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TERMS OF REFERENCE
Expert on pasture and steppe ecosystems and sustainable land management
for the Development of a Full Size Project Document “Sustainable land management and
ecosystem-based climate change mitigation in the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion”
May-September 2014
BACKGROUND
The GEF is currently funding the Project Preparatory Grant (PPG) phase for the full project
“Sustainable land management and ecosystem-based climate change mitigation in the AltaiSayan Ecoregion”. The proposed project will promote sustainable integrated land and forest
management in Altai-Sayan Ecoregion (ASE) in Russia to reduce pressures on natural resources
from competing land uses and to secure conservation and enhancement of carbon stocks. The
project will be implemented in 2014-2019. The project focuses on ecosystem management in a
critical ecological landscape, the Altai Sayan Ecoregion in Russia, and will implement activities
that synergistically contribute to the climate change mitigation, land degradation and sustainable
forest management focal areas. In doing so it will influence the production practices employed by
economic sectors and will support measures to avoid GHG emissions from illegal logging and
unsustainable grazing and fires, and demonstrate approaches to increased sequestration through
renaturalization of native steppe and forest vegetation. The project will include the following
components:
Component 1: Enabling policy environment and strengthened enforcement capacities for
integrated sustainable land management (SLM) and sustainable forest management
(SFM). This component focuses on addressing the barriers related to deficiencies in the
current territorial planning, regulatory and policy environment and enforcement capacity
gaps;
Component 2: Investment in demonstrating improved sustainable land and forest
management in the Altai-Sayan Ecoregion. This component will demonstrate on-theground approaches to improving land and forest management within a production
landscape.
Due to the complexity of the technical issues addressed by the project and the broad, multidisciplinary nature of the proposed project, it is necessary to undertake the PPG stage for a 12month period to identify the most appropriate participants and partners, secure co-financing,
design the full project and develop the Full Size Project (FSP) Document and the CEO
endorsement template.
The major objective of the PPG will be to carry out preparatory activities for the full scale GEF
project that will assist national stakeholders to enact the necessary sub-regional and national level
legal, policy and institutional reforms, through integrated ecosystem-based sustainable land and
forest management.
The PPG team will include national experts from the Russian Federation and international
consultants.
COORDINATION ARRANGEMENTS
UNDP is the Implementing Agency for this PPG project. UNDP Programme Support Office in
Russia (UNDP RPSO) will execute this PPG with support and in coordination with the UNDP
Regional Centre in Bratislava (BRC). The Expert on pasture and steppe ecosystems and
sustainable land management (SLM) will be contracted by UNDP RPSO to carry out specific
tasks specified below and will report to UNDP/GEF (RTA BD, BRC) and to UNDP RPSO (Head
of Office).
RESPONSIBILITIES
Expert on pasture and steppe ecosystems and SLM will be responsible for collecting/compiling
and analysing information on the state of pasture and steppe ecosystems in the ASE ecoregion,
sustainable land management practices and regulations. He/she will work closely with
regional/local SLM experts and with the national SLM policy expert (PPG team) contracted by
the project to compile inputs on SLM and pasture management in various pilot regions. He/she
will provide technical inputs to the baseline analysis and develop corresponding
recommendations for the full project, including SLM demonstration projects.
The Expert will undertake the following activities:
1. Undertake a review of the preliminary project design (PIF and PPG documents) and
supporting documents to determine the key information needs related to the state of
pasture and steppe ecosystems and SLM in the ASE ecoregion.
2. Compile an inventory of available sources of information on the state of and threats to
pasture and steppe ecosystems in the ASE ecoregion in the context of climate change.
Compile information on completed, on-going and planned research and monitoring
programs.
3. Participate in the project scoping consultations. Coordinate the structure of the PPG
report with the International PPG Consultant and PPG Lead Expert.
4. Based on inputs from the PPG team specify threat analysis for grassland ecosystems in
Altai Sayan, description of steppe use by sectors / sub-sectors / users.
5. Quantify current / baseline LD impacts related to unsustainable use of steppe areas and
steppe fires;
6. Based on inputs from the PPG team compile detailed description of national baseline
programs and institutional stakeholders in SLM area, relevant to the project and serving
as its co-financing; including the roles, functions and responsibilities of different players
with respect to regulating, planning, implementing activities affecting sound management
of steppe areas in Altay Sayan. Compile information on on-going and planned
programmes and projects on sustainable land management including investment
programmes and potential co-financing information for the UNDP/GEF project.
7. Based on inputs from the local/regional PPG experts confirm selection of the target sites
for improved management of steppe and pasture land at 600,000 ha which is envisaged
