National consultant to support the comprehensive assessment of existing management plans across the TSB

National consultant to support the comprehensive assessment of existing management plans across the TSB

The Tonle Sap Basin (TSB), encompassing 85,790 km² across seven provinces in Cambodia, is home to approximately 4 million people, many of whom rely on the basin’s rich biodiversity and ecosystem services for their livelihoods. However, the region faces severe environmental degradation, with over 1.7 million hectares of forest lost between 2006 and 2022 due to illegal logging, agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, and climate change. This degradation threatens biodiversity, ecosystem services, and the cultural heritage of the area, including the Angkor Archaeological Area.

With guidance from and reporting to the Project Manager, the Consultant will work closely with the Project Coordinator. When conducting the comprehensive policy analysis, the consultant will contribute to the Output 1.2: Integrated Tonle Sap Basin Management Plan developed and following project activities:

• Activity 1.2.1: Conduct a comprehensive assessment of existing management plans across the TSB. A technical expert will be procured to assess the current planning framework for the management of the TSB. This will include assessing management plans for the broader TSB (for example the 2005 TSB Strategy, and the Protected Areas Strategic Management Plan (PASMP) 2017-2026 and Action plan 2018-2022), as well as for individual watersheds within the basin (For example, the Plan of Action for Siem Reap Watershed for 2011 – 2014 and the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve Plan). In addition to reviewing current plans, the assessment will consider the history of management planning, mapping out strengthens, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for various management options, with specific focus on the approaches to conservation and restoration efforts within the basin and the level of cross-sectoral integration. The reviews will consider the needs of women, and consultation in the review process will include women’s representatives.
• Activity 1.2.2: Develop and validate the ITSBMP. Using the outcomes of the assessment under Activity 1.2.1, and drawing on international best practice, an integrated management plan will be developed for the TSB. This plan will establish a framework for collaborative management of watersheds across the basin, outlining: i) the concepts of integrated watershed management; ii) stakeholder engagement plan; iii) land-use planning processes; iv) priority interventions and implementation plans; v) roles and responsibilities; vi) coordination processes; and vii) monitoring and evaluation. As part of the ITSBMP, an ecosystem restoration framework and strategy will be developed, considering various passive restoration approaches, including halting prior land use practices that have led to degradation in the designated restoration areas to allow the degraded forest for natural or unassisted recovery, as well as for improved management of areas with high value to biodiversity or ecosystem services. Specific consideration will be given to ensuring that the plan is fully inclusive, considering the needs and active involvement of various vulnerable groups, including women, indigenous people, youth and people with disabilities. The Plan will also take into account potential downstream risks and impacts and will include a framework for mitigation of these. Once developed, the plans will be validated through a multi-stakeholder workshop, before being officially launched. A clear timeframe for the implementation of the plan will also be agreed – expected to be initiated within the first half of the proposed project, but likely to continue beyond the project period.
• Activity 1.2.3: Train decision makers at the national, provincial and district level on the implementation of the ITSBMP. Following the launch of the ITSBMP, decision makers will be trained on its effective implementation, ensuring multi-stakeholder participation. Training will be done at different administrative levels, tailoring the content to the specific roles and responsibilities of entities at each level in the plan’s implementation. The training sessions will bring together multiple stakeholders, including government entities, NGOs, CSOs and private sector partners to promote collaborative implementation of the plans, with an added focus on ensuring women are included in the training.

  Interested individuals should submit a cover letter, CV with 3 referees by 25 December 2025 (5:00 PM). Only short-listed candidates will be contacted for interview.

  Candidates will submit their application to the PMU of the ERIP project, Ministry of Environment: Ground floor, Morodok Techo Building (Lot 503) Tonle Bassac, Chamkarmorn, Phnom Penh, Cambodia or email to info@camclimate.org.kh and chrunnaren@yahoo.com