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

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

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 2.2: Participatory models for SSR management developed and the following project activities:

• Activity 2.2.1: Conduct a comprehensive review and gap analysis of existing plans and policies for the management of the SSR Watershed. Existing plans and policies for the SSR watershed will be assessed for alignment with each other and the broader ITSBMP. Several existing plans have been identified to date that would be included in the analysis, including: i) the Action Plan for Siem Reap Watershed (2011 – 2014); ii) the Phnom Kulen Management Programme and Action Plan (2018-2027); iii) the draft zoning of the Phnom Kulen National Park; iv) management plans for the 5 community-protected areas (CPAs) located in the Phnom Kulen National Parks; v) community forest (CF) agreements and management plans; and vi) the plans and strategies of the Authority for the Protection and Safeguarding of Angkor and the Region of Angkor (APSARA) Authority[1]. Based on the assessment, recommendations will be made for consolidating the plans into a single participatory management model for the SSR Watershed. The reviews will consider the needs of women, and consultation in the review process will include women’s representatives.
• Activity 2.2.2: Identify, prioritise and map site-specific management strategies. Through a consultative approach facilitated by the SSR Watershed forum, and under the guidance of a watershed management expert, a list of management options will be identified for the SSR watershed[2]. This will include a combination of soft management options – such as land use planning, restrictions and concessions – as well as direct investments in restoration and livelihood development. These interventions will be prioritised, mapping each approach to appropriates sites for implementation under Outcome 4. This will include identifying sites of varying levels of degradation to allow for assisted natural regeneration alongside active restoration —tailoring the restoration protocols and implementation strategies for each. Implementation strategies will also consider potential partners and funding sources. Specific consideration will be given to ensuring that the strategies are fully inclusive, considering the needs and active involvement of various vulnerable groups, including women, indigenous people, youth and people with disabilities. Spatial planning will align with the ERIP GCP, and shapefiles from restoration areas will be integrated into the global restoration reporting system for the ERIP.
• Activity 2.2.3: Develop an enhanced law enforcement strategy. Working with national park rangers as well as PDoE and PDoAFF, an enhanced law enforcement strategy will be developed to protect against encroachment into forest areas, particularly within the PKNP and Tonle Sap flooded forest. This strategy will center on existing and planned policies and management strategies for these key areas for biodiversity and ecosystem services, identifying innovative options to expand monitoring and law enforcement beyond what is currently feasible. For example, options will be explored for using remote sensing to track changes in land use and forest cover[3] at a scale that cannot be achieved by foot patrols alone. Moreover, the development of the enforcement strategy will consider funding limitations and constraints on human capacity working within challenging environments – including exploring innovative options for finance (potentially lining with the PES model under Outcome 3).
• Activity 2.2.4: Draft a participatory management framework for the SSR Watershed. The framework will combine the outputs of Activities 2.2.1-2.2.3, formalising the management approach. This will include identifying and defining the roles of key stakeholders involved in the management framework, which will include the Siem Reap provincial administration, provincial departments of key ministries[4], and community leadership structures (particularly for management related to CPAs and CFs). The management framework will include specific coverage of the PKNP, which encompasses the upper catchment areas of the SSR watershed and provides critical ecosystem services to regulate the hydrological flow, as well as supporting key biodiversity. This will consider existing government policies to manage resources and restore biodiversity in the park, including plans to build sustainable community livelihoods and phase out cashew plantations. The framework will be validated by the SSR Watershed Forum.

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

[1] APSARA is a Cambodian management authority responsible for protecting the Angkor Archaeological Park. They are responsible for drafting and implementation of conservation, rehabilitation and development planning and of the coordination of activities at the national and international levels. APSARA’s mission objectives include: Protection & Preservation; Development of tourism; Community and social management; Regional management; International cooperation; and Environmental protection. Given the presence of the Angkor Archaeological Area within the target watershed, the needs and concerns of APSARA will be duly reflected in the watershed management plans.

[2] This mapping will focus on areas outside of the areas under the management of APSARA, such as the Ankor Archaeological Area.

[3] This includes looking at ways to monitor and track the replanting of cashew plantations within the PKNP that counteract the planned phase-out of cashew farming in the park.

[4] Including the Ministries of Environment; Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; Water Resources and Meteorology; and Tourism