under PIF Output 2.1. Integrate into the above-mentioned Annex to CEO Endorsement
Request the following information relevant to these 12 sites under Output 2.1:
a) Location and size, provide map,
b) Detailed description of current land use and threats to LD and climate stemmig from
current land use at each particular site (for description of threats use, as minimum, the
LD and CCM and SFM indicators from the GEF Tracking Tools)
c) Listof technologies that will be tested in the project developed: for each such
technology describe activities sequence, actors, budget, cofinancing, time-table,
monitoring of success, replication potential. Tentative list includes (i) seasonal
rotational grazing to maintain pasture quality covering all kinds of rangelands; (ii)
decrease stocking rate in moderately degraded pastures; (iii) repair and maintenance
of key pasture use infrastructure (wells and barns) and optimized stocking pressure in
remote rangelands; (iv) increased stocking rate in formerly un-grazed pastures to
optimize steppe ecosystem state and functioning.
d) Define the financing mechanism for the implementation of the above technologies, as
per Output 2.1a giving preference to a self-sustianable funding mode, such as
revolving micro-credit fund or municipal subsidy scheme. In case a self-sustianable
funding mechanims is proved to be feasible, reach agreement with municipal
administrations / micro-credit facility on hosting and cofinancing the scheme. Identify
and agree the capitalization size, the activities to be supported, the terms of crediting
or subsidizing, disbursement and collection systems, the re-payment, non-repayment
stipulations, marketing and success monitorign mechanisms to be shared between the
GEF project and the host institution.
e) Quantify (forecast) the LD impact from the implementatino of the above activities:
reductionof erosion and rise in productivity as a result of implementaiton of the above
measures.
8. Prepare the LD tracking tool, including the detailed description of the baseline and setting
the respective indicators;
9. Based on inputs from the local/regional PPG experts confirm selection of pilot areas
under Output 2.2 - Restoration of app. 40,000 hectares of degraded forest and pasture
land adjacent to productive farmland:
a. describe the restoration methods, Tentative menu includes restoration of
vegetation cover in steppe, to counteract on-going and past land degradation (e.g.
ploughed and abandoned pastures).
b. costs,
c. activity sequence.
d. Provide technical inputs for quantifying carbon benefits in detail using Annex A
to PIF as a start.
10. Provide expert input into costing the expected project outcomes and outputs, identify cofinancing sources and secure co-financing commitments (letters);
11. Provide input to drafts ToRs for the key consultants/contracts to be employed by the
project.
12. Provide recommendations for the full project including a set of indicators on the state of
pastures and steppe ecosystems in the ASE ecoregion. Recommendations will include
proposals for national institutional capacity building, improved policy and regulatory
framework at the national, regional and local levels, international cooperation instruments
and measures.
13. Outline current status (availability, completeness, content, what is covered what is not
covered, who implements and who funds) of carbon monitoring system in Altay Sayan
and provide inputs/recommendations for the GEF project on the GHG emission
reductions/sequestration in steppe areas (relevant for Output 2.5). Specifically,
o What carbon pools are measured and how at the moment. What regulatory and legal
amendments needs to be put in place to measure full ecosystem carbon in steppes.
o In consultations with the PPG Carbon Monitoring expert define which instrumental
on-site measurements are needed to cover the gaps in the carbon monitoring and draw
a costed plan to imlement them at the FSP stage.
o Identify pilot steppe areas in ASE for carbon emissions/sequestration monitoring,
collect data for carbon emission assessments/forecast, specify a set of carbon
sequestration and GHG emission reduction indicators for the FSP including baseline
and target values.
Based on the above, prepare an Annex to the FSP outlining the future carbon monitoring,
reporting and verification system for the project/steppe areas.
14. Support the project review process by providing additional information and data to
address subsequent comments to the project document from UNDP/GEF, STAP and GEF
reviewers.
DELIVERABLES
The following deliverables are expected from the consultancy contract.
PPG Report should include:

baseline information analysis;

specified threats, root causes and barrier analysis;

recommendations for prioritized project outcomes, outputs and component activities for GEF
Full Scale Project including demonstration projects;

recommendations for stakeholder involvement, partnerships and co-financing arrangements.
Report should be provided in Russian.
Timeframe:
Draft report :
May 2014
Final report:
June 2014
Inputs to the FSP formulation
and review process:
September 2014
QUALIFICATIONS AND COMPETENCIES:
 10 year of technical knowledge and experience in the relevant areas related to steppe and
pasture management and SLM;
 Experience in developing and coordinating international programmes and projects;
 Knowledge of GEF and UNDP/GEF programming is a plus;
 Outreach to key national stakeholders, sustainable development and research projects,
statistical databases and professional expert networks;
 Project and/or academic experience in the Altay-Sayan eco-region is an asset;
 Excellent technical writing skills;
 English language skills.