COMMUNITY CONSERVATION AREA FINANCING CONSULTANT

ADVERTISEMENT

Community Conservation Area Financing Consultant, ECARE Project

Project Title: Expanding Conservation Areas Reach and Effectiveness (ECARE) in Vanuatu
Location: Port Vila, Vanuatu with travel to islands
Duration: Deliverables Based, Approximately 36 working days spread over over a 5 month period with possibility of a no-cost extension
Contract Amount: No more than 2.52 million Vatu, excluding travel costs
Start Date: no later than 10 April 2026
End Date: no later than 28 August 2026
Reporting to: ECARE National Project Coordinator, Department of Environmental Protection and Conservation, Ministry of Climate Change (MoCC), Government of Vanuatu
Funding Support from: Global Environment Facility and International Union for the Conservation of Nature

Background
The GEF-funded Expanding Conservation Areas Reach and Effectiveness (ECARE) project supports customary owners, provincial governments and the national government to formally protect more forest and coastal areas and improve capacity and processes for protected area management and sustainability.

The project directly contributes to a better targeting of investment for PAs through: clearer identification of needs and opportunities to achieve good results (including a reinforced link between PAs, conservation, adaptation to climate change, and disaster risk reduction) at appropriate levels, and an improved effectiveness of limited existing resources for the development of capacities at all levels, an increased visibility of the PA conservation effort at the national and local levels leading to a better recognition of conservation national commitments by other sectors, and a better socio economic and territorial resilience of the communities relying on natural resources.

About the Role
The Consultant will support the ECARE PMU team with the implementation of, inter alia, Activity
3.1.1 Assessment and operational and budget recommendations at both CCA and national/MPA
levels, and will have the following specific tasks:

● Inception phase

• Consult DEPC, ECARE PMU, Ministry of Finance and submit an Inception Report with detailed workplan, methodology (costing framework, interview guide, field protocols), interview contact list, 3 ECARE site work proposals (1 per province).

● Desktop review

• Review published/grey literature on Vanuatu/Pacific conservation costs, CCA/MPA budgets, finance sources (external grants, domestic levies, endowments, tourism/livelihoods, local fundraising etc).
• Produce synthesis note with cost ranges and finance landscape overview.

● Key informant interviews

• Document Interviews from ≥10 CCAs member committees; ≥5 officials from Ministry of Finance; Ministry of Climate Change, Department of Local Authorities, ≥5 donors ≥2 ECARE experts; ≥2 conservation project representatives and ≥2 DEPC officials

● Detailed Costings and CCA Resource Mobilisation

• Undertake budget analysis of 3 ECARE-supported CCAs
• Support the 3 ECARE-supported CCA management committees (one per province) to develop a site-specific Resource Mobilisation Plan

● National CCA Costing

• Calculate annual costs for Vanuatu’s full PA network (all registered/unregistered CCAs/MPAs) using field benchmarks and scaling factors (size, remoteness, threats)
• Map realistic finance sources/donors (current + potential) to close gaps, prioritising sustainable mechanisms.

● CCA Finance Report

• Draft “CCA Financing in Vanuatu” report (40-50 pages) taking into account field insights and best practices: executive summary, methods, findings, national cost estimates (broken down by province), gap analysis, best practices, recommendations, Annexes with user-friendly guide listing available finance sources for CCA managers

● Validation and Finalisation of Output

• Facilitate a national validation workshop on the CCA Finance report, convening government, NGOs/CSOs, CCA reps, donors, technical experts, private sector
  and more.

● Provide support to ECARE management and project implementation, including

• Technical support and guidance on CCA finance and budgeting related matters that arise during the project implementation period.

Education

Advanced degree (Master’s or equivalent) in environmental economics, conservation finance, natural resource management, environmental management, or related field Work Experience and Professional Skills

• ≥7 years in conservation/protected area finance in Pacific SIDS, including costing of management plans, budget analysis, and financing gap assessments.
• Strong understanding of Pacific conservation finance landscape (bilateral donors, GEF, ADB, local mechanisms like trust funds/levies).
• Experience with community-based conservation (CCAs/MPAs) in Vanuatu or simil
• contexts, including field costings and stakeholder consultations.
• Expertise in financial analysis (cost-benefit, unit costing, extrapolation models) applied to conservation/NRM.
• Proven track record developing finance strategies for community organisations (e.g., donor mapping, domestic revenue, blended finance).
• Prior work with Vanuatu government (DEPC, Ministry of Finance) or Pacific CSOs/NGOs on conservation budgeting highly desirable.
• Fluency in English and Bislama; field interviewing in ni-Vanuatu languages advantageous.
• Experience in adhering to community protocols and working in a community setting that are diverse from village to village or islands to islands and has well-mannered interaction with local communities and has respect for them.
• Fluent English and Bislama (verbal/written) with excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Proficient in using Microsoft Office applications and other web-based management systems.

Travel

•  The position will require travel to the selected project target area councils’ sites in Vanuatu.
• Accept to travel for three weeks or more on this specific assignment.

How to Apply

Proposal Submission Requirements
Interested applicants should submit a proposal which includes, at minimum

1. An expression of interest, including a detailed Approach and Methodology for the work
2. A detailed budget breakdown
3. Updated Curriculum Vitae (CV) including valid Referee contact information (3)
4. If a firm: Registration Certificates (VFSC Registration, Business License), Firm/Organization track record (profile);

Applicants should make the submission in soft copy, in separate PDF files, by e-mail to the
following address: dkalfatak@vanuatu.gov.vu , cc: jlaloyer@vanuatu.gov.vu

Deadline for submission: Thursday 16 April 2026, 05:00 PM

Other Information
Full TOR available by request to: dkalfatak@vanuatu.gov.vu , cc: jlaloyer@vanuatu.gov.vu