Baseline Survey of Sustainable Management of Tsavo and Amboseli Landscapes

Terms of Reference (ToR)

Baseline Survey of Sustainable Management of Tsavo and Amboseli Landscapes.

Summary of ToR

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is seeking a consultant(s) to conduct the baseline survey/evaluation for a 5-year USAID funded project dubbed ‘Sustainable management of Tsavo and Amboseli landscapes’.

Background

IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) is a global non-profit helping animals and people thrive together with presence in 40 countries around the world.

IFAW works to address the needs of animals and people across a multitude of critical habitats through protecting wildlife from poachers, landscape conservation and rehabilitation of rescued animals. IFAW partners with local communities, governments, non-governmental organizations, and businesses to achieve its mission.

The IFAW Eastern Africa office based in Nairobi and oversees projects in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and the horn of Africa. As a thought leader in conservation in Africa, IFAW believes lives of communities and the wildlife around them are inextricably linked through the habitats, shared resources and the interactions they have. It has since adopted the landscape approach to conservation through which it is committed to respectful and inclusive engagement that empowers communities to identify opportunities to address important wildlife conservation issues while incorporating animal welfare considerations. This has been demonstrated in its work in Amboseli, Tsavo and Kilimanjaro landscape that it has been working for some time with immense success.

Project Description

IFAW is implementing a USAID funded project ‘’Sustainable Management of Tsavo and Amboseli landscapes’ in Southern Kenya**.** The project is implemented in Tsavo Conservation Area and Greater Amboseli Ecosystem in partnership with Big Life Foundation and Tsavo Trust Foundation.

The aim of the project is to strengthen local institutions’ ability to develop a coordinated management approach with their members to enhance local stewardship, improved outcome sharing and the sustainable management of wildlife and biodiversity within the Tsavo Conservation Area and Greater Amboseli Ecosystem. This will be achieved through the following outcomes:

• Improved governance of Tsavo and Amboseli landscapes.
• Reduced threats and improved biodiversity conservation.
• Increased partnerships for landscape level economic growth and sustainability.
• Increased community and ecosystem resilience.

Key Activities

Several key activities have been designed and will be implemented in line with outcomes/ results stipulated above.

1. Under improved governance of Tsavo and Amboseli landscapes, specific activities have been designed to help strengthen governance, technical capacities, infrastructure and equipment for AET and TTWCA to facilitate integrated, inclusive and coordinated approach to biodiversity and wildlife management and open opportunities to derive increased benefits from landscape resources.
2. On reduced threats and improved biodiversity conservation, the project aims at enhancing ecosystem-based planning, coordinated community-led law enforcement (anti-poaching, by-laws and community dialogues) and human wildlife conflict mitigation to improve management of wildlife and human well-being;
3. To increase partnerships for landscape level economic growth and sustainability, targeted interventions have been lined up to enhance close coordination, planning and smart partnerships between the local community institutions, county government and private sector players across the anchor economic value chains (tourism, livestock, carbon and green energy) to open new opportunities for local economic growth;
4. To increase community and ecosystem resilience, the project will strengthen capacity and support towards sustainable livelihood initiatives for local community resulting into improved wildlife and rangelands management vital for ecosystem health and community resilience;

Rationale of the baseline

The baseline study will establish and document the current status regarding key performance indicators (KPIs). The baseline report and data will provide a starting point to document change and achievement towards desired results in the Theory of Change (ToC). It also will guide subsequent studies and evaluations. Report and data from the baseline will further guide the development of relevant tools and approaches for effective monitoring, evaluation and learning to provide timely feedback for efficient and effective programme implementation.

Objectives of the Baseline Survey.

The objective of the baseline study is to provide data/information for a set of key indicators outlined in the programme results matrix. It will form the basis for the mid-term and final evaluation other than setting the baseline and helps to set targets for project indicators. Consequently, it’s vital to consider the impact created through the project to be considered in this baseline survey.

Specific objectives of the study

• To assess the relevance, adequacy and feasibility of the project indicators in measuring the level of achievement of the stated outcomes.
• Review and develop appropriate performance indicators, both custom and standard, with a view to support and report on project implementation
• To collect data and determine the baseline values/status of the relevant indicators prior to the implementation of the project.
• To provide data that will inform the design, planning and implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the project
• To develop key learning questions that will guide the learning agenda during implementation.

