National Expert

Project Description: The Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) activity is managed by USAID’s Center for Environment, Energy, and Infrastructure within the Bureau for Development, Democracy and Innovation. INRM provides strategic support and facilitation to USAID’s Missions, technical offices, and other operating units on integrated environmental and natural resource management programming in alignment with the Agency’s Environmental and Natural Resource Management (ENRM) Framework. INRM supports and promotes integrated programming across sectors traditionally classified as “environmental,” such as land use, forestry and biodiversity conservation and climate change, as well as many sectors that traditionally have not been linked to environmental programming but are in fact strongly connected (e.g., food security, health, and governance). By using a multi-sectoral lens, the activity strengthens the impacts of USAID’s core environmental programming by recognizing synergies, adopting best practices, and building broader constituencies for integrated programming.

Overview of Study

USAID’s Asia Bureau has provided funds to INRM to conduct an Asia Grey Timber Analysis (AGTA) in primary forest product commodity chains in the Asia/Pacific Region. The study is meant to be objective, using the best available evidence, with an overarching goal of describing and presenting the magnitude of the issue and associated implications. Study results will be used as a springboard for consultations and identification of actions and solutions to reduce the volume of grey/laundered/illegal timber in forest product commodity chains. One possible outcome of the study and consultations is increasingly proactive forest industry associations who self-police and increase confidence in the legality and sustainability of forest product commodity chains, thereby enhancing the longevity of the industry.

DAI, the INRM prime contractor, retained the services of a two-person team (Team) comprised of the Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader to lead the AGTA study. With support from the DAI home office, the current team began the grey timber study in February 2022. The Team completed Phase 1 which was a highly detailed statistical analysis of timber production and trade in key ASEAN and Pacific Island producer/exporting nations and the main importing countries in Asia and the United States.

Based on the data analysis, the Team has progressed to the literature review in Phase 2 to focus on four priority countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. The literature review is exploring the scale and types of illicit activities in the forestry sector, including, e.g., gaps in the regulatory systems, conversion and encroachment of forests, concession operators in commercial forestry, logging and transport, and associated industry and trade.

Role’s Purpose: The National Experts (one each from the following countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, or Vietnam) will support the AGTA study Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader to collect information and data and assist with Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) in their respective countries.

Objectives and Duties:

The Team is seeking the assistance of up to four (4) national experts from the four countries – ideally, 1 expert/country – to implement the five tasks described below, and ad hoc smaller tasks. This work will contribute to the successful completion of the AGTA study. The national experts will be supervised by the Team Leader and Deputy Team Leader with close oversight by the DAI INRM Task Manager.

Tasks

1. Support scheduling of Key Information Interviews (KIIs) and participate in either in person and/or remote KIIs with active note taking that will enable the Team to assess and report critically on the knowledge and practices in the government forestry and law enforcement bodies, trade and industry associations, environmental agencies, and among researchers and NGOs.

2. Assist the Team to identify and collect remote sensing and GIS-based information regarding forest loss and degradation during the past five (5) years, as well as spatial information on suspicious activities (in protected areas, large forest concessions, commercial agriculture, land block sales, and large-scale conversion) that have contributed to significant and unplanned changes in forest cover.

3. Verify the most recent wood processing industry capacity additions, approved or officially licensed, or ‘’unofficially permitted,’’ as well as wood processing industry ownership and information on product traceability.

4. Assist the Team with the collection of information and data from customs services, tax authorities, and law enforcement bodies regarding the value and volume of grey / laundered / illegal timber in forest product commodity chains in the country in question.

5. Support and help convene high-quality stakeholder and expert consultations to discuss AGTA’s preliminary findings, and help draft actionable solutions, codes-of-conduct, due diligence recommendations, and elements of awareness-raising campaigns to lower the prevalence of grey timber and associated wood products traded in the Asia-Pacific region.

Deliverables

The National Expert (s) are responsible for completion and delivery of the following items:

• Confirmed scheduling of at least ten (10) KIIs in country of operation;
• Completed notes for at least ten (10) KIIs in country of operation;
• Updated tracker table with full contact details of all completed KIIs; Remote sensing/GIS data and information reports covering topics described in task 2 in country of operation;
• Summary of information as described in Task 3 in country of operation; and
• Customs data as described in Task 4 in country of operation.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of experience in the Forestry Sector: commercial forestry, industry, and trade
• Experience with data collection technologies such as remote sensing and GIS strongly desired
• Experience in analysing production and trade statistics and HS/industrial product classification
• Experience in sustainability and legality standards on forestry
• Knowledge and experience working with customs authorities e.g., customs procedures, valuation, classification in country of operation preferred
• Knowledge of FLEGT, traceability systems, and government / CSO / NGO monitoring of forestry sector in country of operation preferred
• Strong research and analytical skills as evidenced by previous studies/reports
• Good interpersonal skills and ability create trust and confidence regarding discussions on sensitive issues
• Experience in conducting effective stakeholder consultations and meetings
• Fluent in English and local languages

Reporting: The National Experts will report to the AGTA Study Team Leader.