members’ CVs indicating similar work experiences and contact details
All-inclusive financial proposal with cost breakdown.
Applications should be submitted as a single PDF file to info@wwf.mn with Subject line ASER SEA.
The application will be closed on Sep 04, 2024, at 17:00pm.
For additional information, please refer to: Office phone number +97611-311659 (10am-3pm)
NOTE: Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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BID ANNOUNCEMENT TO CONDUCT A SOCIO-ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT OF HERDER HOUSEHOLDS IN ALTAI SAYAN ECO REGION ALIGNING WITH ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS

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