Vacant Position - GGGI Indonesia - Peatland Project Development Expert

Location ; Indonesia

Contract Type: Individual Consultant (Daily Rate)

Grade: Individual Consultant H

Contract Duration: 15 September - 15 December 2016

Date to close:11/10/2016

Ref No : 2144ID_05102016

Introduction The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) seeks a highly qualified individual with long and diverse experience in the design, implementation, and business development of forestry and agroforestry projects as well as expert knowledge of peat swamp forest and peatlands. The Consultant will assist the Indonesia country program team to develop a suitable business model for innovative, sustainable, and bankable projects in and around peatland areas of Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan to support peatland protection, restoration, and sustainable use at landscape level. Projects based on this model should be commercially viable, suitable for REDD+ or other climate-related finance as well as private investment, and able to demonstrate tangible economic benefits for the local economy, including local communities.   Based in Seoul, the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) is an intergovernmental organization founded to support and promote a model of economic growth known as "green growth", which targets key aspects of economic performance such a poverty reduction, job creation, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability. GGGI works with countries around the world, building their capacity and working collaboratively on green growth policies that can impact the lives of millions. The organization partners with countries, multilateral institutions, government bodies, and private sector to help build economies that grow strongly and are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon intensive, and more resilient to climate change.   GGGI supports stakeholders through complementary and integrated work streams – Green Growth Planning & Implementation and Knowledge Solutions – that deliver comprehensive products designed to assist in developing, financing, and mainstreaming green growth in national economic development plans.   GGGI has worked in Indonesia since 2013 and has recently embarked on the second phase of its joint program with the government, which will run until 2019.   GGGI supports the Government of Indonesia (GoI) in three focal areas: energy, infrastructure projects within special economic zones, and forest and land-based mitigation (including REDD+). The program, known as the 'GoI-GGGI Green Growth Program,' aims to demonstrate that green investments is possible and can become the norm both for investors and for planners, ultimately improving the overall quality of economic growth and development. GGGI collaborates with the Ministry for National Development (BAPPENAS), the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Peatland Restoration Agency, and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan are designated as pilot provinces. Beginning in 2017, GGGI will initiate activities in additional provinces.   In Phase II of the program, which runs from 2016 through 2019, GGGI will also work closely with the private sector to help create a suitable enabling environment and bring investment into targeted demonstration projects in the three focal areas. Phase I (2013-15) set the stage for an investment and implementation-oriented approach to deliver ‘bankable’ green projects and REDD+ programs. In Phase II, the program will facilitate the piloting of green investments from public and private sources while enhancing sustainability and replication via institutionalization of green growth methods within Indonesia’s policy and investment-enabling systems and structures. It will demonstrate approaches to working with sub-national enabling conditions and planning systems using de-risking instruments that incentivize and facilitate investment in selected green projects. Phase II will demonstrate systematic and concrete approaches to the design of projects in selected sectors and the use of instruments such as public private partnerships, while helping to shape a conducive investment climate through improved plans, policies and other enablers. It will not simply demonstrate that green investment is possible in Indonesia, but rather begin to show how green investment can become the norm both for investors and for planners, ultimately improving the quality of economic growth and development.   Investment in Indonesia’s peatlands faces great challenges but also offers significant opportunities to mitigate fire and GHG emissions, restore and protect valuable ecosystems, and provide sustainable livelihoods for forest-edge communities. The protection and sustainable utilization of peatlands are priorities for the Indonesian government. Since the massive fire-and-haze episode of 2015, the government has announced a new policy to protect and rehabilitate peatlands, having recognized that the widespread drainage, deforestation, and mismanagement of peat swamp forest created the conditions for disaster under the drought conditions that prevailed in that year. Similar priorities are reflected in the development strategies and polices of the two provinces where GGGI is currently working, in Central and East Kalimantan. GGGI’s government partners have requested assistance from the Green Growth Program to design and demonstrate, with implementing partners, a suitable business model for sustainable forestry and agroforesty projects in peatlands.

