FFI cần tuyển Tư vấn/nhóm Tư vấn điều tra về đa dạng động vật. Hạn chót nộp hồ sơ: 10/12/2007. Thông tin chi tiết như sau:
FAUNA-BIODIVERSITY SURVEY (FOCUSED ON VERTEBRATE CLASSES)
Background
Fauna and Flora International (FFI) is an international conservation organisation working to conserve threatened species and ecosystems worldwide. In Vietnam, FFI is working with government partners, communities and donors to support national conservation objectives. The Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong limestone mountain range is a globally important example of karst ecosystems and is the only remaining large area of lowland and limestone forest in northern Vietnam. The Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong community based forest conservation and ecotourism project funded by AECI (Spanish Agency for International Cooperation), implemented by FPSC (Foundation for Social Promotion of Culture Spain) with technical advise from FFI aims to protect this area and its wildlife by supporting the protection of a new protected area through building the management plan as well as improving local livelihoods.
Reviews of current knowledge of the biodiversity of the Pu Luong – Cuc Phuong limestone range (including Pu Luong Nature Reserve, Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong Nature Reserve and Cuc Phuong National Park) indicate a lack of data for central portion of the range. This lack of data constrains effective conservation management of these areas. In contrast, the eastern end of the range, represented mostly by Cuc Phuong National Park, is far better known with species lists of variable completeness available for most floral and faunal groups. Satellite data indicates that large areas of forest exist over significantly greater altitude ranges in the central of the range, and are represented for the most part by Ngoc Son – Ngo Luong Nature Reserve. It is believed that this region, which remains essentially unstudied, may support flora and fauna not found elsewhere within the limestone range. Given the need for baseline information to inform conservation management actions, it is this area that therefore forms the initial priority for surveys to be undertaken by the project.
There is an urgent need to develop simple and inexpensive methods for monitoring wildlife populations in resource-poor countries. List-based methods have been advocated as simple yet potentially useful biodiversity monitoring tools, and systems have recently been launched in a number of countries to collect species lists (Roberts et al. 2007). Also known as inventories, species lists contain no abundance data, and document only presence or absence of species. This information can be used to calculate basic biodiversity indices like species richness and beta-diversity), as well as for compositional analysis (Bates et al. 2007). Newer, more sophisticated biodiversity indices such as taxonomic distinctness can also be calculated using species inventories. In this way, resource managers and conservation biologists have developed lists of the species that occur in particular regions. This burgeoning set of databases constitutes not only a valuable resource for decision-making but also a tool for researchers attempting to understand geographic patterns of diversity. Frequently, these databases are assembled from a mixed bag of museum records, local collecting trips, and records of private enthusiasts (Fagan & Karivan 1996). The use of vertebrate groups by biodiversity-indicator has been used normally because presented several advantage (Kati et al. 2004) respect to invertebrates groups. These groups have easily identifiable species, are species which have large home ranges and many others invertebrate species can be preserved through these vertebrate species, the effort (cost) is less than other groups…
There is not existed any complete and real species lists in the recently established Ngoc Son Ngo Luong Nature Reserve. Given the need for baseline information to inform conservation management actions, it is this area that therefore forms the initial priority for surveys to be undertaken by the project.
FFI calls for interest of a consultants or group of consultants to implement the baseline fauna biodiversity survey which focus on vertebrate classes. The terms of references for a consultant o group/s of consultants are as follow:
a) To work with relevant stakeholders at all level in order to collect all existing data and information from the bibliography, unpublished reports/documents, and other sources to develop a species-list of the Nature Reserve for each vertebrate group.
b) To investigate and determine the presence (composition distribution and status) of species from this list through a minimum sampling points selection in the study area. Before doing sampling points selection, the consultants are requested to consult relevant stakeholders especially the Forest resource use, Land use and Forest type survey team about the forest habitat of the selected area. The , botanical nomenclature used in this survey must be the same as Forest resource use, Land use and Forest type survey.
c) To provide the annotated and updated (composition distribution and status) species list (in Excel file*.xls with different columns including but not limit to the latin (scientific) name, Vietnamese/local name (if any) and English name (if any), category of the species under the IUCN red list 2007- http://www.iucnredlist.org/, others categories of others threatened species lists (for example Birdlife/International…), Forest type/use land where the species is located) in the Nature Reserve for each vertebrate group from the sampling points selection. Though this updated list, the consultants are requested (i) to identify and evaluate threats posed to conservation of species; (ii) to identify areas and locations of conservation importance for species; and (iii) to provide conservation management recommendations to address issues identified during the survey work.
d) To attend the training course organized by GIS expert on using GPS, making sure the data collected is in the right format and in the right way for producing maps.
e) To collaborate with project staff and the project-appointed GIS consultant to produce a map accurately depicting survey coverage, the distribution of sepecies described and noteworthy populations of rare, threatened or endemic species encountered in the study area.
f) To build the capacity of FPD staff selected by the project on-the-job training and mentoring during the fieldwork.
g) To present survey results in meeting/workshop organized by the project at the end of the survey;
h) To provide report (English and Vietnamese) that consolidates survey results and provides recommendations/solutions to the certain findings through the survey with special emphasis on specifying critical areas for conservation that helps the process of operational management planning of the project (see more detail in outputs requirements below).
Deliverable outputs:
The consultant will require preparing and submitting:
1) All data required by the project-appointed GIS consultant to produce the relevant map products.
2) A draft final report in English for discussion.
3) A final report acceptable to the project in English and Vietnamese. The final report must include:
• A complete itinerary of fieldwork and survey effort undertaken.
• Full details of all methods and equipment used.
• De scri ption of all sites studied during the fieldwork including notes regarding habitat features, terrain and other relevant environmental characteristics.
• Survey finding with detail discussion and evaluation of issues mention in paragraph a, b and c.
• Discussion and objective evaluation of the conservation significance of the survey area for vertebrate conservation in the context of current knowledge regarding the fauna of the Pu Luong –Cuc Phuong limestone range and Vietnam as a whole.
• Specific, practical and well-founded management recommendations to improve conservation management of sites studied during the fieldwork, and recommendations for further study.
• Recommendations for targeted conservation actions to address any threats posed by human exploitation and disturbance.
The survey is expected to be carried out in 15 days and about 7 days for report writing
Interested applicants should send a CV and a draft proposal to the address below no later than 10th December, 2007 (better by email)
Fauna and Flora International (FFI)
340 Nghi Tam, Tay Ho, Hanoi
Tel: (04) 7194117
Fax: (04) 7194119
Email:viet.hong.le@ffi.org.vn