Scope of the baseline study

The study will be undertaken in Tsavo and Amboseli landscapes enclaving Amboseli, Tsavo East and West National parks in Kajiado, and Taita Taveta Counties respectively. Special focus will be on 18 conservancies in Greater Amboseli Ecosystem and 15 group ranches in Tsavo conservancy area (TCA). The study will seek to assess landscape-wildlife management, biodiversity and conservation status across the landscape. Since the project’s purpose is to build local institutions capacity for sustainable conservation, the study will seek to assess the governance levels and systems, level of ecosystem threats and mitigation strategies, community benefit sharing from conservation efforts and strategies of ecosystem and community resilience to climate shocks. Several thematic focuses will however be site-specific as a result of targeted investments in identified ranches and conservancies.

The map below gives a geographical view of the GAE and TCA landscapes that will be the focus of both the study and the project implementation.

Collectively, the landscape has an elephant population of approximately 14,573; the study will be assessing the threat levels and conservation efforts targeted at the species. The landscape also has approximately 364,595 livestock and 1,462,204 people domiciled in this space; the study will be assessing the status of sustainable resource utilization mobilization and sharing. This is important as the project (in the mid and end term evaluation) will evaluate the effect of the project’s sustainable natural resource management on the socio-economic development within the landscape for both the conservancies and community at large.

The study will also provide insights on the following areas:

• Preconditions that the project will need to put in place to ensure impact is achieved
• Essential changes that need to occur e.g. institutions, relationships, capabilities, attitudes and behaviors which will be considered essential for success
• Sustainability approaches that the project can focus on to achieve maximum impact

Data and insights from the baseline study will be compared with the midterm and end term evaluations to evaluate level of impact and achievement of the project’s goal of strengthening local institutions ability to locally drive conservation efforts in the GAE and TCA landscapes.

Methodology

The Consultant (s) will propose a suitable and detailed methodology that exhaustively addresses the study’s objectives at the baseline’s inception; however, the Consultant(s) will be selected based on proposed methodologies submitted in response to this ToR. Robust mixed methods with a participatory approach are preferred. In addition, provide a detailed baseline analysis framework, proposed tools and proposed outline for the report.

Time Schedule

The study is expected to take not more than sixty (60) days. The Consultant(s) is expected to be available for the work to start on the 1st of October 2022 and the final report should be submitted not later than 31st November 2022.

Budget

The proposed budget should be inclusive of all taxes applicable.

Study Management

The Consultant (s) will work closely with Chief of Party and Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning team at IFAW. The Consultant (s) will be provided with a project information package of key documentation for review. Both parties will be available for questions and discussions throughout the consultancy.

Qualifications and Experience of Consultant (s)

The consultant(s) must have the following qualifications:

1. Advanced degree in project management, natural resources management, community development, social studies, or any other relevant field.
2. A minimum of 8 years in community/social development research and programme evaluations.
3. Verifiable experience in conducting baseline studies.
4. Proficiency in analytics and report writing
5. Excellent oral and written English and Swahili.
6. Proven experience in conducting participatory qualitative and quantitative evaluation studies
7. Evidence theoretical knowledge and practical application of cross-cutting issues in development such as gender, innovation.
8. A comprehensive understanding of the tools development and research methodologies, including quantitative and qualitative research methods

Essential

1. Significant expertise in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning.
2. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, and ability to engage with a range of external stakeholders including local project beneficiaries, government officials, law enforcement agencies, local governance organizations and NGOs.
3. Sound and proven experience in conducting evaluations/studies in communities with a strong cultural attachment.
4. Experience of a range of participatory evaluation techniques.

Key deliverables:

Upon successful completion of the assignment, the consultant will have provided the following:

1. An Inception Report.
2. Final tools/instruments of the baseline survey
3. Study Management Plan
4. Electronic files with all raw data
5. Draft Report
6. Presentation of the key findings to the stakeholders for validation
7. The final baseline report