Purpose of the Assignment The Consultant will contribute to the achievement of GGGI’s program objectives, specifically Output 3.3, “Forest and land based GHG mitigation proposals within a jurisdictional approach are developed with government authorities, submitted for funding, and guided during implementation.”   The Consultant shall assist the GGGI Indonesia country team, in coordination with the Seoul-based Investment Services (IS) team, to carry out tasks under program Activity 3.3.1 (hereinafter called “the work”), which aims to shape the design of forest and land-based mitigation proposals for submission to international and domestic funds, public-private partnerships, and private investment opportunities.

Scope of Work To support its program delivery, GGGI seeks to hire a Peatland Project Development Expert.  This is a part-time position, totaling 80 working days over a period of approximately 15 months starting in September 2016 and continuing until December 2017.   During the first three months of the assignment, which GGGI expects to be completed by the end of 2016, the Consultant shall do a scoping assessment, assessing opportunities and risks of developing business models for peatland-based, value-added products and services in Central and East Kalimantan, and summarizing the state of knowledge derived from previous and existing peatland projects in Indonesia. The assessment should also identify the most appropriate products and services which are economically viable and make business sense for further development. This assessment includes—but is not limited to—identifying project sites and ecologically suitable and marketable species. It also includes the identification of potential public and private investors as well as proponents for such projects.   Based on this scoping assessment, during the ensuing twelve months of the assignment, to be completed by the end of 2017, the Consultant shall design a peatland business model for one or two sites in Central and/or East Kalimantan and prepare a business plan. This document should explain the set-up and operations of the peatland-based business model, identify anticipated investment and revenue sources, and detail the range of products and services to be generated (including ecosystem services). The Consultant shall also prepare aninvestment plan for the selected sites. This document should identify and prioritize prospective project proponents, government and non-government partners, and potential investors. It should also lay out an engagement strategy for investment and project development based on the peatland business model.   The peatland business model should be broad and flexible enough so that it can be adapted to the different conditions and circumstances found in Kalimantan’s peatlands. While the aim is to produce a business model suitable for projects on peatlands in East and Central Kalimantan, the work should draw on a geographically wider range of experience, and the Consultant should note how the model might be adapted for projects in other provinces, including Papua and West Papua. The business model should contribute to new approaches and policies to peatland restoration and management now being developed—and soon to be trialed—by the Peatland Restoration Agency and its partners.   The model is expected to become the basis for developing projects to support peatland protection, restoration, and sustainable use at landscape level, while ensuring livelihood security, creating jobs and mitigating climate change. Of particular interest is trialing commercially viable enterprises—either as stand-alone projects or within a broader, programmatic framework. The model should encompass a range of potential products and services, including (but not limited to) the following: Management and restoration of natural peat swamp forest; Rehabilitation of degraded peatlands; Production of food, fiber, biomass-for-energy, and other forest products; and Provision of ecosystem services which can be turned to a business opportunity The model should become a building block or part of a broader co-management arrangements among private firms, government agencies, and community-based groups engaged in forestry and agroforestry. The Consultant must take into account the need for social and environmental safeguards as well as criteria and standards for what constitutes a ‘green’ project, which are being developed by GGGI.   The Consultant will work closely with GGGI’s country program team, based in Jakarta and the two provinces of East and Central Kalimantan, particularly the Forest and Land Use Lead, the Green Growth Specialist, the Forest and Land Investment Lead, the Energy Investment Lead, and the two provincial representatives. Support will also be provided by GGGI’s Seoul-based Investment Services unit. GGGI will coordinate the Consultant’s work with that of a separate consulting firm, to be procured independently by GGGI, that will develop proposals for four or more bankable forest and land-based mitigation projects in Kalimantan and elsewhere. It is anticipated that at least one of these projects will be based on the peatland business model developed by the Consultant.   The primary government counterparts for the Consultant’s work will be the provincial governments of Central and East Kalimantan, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) and the newly established Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG). GGGI will coordinate the work with these partners and other government agencies.   In the Pulang Pisau district of Central Kalimantan, the government-led Bioenergy Lestari Program supports the sustainable production of biomass for energy on degraded lands along, including peatland. This offers the opportunity to integrate a renewable energy initiative with peatland rehabilitation and other “green” investments in one business model combining renewable energy, peatland rehabilitation (with direct GHG emission reductions), and green commercial investment. The model should provide scope for trialing potentially productive, efficient, disease- and pest-resistant species producing a range of products compatible with sound ecological management, including biomass suitable for bioenergy combined with other biological waste products from the district which can be used for power generation.   