Consultant to Conduct a Study on Transitioning Pastoralism Towards a Green Economy: Social, Economic and Environmental Potentials
The World
Initiative for Sustainable Pastoralism (WISP) is a programme under IUCN’s
Global Drylands Initiative. WISP is a global advocacy and capacity building
network that promotes sustainable pastoral development for both poverty
reduction and environmental management. WISP is a catalyst for partnership
fostering between pastoralists, governments, Non-Governmental Organizations,
International Organizations and the private sector. With its knowledge
management approach and its engagement for advocacy, capacity building and
networking, the programme contributes to enabling pastoralists to sustainably
manage the rangelands and to demonstrate that their land use and system is an
effective way of harnessing natural rangeland resources.
Pastoralist
communities are often socially and politically marginalised. Their livelihoods
are frequently undermined by inappropriate policies and laws and by pressures
on their resources from more politically powerful neighbours and other
competitors. WISP therefore works to empower pastoralists and pastoral
institutions by enabling them to gather knowledge and influence policies that
constrain their livelihoods and their ability to sustainably manage their
resources. WISP provides the social, economic and environmental arguments for
to improve perceptions of pastoralism as a viable and sustainable resource
management system. WISP also advocates for an enabling environment for
sustainable rangeland management, improved pastoral livelihoods and pastoral
empowerment.
WISP seeks to
recruit a consultant to conduct a study on “Transitioning
pastoralism towards a green economy: social, economic and environmental
potentials”
Summary
IUCN expects to
receive some case studies on pastoralist governance based on a common
analytical framework (deadline for submission will be October 30th,
2013). The consultant is tasked with reviewing and editing the case studies and
producing a publishable synthesis report that captures globally-relevant
lessons and an analysis. The synthesis report will include recommendations to
policy makers and practitioners for strengthening support for pastoralism transitioning towards a green
economy, including recommendations on how governance can be better supported
through international agreements and environmental conventions.
Background
In the past, pastoralism
was often seen as responsible of environmental degradation in the drylands.
These negative conceptions on pastoralism are strongly influenced by the
extensive strategies of production which characterizes it, and also by the
images of overgrazing and land degradation around water sources during certain droughts.
These misconceptions have led to inadequate, often hostile,
development policies and interventions which have erected major barriers to
sustainable land management and have entrenched pastoral poverty.
Nowadays, progress
of knowledge on the viability of pastoralism is certain. Pastoralism constitutes
a viable system of production and lands use in the drylands, and also a
sustainable solution of environmental maintenance in favour of biodiversity.
However, the results of this progress remain unknown, especially regarding the
contribution of pastoralism to the green economy. The role of traditionally
excluded groups in this innovation, such as women and youth, tends also to be
ignored.
Alternative
options of policies remain to be formulated. Among these alternatives, the
option to support pastoralism and to strengthen this system of production
towards the options of an inclusive and green economy motivated by the social
welfare and solidly anchored on the sustainable modes natural resources use and
management. It is to modernize pastoralism, not by urging the pastoral breeders
to settle or by making them some intensive breeders, but by emphasizing the
logic of pastoral production system strategies which enable sustainable economic,
social and environmental profits, and by emphasizing the use of new
opportunities arising that were not present in the past (mainly due to
technological/infrastructure reasons).
The objectives
of the study
The objective of
this study is to provide evidence that sustainable pastoralism is a way for
sustainable development for several communities and natural resource use, and
to demonstrate the conditions under which transitioning pastoralism towards a
green economy can be made more effective. The study will use a framework for
understanding sustainable pastoralism in connection with the green economy and
will contribute to strengthening that framework. More specifically, the
publication has the following aims:
1.
Examine
pastoralists’ and pastoral livelihoods’ innovations, both in social terms and
in connection with the green economy, and with special attention to the
incorporation of traditionally marginalized groups, especially women and youth[1];
2.
Document contributions and different challenges of pastoralism in future
societies, especially under a green economy;
3.
Present experiences and solutions to strengthen the transition of
pastoralism towards an inclusive and green economy;
4.
