Beschreibung der Beschaffung
The Selva Maya (SM), the largest contiguous tropical forest area of Mesoamerica, spreads over Belize, Guatemala and Southern Mexico. Recognised as a biological hotspot, offers various ecosystem services, providing livelihoods for the mainly impoverished rural population in the region (approx. 600 000 people). Intensive land-use, population growth, illegal logging and fragmentation, are some of the main threats to ecosystem health, combined with a weak governance structures in the region.
In 2015, the Strategic Coordination Group of the SM (GEC) was formed by the nature conservation authorities of the three bordering countries in order to tackle regional threats. Cooperation with the Operational Coordination Group of the SM (GOC), which was founded by the authorities of the protected areas in the SM, is in its nascent stages so strengthening requirements are strongly need it.
The objective of the regional project is to improve regional cooperation between Belize, Guatemala and Mexico in order to protect the SM. In line with projects of other commissioning agencies (e. g., BMU, GEF, USAID), an institutional backing in the countries will be sought.
The project is structured along three fields of action:
1) strategic coordination is improved,
2) improvement of operational regional cooperation, and
3) implementation of locally developed coordination mechanisms to protect the SM.
Output 1 aims to improve strategic coordination to protect the SM. In each country, nature conservation authorities and the Central American Commission for Environment and Development (CCAD) will be better able to fulfill their role within the GEC and GOC. This will be undertaken by defining their mandate vis-à-vis GEC and GOC and the level of integration into national decision-making systems and the associated inter- and intra-institutional communication. A tri-national communication strategy is to be developed and implemented in order to position the SM nationally (and internationally). Milestones for achieving the output include:
1) analysis of the coordination structures to protect the SM is available; and
2) the regulatory and institutional frameworks of the GOC and GEC are updated.
Output 2 is designed to support operational regional cooperation to protect the SM. The protected area administrations are supported in their organisational development and therefore the GOC is structurally strengthened. A regular exchange between the GEC and the GOC is essential to enhance coordination, ensure results and to share experiences. Coordinated activities and regional cooperation for neighboring protected areas are facilitated. Finally, the promotion of the use of digital communication media contribute to increasing coordination efficiency. Milestones for achieving the output are:
1) a format for the dissemination of learning experiences, once local coordination mechanisms are established;
2) the first 10 (of at least 15) training measures for protected area managers have been carried out;
3) the first 6 (of at least 12) activities agreed with the GOC and the GEC of regional cooperation are implemented.
In Output 3, local cooperation mechanisms are implemented to protect the SM. The administrations of selected protected areas and key local actors are supported in the analysis of various conditions and threats to the protected areas and surrounding areas (e.g. deforestation, forest fires, spread of agricultural land, poaching and trade, limited water resources, climate change, forest concessions) and in developing proposals for solutions. The results form the basis for organisational consulting of local protected area administrations and for the development and implementation of coordination mechanisms for local and/or cross-border activities. Awareness raising of the importance of the SM geared at civil society and rural population will be strengthened. Milestones for achieving the output include:
1) the analysis of the threats has been completed and proposals for solutions have been developed;
2) the experiences of other organisations' awareness raising activities have been analysed and target groups prioritised; and
3) the plan for the awareness raising activities is available.
The services of a contractor are required to implement activities of the project in Belize and contribute to all outputs at regional level (in close cooperation with the GIZ project team in Guatemala and Mexico). Activities include capacity development, systematisation of lessons learnt, development and implementation of coordination measures and a communication strategy, update of guidelines and frameworks and the up design of an awareness raising strategy at local level, moderation and facilitation of high-level meetings and workshops. The contractor must ensure a successful implementation with the provision of personnel with different types of expertise (multi-disciplinary short- and long-term experts).