In East Kalimantan, project development should focus on intact peat swamp forests and degraded peat areas in the province and build GGGI’s close collaboration with the Provincial Climate Change Council in helping to prepare the province for financing of a large-scale program by the World Bank’s FCPF Carbon Fund (commencing in 2018). Projects may operate in tandem with the fund for the Indonesia-Norway climate and forest partnership and other sources, to include private investment as well as the government’s own budget allocations. The peatland business model should suggest ecologically suitable and economically viable species which can contribute to peatland restoration. The model should also identify ecosystem services which provide economic benefits for stakeholders and business opportunities for investors. The model should aim to draw both pubic and private finance (so-called “blended finance”) through innovative financial instruments leading to GHG emissions reductions or avoidance.   The Consultant’s specific tasks and duties are the following: Scoping. The Consultant shall review available published and unpublished material and consult with experts, GoI partners, and the GGGI country team to assess overall opportunities and risks of business opportunities for a range of potential proponents and stakeholders, including communities and farmers, for peatland-based projects in the two provinces of Central and East Kalimantan. The scoping study shall include an assessment of the ecological suitability and economic viability of species which are suitable for peatland restoration and the economic viability of developing a market around ecosystem services provided by healthy, functioning peatland landscapes. Review of similar projects. Looking beyond the two provinces, the Consultant shall review a reasonably diverse sample of roughly 10 to 15 tropical peatland projects—primarily but not exclusively in Indonesia—in order to identify the range and types of business interventions (including forest production, protection and conservation, and research), finance, governance, and outcomes. Knowledge, Practices, and Practitioners. Based on the review, the Consultant shall produce a report on the state of knowledge and best available practices most relevant to developing the business model for bankable green projects in Kalimantan peatlands. The report should present information on suitable species and management practices in tropical peat swamp forests and modified (or restored) peatlands, describe management systems and practices, identify experienced practitioners, and point to sources of knowledge and technical assistance for developing and implementing peatland projects. Conceptual Framework for business development. In close consultation with the GGGI country team, the Consultant shall design a conceptual framework for the business model and identify potential project sites, investors, and proponents for in Central and East Kalimantan clearly highlighting the benefits of the business development opportunity. GGGI will review and approve the conceptual framework before the Consultant proceeds to the business model design. Business Model Design. The Consultant, in collaboration with the GGGI country team and its partners, shall elaborate on the conceptual framework to design the peatland business model. Iterative versions or drafts of the model will be presented to and examined by relevant experts and partners through peer review and focus group discussions, managed by GGGI. The critical comments thus obtained will help guide each subsequent iteration of the design. It is anticipated that three such iterations will be undertaken during the first eight-to-nine months of 2017. Business Plan. After the final round of peer review, the Consultant shall prepare a business plan for one or two specific sites, working in close collaboration with the Forest and Land Use Lead, the Green Growth Specialist, Investment Lead, and the firm engaged by GGGI to develop innovative business proposals. This document should explain the set-up and operations of a peatland-based business model, including the value chain and market channel of the most suitable (set of) species, identify anticipated investment and revenue sources, and detail the range of products and services to be generated (including ecosystem services). The document should make a persuasive business case for public and private investment. It should describe the range of possible products and services, related land management interventions, and technologies (combinations of species, treatments, and management practices) along with the requisite financial, human, and technical inputs. It should indicate the major costs and benefits of the project for investors, government partners, communities and other stakeholders, including broad social and environmental impacts; identify potential risks and other barriers to investment, including technical, market, and policy barriers; and describe possible arrangements for public-private partnerships, and estimate the green growth impacts projects may have on the relevant sector(s). Investment Plan. The Consultant shall also prepare an investment plan, working in close collaboration with the Forest and Land Use Investment Lead, the Energy Investment Lead, and the Seoul-based Investment Services unit. This document should identify and prioritize prospective project proponents, government and non-government partners, and investors for the business plan. It should also lay out an engagement plan for investment and project development based on the peatland business model. The investment plan should assess the potential for the peatland business model to be replicated or scaled up, including identification of likely early adopters and potential adopters of the model in Indonesia. Safeguards and Compliance. The Consultant shall work closely with the GGGI country team and the Seoul-based IS team to assure that project design complies with relevant green growth standards, including social and environmental safeguards. Communication and Knowledge Sharing. The Consultant shall accompany and support the GGGI country team) to communicate frequently with GGGI’s government partners and other, collaborating organizations including the World Bank, other international organizations, NGOs, and private sector groups active in the relevant provinces and sectors. The Consultant shall also, from time to time, make presentations to the GGGI country team and share with them what he or she has learned during the course of the work. The Consultant will be expected to make from four to six domestic trips to Central and East Kalimantan during the course of the assignment. If he or she is not based in Indonesia, GGGI will provide for three or four international trips to and from Jakarta.

