Request for Proposal - GRV Land Degradation Impact Consultancy at World Resources Institute (WRI)

Activity 1: Identify, develop and harmonize datasets for spatial analysis and validating maps

• Identify data needs and develop a list of data required for the baseline assessment, restoration opportunity mapping and scenario development  
• Validate existing baseline data and their fit for scenario modelling
• Define land degradation in GRV context and identify the key drivers of land degradation (e.g. population growth, overexploitation of resources, increased food demand, climate change, etc.) and associated geospatial layers  
• Develop a spatial database of all collected data and results from spatial analysis, including LULUC data, soil degradation hotspots, water stress map, etc.  
• Validate produced data with WRI technical team, to verify the maps and spatial analyses produced and to determine accuracy levels.  

Activity 2: Develop BAU scenario and future projections  

• Assess and identify suitable method(s) for LULUC, scenario modelling and impact assessment in the landscape  
• Develop an empirical model between LULUC and drivers of degradation  
• Produce a future projection of the LULUC, land degradation and biophysical impacts by 2030 using BAU  
• Assess the change of ecosystem services in the degradation BAU to make a case for restoration  
• Validate produced maps with WRI technical team, to verify the maps and spatial analyses produced and to determine accuracy levels.  

Activity 3: Collect primary socioeconomic data for establishing the baseline and submit preliminary draft report on agronomic and restoration practices for food  

• Validate the data collection methods and protocols with WRI technical team.
• Lead field data collection activities for establishing a socioeconomic baseline in the current situation of land degradation, based on the socioeconomic data collection method and sample protocol developed by WRI technical team; the survey instrument and sample frame will be provided by WRI, while communities within the established frame are to be selected and engaged by the consultant.  
• Responsible for day-to-day management of the enumerators and carrying out household survey to collect disaggregated primary data from a total number of 2000 households in selected geographies. This comprises all hiring and logistic support as required, including providing tablets for data collection.  
• Submit raw data from primary household survey to WRI technical team for analyzing the causality between land degradation and socioeconomic impacts in terms of food insecurity, poverty, labor productivity and household income in the GRV, with a particular focus on historically marginalized and vulnerable communities.  
• Submit preliminary draft report on best bet practices for integrating food in restoration.  

Activity 4: Restoration opportunity mapping in GRV  

• Develop maps showing land degradation hotspots and restoration opportunities areas; learning from the scenario modelling.  
• Develop restoration priority maps in close consultation with WRI technical team, to determine priority areas (and restoration interventions) for specific restoration outcomes, such as water security, food security, carbon sequestration.  
• Develop an inventory of suitable restoration interventions for the intended restoration outcomes in identified priority areas and their associated costs.  

Activity 5: Data analysis and drafting technical report  

• Produce summary statistics to synthesize key insights from initial analysis of the biophysical and socioeconomic datasets, including trends on the trends of degradation, affected areas, impacts on land productivity, water resources, food security, income and other livelihoods, and draw recommendations on priority areas for restoration, suitable and cost-effective restoration interventions, expected improvement of ecosystem services, etc.
• Draft a summary report of the designated research, which should include, but not limited to, the model description, key assumptions, data used, as well as the findings of the analysis.  
• Provide technical backstopping support and technical guidance to ensure the database is appropriately installed in the GRV infrastructure and regular database updates are planned.  
• Contribute to the progress report of the project that is currently being developed by the WRI core team  

Activity 6: Engage in technical discussions and support other project staff as needed  

• Make recommendations for replicating the research and methodology in other anchor landscape