Demonstrate evidences of the impact strengthening pastoralism in an
inclusive and green economy, in particular eradication of marginalization, poverty
and food insecurity, environmental sustainability and improvement of
biodiversity (including ecosystems management);
5.
Examine strengths and weaknesses, opportunities for an effective
contribution of pastoralism to an inclusive and green economy;
6.
Present and analyze the complexity and the richness of the theme.
7.
Present recommendations for an improvement of the contribution of
pastoralism to the green economy and the adoption of this as post-2015 sustainable
development goal.
The study is
designed to inform decision makers and practitioners of how sustainable
pastoralism is innovating to tackle new challenges and making use of new
opportunities, and how it is walking the path towards an inclusive and green
economy. The study aims to enable advocates to make a more convincing and
evidence-based case for pastoral innovation, and to enable policy makers to identify
policy gaps and bottlenecks that are undermining efforts to sustainably develop
pastoralist societies. The results will be presented also at the UNEP General
Assembly.
Framework for analysis
Case studies are
guided by a common framework, which the consultant should use to guide the
synthesis report, but the report should critically examine the framework and
inform further dialogue, research and investment in innovations in pastoralism,
pastoral livelihoods, and incorporation of elements to benefit from an
inclusive and green economy. The framework consists of the three (3) pillars of
sustainable development:
1.
Social (Pastoral
livelihoods, Governance, Human development and pastoral communities poverty;
marginalization; incorporation of women and youth);
2.
Economy
(pastoral production system, marketing, international trade of pastoral
products and fair-trade);
3.
Environment
(rangelands ecosystem management, biodiversity, climate change).
The case studies
are expected to shed some light on the value of the framework and provide
insight into sustainable pastoralism and the way it innovates, it adapts to new
challenges, and it contributes or could contribute more to the green economy.
Deliverables and process
The consultant
is expected to develop the study outline in close consultation with IUCN to
ensure that the final deliverables meet requirements for global policy
dialogue.
The consultant
is also expected to work closely with IUCN staff in providing feedback to
contributors, taking into consideration the linguistic diversity of
contributors and the diversity of professional backgrounds (i.e. a mixture of
trained academics and field professionals with different writing styles).
1.
Provide a
first technical report on existing knowledge on pastoralism transitioning
towards an inclusive and green economy.
2.
Incorporate
the ideas submitted by the network and incorporate them into the technical
report.
3.
Review all
case studies and provide feedback to authors on areas requiring improved
analysis as well as editorial comments (including comments on referencing);
4.
Provide an
annotated outline of the proposed synthesis report for approval by IUCN;
5.
Provide a
draft synthesis report for peer review;
6.
Provide a
comprehensive Executive Summary of no more than 3 pages that can form the basis
of an independently published briefing note;
7.
Incorporate
comments and provide a final report.
Timing
Total duration of the contract: 32 days
over 10 weeks.
|
Task
|
Days allotted
|
Schedule
|
|
Production of
first synthesis
|
8
|
31st
October, 2013
|
|
Feedback on
synthesis from IUCN
|
|
|
|
Incorporate the
ideas sent from the network
|
2
|
14th
November, 2013
|
|
Review of case studies
and feedback to authors
|
8
|
31st
December, 2013
|
|
Submission of
annotated outline
|
2
|
7th
January, 2013
|
|
Feedback on outline
from IUCN
|
-
|
|
|
Submission of
draft synthesis report
|
10
|
31st
January, 2014
|
|
Feedback on draft
report from IUCN
|
-
|
|
|
Completion of
final report
|
2
|
8th
February, 2014
|
Application process
For this
consultancy IUCN is looking for an expert in pastoralist governance and natural
resource management with great writing skills. The consultant will have an
excellent command of the English language, and working knowledge of French and Spanish will be an added advantage as
some case studies may be submitted in these languages.
(If required, translation of these studies by IUCN will also be possible). The
consultant should email samples of published work along with their resume and a
letter outlining their required remuneration to wisp@iucn.org.
The deadline for applications is September
30th 2013.
[1] The results of the WISP trainings on pastoralism and dryland
resilience conducted so far will be used to elaborate the framework for these
innovations.
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