Reporting Requirements and Deliverables Deliverables in 2016 Scoping Document describing opportunities and risks for peatland-based projects in Central and East Kalimantan, summarizing the state of knowledge gained from experience of past and current peatland projects in Indonesia, and identifying potential project sites, investors, and proponents for new projects (by 10 December 2016); Quarterly progress report on the work that has been completed, what is planned for the next quarter, any obstacles encountered, and what actions have been or will be taken to overcome them (by the end of the third month); Deliverables in 2017 Business Plan for one or two selected sites explaining the set-up and operations of a peatland-based business model (three iterative drafts on or about 31 March, 30 June, and 30 September 2017; final document by 15 November 2017); Investment Plan for one or two selected sites detailing consultation with prospective project proponents, government and non-government partners, and investors and laying out an engagement plan for investment (draft 31 July 2017; final document by 30 September 2017); Workshop presentations in PowerPoint formatfor each iterative draft and the final versions of the business model and investment strategy (every three months in 2017); Quarterly progress reports on the work that has been completed, what is planned for the next quarter, any obstacles encountered, and what actions have been or will be taken to overcome them (by the end of every third month); Final Report summarizing the work done by the Consultant, problems and challenges encountered and lessons learned, with an annex covering the results of meetings and workshops (draft by 1 November, final document by 1 December 2017).

Qualifications Advanced degree (master’s or equivalent) in forestry, environmental management, or a related field. An entrepreneurial mindset and keen interest in impact investment. At least 20 years of experience in the design, business development, and implementation of forestry and agroforestry projects, including at least three years of relevant professional experience in Indonesia or a similar tropical country and at least three years of work dealing with peat swamp forest and peatlands. Demonstration, through written work and dialogue, of in-depth knowledge of peatland ecosystems and sustainable production and management practices, including the challenges faced to shape inclusive and sustainable investment projects on peatland areas. Demonstrated skills and direct work experience with one or more of the following (the more the better): natural forest management; community-based forestry and agroforestry; plantation management; forest-based business development and operations; public and private sector finance and investment; empirical socio-economic research on forestry and agroforestry products and services; payment for ecosystem services, including REDD+; project design and implementation. Proven capacity to present analytical work in clear and compelling reports with operational, actionable, recommendations. A working knowledge of the Indonesian language and government systems is an advantage. The consultant must be available to spend the majority of his or her working days in Indonesia and to participate in field visits of up to two weeks at a time. How to Apply: Apply Online through URL below: https://careers.gggi.org/vacancy/peatland-project-development-expert-277995.html