THE ECOBANK MEKONG PMU INVITES SUBMISSION OF INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANCY APPLICATIONS – Biodiversity expert

Introduction

The ecosystems of the Mekong Delta play a vital role in global biodiversity and in sustaining the livelihoods of local communities. However, these ecosystems are under severe threat, experiencing loss and degradation at rates surpassing those of any other biomes. In particular, wetland areas are rapidly shrinking under pressure from resource exploitation and utilization, resulting in significant declines in biodiversity and an increase in the number of threatened species. Species richness and diversity have diminished due to illegal hunting by local communities. Despite these challenges, there remains limited information on the changes that have occurred and the current status of these ecosystems. The project entitled “Building a Portal of Ecosystems and Biodiversity Information for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Development for the Mekong Delta (Ecobank Mekong)”, funded by the Mekong – Korea Cooperation Fund, aims to establish a WebGIS-based international-standard biodiversity database. This platform will provide updated information on ecosystems and biodiversity in the Mekong Delta to domestic, regional, and global stakeholders, as well as to broader public users.

The project is designed to achieve the following specific objectives:

  • To assess the current status of biodiversity (ecosystems and species) in support of sustainable socio-economic development and biodiversity conservation planning;
  • To provide a standardized and regularly updated database on natural ecosystems and biodiversity for ecosystem assessment, biodiversity evaluation, and monitoring of related changes;
  • To develop an advanced WebGIS platform and mobile applications to raise public awareness and promote widespread access and utilization of the established database.

Under the scope of project activities, the Ecobank Mekong PMU is seeking independent consultant to carry out the following activities (one consultant will implement one activity):

  • Activity 1.2: Collecting, verifiying available information and extracted reported data of phytoplankton and zooplankton
  • Activity 1.3. Collecting, verifiying available information and extracted reported data of higher plants
  • Activity 1.4. Collecting, verifiying available information and extracted reported data of fungi
  • Activity 1.5. Collecting, verifiying available information and extracted reported data of mammals
  • Activity 1.6. Collecting, verifiying available information and extracted reported data of birds
  • Activity 1.7. Collecting, verifiying available information and extracted reported data of reptiles and amphibians
  • Activity 1.8. Collecting, verifiying available information and extracted reported data of insects
  • Activity 1.9. Collecting, verifiying available information and extracted reported data of benthos
  • Activity 1.10. Collecting, verifiying available information and extracted reported data of fish

Scope of Work and Required Qualifications and Experience for each of expertise is provided as follows:

Application Submission Method

Detailed instructions on the application submission process can be found in the attached Terms of Reference (TOR) corresponding to each specialist position being recruited.