81294756-Implement C-NRM tourism component and strengthen SADC Transfrontier Conservation Area Network

Description

The Southern African region is projected to experience significantly higher temperatures and an increase in extreme weather events such as droughts, floods and heat waves due to climate change. It is estimated that by 2100, the region will receive up to 30% less rainfall and upward trends of temperature culminating in more than 30C rise. This will likely lead to a sharp decline in water for cropping, livestock, wildlife and vegetation, and reduced productivity of various resource-based land uses. Intact ecosystems and their supporting wildlife play a major role in promoting rural economic development, the livelihoods of adjacent local populations and the nature-based tourism sector. To conserve natural ecosystems that transcend national boundaries and make an important contribution to biodiversity conservation as well as livelihood security, socio-economic development of rural communities and tourism, SADC supports the establishment and management of Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs). TFCAs provide important political, social and economic leverage for the integration of the region. SADC is home to 18 TFCAs in various stages of development, covering more than one million square kilometres. The adoption of the regional TFCA programme (2013) by the SADC Council of Ministers and the creation of a SADC TFCA Network in 2013 considerably improved institutional conditions and activities at the regional and cross-national level. The adoption of the SADC Tourism Programme 2020-2030 and the associated COVID-19 sensitive Costed Action Plan forms the framework for the future development of nature-based tourism as important income earner for TFCAs. Countries sharing TFCAs began to establish transnational administrative bodies and initiated cross border activities, including developing TFCAs into important and attractive tourism destinations. For many years, TFCA development has been a major focus of cooperation between SADC and Germany. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Develoopment (BMZ) through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the SADC Food Agriculture and Natural Resources (FANR) Directorate through the SADC/GIZ Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management in the SADC region (C-NRM) Programme. The C-NRM project supports SADC toward ensuring that climate change is systematically taken into account in the transboundary management of natural resources. The project strategy covers four outputs, which are implemented at the international, regional, national and local levels: 1. At the regional level, the project is improving the strategic planning framework for taking climate change into account in the cross-border management of natural resources. It analyses the risks of climate change and of mitigation measures and supports access to funding. 2. The project promotes knowledge sharing on climate-sensitive transboundary natural resource management locally, regionally and nationally. To do so, it deploys knowledge platforms and networks and makes greater use of digital formats. 3. At the local level, the project works together with municipalities to implement climate-smart agriculture and resource management measures in selected TFCAs 4. The project provides support for the tourism sector in the region and in international forums to offset the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is harmonising COVID-19 standards, strengthening marketing and facilitating cross-border travel, specifically in TFCAs. Lot 1: The tender is divided into two phases. The initial services (Phase I, until 04/2024) of this tender are being awarded through the GIZ Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management in the SADC region (C-NRM) Project under the current C-NRM budget and commission with the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Additional funding through BMZ as well as co-funding through the European Union (EU) NaturAfrica Team Europe Initiative is expected by beginning of April 2024 together with an extension of C-NRM to 12/2027. These additional funds should be regarded as optional services (Phase II). These additional services will only be awarded in case that the expected BMZ/EU funds become available. If the funds do not become available, activities under Phase II will not be awarded to the service provider. The consulting services will specifically align to the following outputs of C-NRM: - Output 2: Dissemination of knowledge about climate-smart agriculture and climate-sensitive management of natural resources including ecosystem-based adaptation is strengthened. - Output 4: Priority actions to implement the COVID-19 sensitive SADC tourism programme have started. Output 2 aims to increase knowledge on climate smart agriculture and climate-smart NRM. Communication between the multiple cross-border forums, the administrations and practitioners of the TFCAs, national decision-makers in the countries and other TFCA stakeholders is key. This communication between the cross-border forums and the administrations of the TFCAs as well as national decision-makers in the countries participating in the TFCAs is supported by the SADC TFCA Network to ensure the vertical up-scaling of the results of consultation and agreement. The SADC TFCA Network was established through the predecessor project of C-NRM - the Transboundary Use and Protection of Natural Resources (TUPNR) project in 2013 to catalyse the implementation of the SADC TFCA Programme. The SADC TFCA Network now has over 800 members ranging from government institutions, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), research, the private sector, community representatives and donors. It promotes collaboration, coordinates joint learning and knowledge management through communities of practice and the TFCA internet portal. It also prepares policy activities for the TFCAs like joint action plans, the use of tested approaches to address specific transboundary problems (e.g. Human Wildlife Conflict (HWC), cross-border law-enforcement) and the documentation of successful approaches that can be disseminated and used by national and regional decision-makers. In Phase I of the project, the Network coordination and facilitation will be only maintained at current levels, which includes organising of knowledge sharing events (e.g. meetings, webinars, Communities of Practice) and collaboration with the IUCN BIOPAMA Programme and the Regional Center for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) on renewing the SADC TFCA Portal. Output 4 aims to enhance the quality in the tourism industry as a whole with the objective to ultimately increase the long-term competitiveness of the regions industry. Besides the recent COVID-related decline, tourism numbers in SADC are generally low given the size and scope of the region"s cultural heritage and natural resources. Leisure and nature-based tourism is mainly centred around a few prime destinations. While tourism is a growing economic sector for SADC, the region is yet to realise its full potential for the local population to fight poverty through inclusion in tourism value chains. The tourism industry also still has to improve its sustainability properties to preserve the natural and cultural heritage. Given the natural beauty, cultural diversity and wildlife especially in TFCAs, there is still untapped potential and the modern travellers" desire to increasingly look for diversity and adventure within their travel experience offers. The GIZ support to tourism started in 2018 through the TUPNR projects, and continued under C-NRM. Amongst others the development of the SADC Tourism Programme and Costed Action Plan were supported through GIZ. Now the implementation of key activities under the Costed Action Plan such as ease of movement across the region (e.g. SADC UniVisa, air access study, establishment of a private sector forum) and market development in support of Boundless Southern Africa and 7 targeted TFCAs (/Ai/Ais Richtersveld, Great Limpopo, Greater Mapungubwe, KAZA, Lubombo, Malawi-Zambia, Maloti-Drakensberg). Under Phase I, key activities of the consultancy are to support first priority actions outlined in the SADC Tourism Programme Costed Action Plan that are already in process, as well as market development of the 7 targeted TFCAs.