Consultant – National Voluntary Community Conservation Framework

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Belize.

📋 Description

• Perform a swift desk review of pertinent international guidelines, including CBD Decision 14/8 (2018), IUCN frameworks, and Belize’s national policies and legal frameworks.

• Offer technical assistance for the development and enhancement of the NVCCA Framework through consultations and technical discussions with NBIO, IUCN, PACT, and relevant stakeholders.

• Identify and evaluate existing community, Indigenous, private, and locally led conservation initiatives in Belize.

• Create practical implementation tools, including guidelines, assessment templates, and toolkits, ensuring they are gender-responsive, culturally sensitive, and rights-based.

• Identify and evaluate five potential NVCCA pilot sites within the Macal and Mopan River Watersheds.

• Document pilot experiences, including successes, challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations.

• Conduct targeted capacity-building and awareness initiatives.

• Deliver six outputs over eight months, which include an inception report, stakeholder consultation report, draft NVCCA Framework, pilot site assessment, capacity-building documentation, and implementation recommendations report.

• Integrate feedback from NBIO, IUCN, PACT, and other designated stakeholders and implement reasonable adjustments.

• Report to the Director of the National Biodiversity Office and collaborate with the NBIO project team, Forest Department, IUCN technical team, and other stakeholders.

⛳️ Requirements

• Advanced university degree (Master's degree or higher) in fields such as conservation biology, environmental management, natural resource management, environmental law, protected area management, geography, ecology, public policy, sustainable development, or other closely related areas.

• Over 10 years of professional experience in biodiversity conservation, protected areas, natural resource governance, environmental policy, or related domains.

• Proven experience in developing national policies, strategies, frameworks, guidelines, or governance mechanisms for biodiversity conservation, protected areas, or OECMs.

• Strong understanding of the CBD, Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, and IUCN guidance on OECMs and protected/conserved areas.

• Demonstrated experience in conducting multi-stakeholder consultations, workshops, and participatory processes involving government, IPLCs, CSOs, private sector, and communities.

• Experience in Belize or the broader Caribbean region is advantageous.

• Submit a cover letter, CV, technical proposal, and financial proposal.

• Proposals that are incomplete will not be taken into consideration.

🏝️ Benefits

• Opportunity to contribute to significant conservation efforts.

• Engage with diverse stakeholders in the field of biodiversity.

• Professional development through capacity-building initiatives.