Technical consultant on Payment for Marine Ecosystem Services
General Objective:
Comunidad and Biodiversidad, A.C. (a Mexican NGO) is looking for a technical consultant that supports their work in partnership with the MARES Program of Forest Trends (an NGO based in Washington, D.C.) to explore the use of pilot schemes of marine payment for ecosystem services (PES) in the Puerto Morelos Marine Park, Quintana Roo, as part of a general strategy for conserving the Mesoamerican Coral Reef in Mexico.
Scope:
The consultancy will provide baseline economic information on a new marine no-take zone for ecosystem restoration that was proposed by the fishing cooperative in Puerto Morelos. The information will assist our team made up of project managers, fishers, eco-tourism providers, and marine park authorities, in the design and use of innovative financial mechanisms that help to offset the opportunity and operation cost of implementing this restoration zone. The project must be designed and implemented keeping in mind its future application to other sites along the coast of Quintana Roo.
Activities of the consultant will include:
• Analysis of current costs and profits to the fishing cooperative in their general fishing areas and in the no-take restoration zone.
• Analysis of the expected operational cost of the proposed restoration zone (monitoring, surveillance, research, among other possible costs).
• Analysis of the economic benefits predicted to be obtained by the tourism sector of Cancún and Puerto Morelos, in tourist activities such as snorkeling and SCUBA diving inside and outside the restoration zone, in coordination with marine experts.
• Exploration of the local (Puerto Morelos) and regional (Cancún and Playa del Carmen) tourist sector’s willingness to invest (share the operational and opportunity costs) of the restoration zone.
• Design and test a survey to investigate tourists’ behavior to their beach and underwater experience in their visit in Cancún and surrounding areas.
It is expected that the consultant will carry out field work to obtain primary data and existing information to support the above analysis, involving contact with fishers, tourist operators, tourists, hotel operators and owners, governmental officials, biological and ecological researchers, and other appropriate social actors in Puerto Morelos and in other areas of Quintana Roo. The consultant is also expected to provide a full report detailing the above-stated analyses and a copy of the raw data upon completion of the consultancy.
Qualifications and competencies required:
a) Academic background
An academic background in economics, with a master or postgraduate degree in environmental economics and skills in survey techniques and semi-structured interviewing is preferred.
b) Work experience
We are looking for a professional with proved experience in the use of economic incentives for management and conservation that is willing to take the challenge to use this expertise in the relatively new field of payment for marine ecosystem services. Knowledge of marine conservation is an advantage.
c) Language
The consultant is expected to be a native Spanish speaker. As communication and reports with Forest Trends and its partners will be in English, it is essential that the candidate demonstrates the capacity to communicate and write also in this language.
d) Competencies
- Strong research and analytical skills
- Ability to work well as part of a team
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-Ability to work with diverse stakeholder groups
- Knowledge of econometrics
- Excellent writing and verbal communication skills
Working conditions:
The consultant will be based in Cancún, Quintana Roo, México. COBI will facilitate working space in COBI’s regional office in Cancun, and will provide initial contacts and guidance related to the project. .
Timing:
The expected period to complete this consultancy is six months, starting in February 2010. There is a possibility to extend this consultancy to the second half of 2011, as further phases of this project develop, funding permitting, and even to help develop further PES work elsewhere in Mexico.
How to apply:
Qualified candidates are requested to submit a one page cover letter stating their interest in this position, and specific qualifications related to this position in a short (3 page) CV, in addition to three professional references. All information must be emailed to Constanza Ribot (cribot@cobi.org.mx) by 14 of January 2011.
All applications will be reviewed after this deadline and a short list produced for phone interviews immediately after. The planned start date in Cancún is February 1st, 2011.