Organizational Setting

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda through the FAO Strategic Framework by supporting the transformation to MORE efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems, for a better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life, leaving no one behind.

The Forestry Division (NFO) leads FAO’s work in the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration in collaboration with other Divisions, for example the Fishery and Aquaculture Division in promoting sustainable food agricultural systems and providing leadership on the environmental, social and economic dimensions of forestry, fishery and aquaculture, including contributions to poverty reduction and food security and nutrition.

These positions are located in the Forest Monitoring and Data Platforms Team (FMDP team) or Forest Products and Bioeconomy Team, in FAO’s Forestry Division (NFO), or in the Resilience Team of FAO’s Fishery and Aquaculture Division, who support FAO member countries on all aspects of policy and practice in ecosystem restoration; providing reliable information for ecosystem maintenance and improvement and land, freshwater, coastal and marine system use related policy development, planning and sustainable management; as well as aiding them to fulfil international reporting requirements under the Convention on Biological Diversity Biodiversity Plan (Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework), the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Teams also support countries on technical issues related to national ecosystem restoration monitoring and restoration monitoring in support of the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and the development of cost effective and high integrity Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV). The Teams develop and maintain a number of databases with regular reporting functions into national, regional and international processes.

Reporting Lines

The consultants/PSAs working on terrestrial ecosystems and monitoring will report to the Forestry Officer (Restoration Monitoring) in the FMDP team. The consultants/PSAs working on inland water systems will report to the Forest Officer (Statistics) in the Forest Products and Bioeconomy Team, under the overall supervision of the Senior Forestry Officer, Team Leader, FMDP team (NFO). The consultants/PSAs working on estuarine, coastal and marine systems will report to the Senior Fisheries Resources Officer, Team Leader, the NFISR Resilience (NFI). Depending on the assigned project, the consultant/PSA will work in close collaboration with the other technical officers with work related to ecosystem restoration and data collection.

Technical Focus 

The incumbent will contribute to the operational success of FAO’s work within the FAO-UNEP Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (https://www.decadeonrestoration.org/).
The objective of this assignment is to support the work of the FMDP and NFISR teams, in coordinating the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Task Force on Monitoring. FAO as the lead of the Task Force on Monitoring is supporting the Convention on Biological Diversity’s post-2020 Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) by providing guidance for monitoring and reporting Target 2 on area under restoration. The incumbent will provide expertise on ecosystem restoration, supporting and contribute to the work, developing and improving existing guidance on restoration monitoring and reporting for countries and support in establishing an interoperability framework for integrating data from different frameworks, tools, and government databases. Based on the guidance for restoration monitoring and reporting, the incumbent will support the collaboration with international organizations and national governments for capacity development. In addition, the incumbent will assist in the development of the Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring (FERM) platform and dashboard to present the results of the report on global restoration progress in an interactive and user-friendly manner.

Tasks and responsibilities

•    Provide technical support and expert guidance to FAO and its partners on ecosystem restoration and related issues.
•    Analyse and synthesize information from relevant Sustainable Development Goals to provide insights on global progress in ecosystem restoration.
•    Identify and evaluate relevant spatial data sets and globally relevant monitoring indicators.
•    Develop a draft analytical report based on the research and consultations, with clear and concise messages, data visualizations, and recommendations, based on analysis of ecosystem restoration needs and progress.
•    Present the findings of the report at relevant meetings and events.
•    Support the collaboration with national governments to provide technical assistance and capacity development support for reporting on areas under restoration and monitoring progress towards restoration targets.
•    Support the coordination and collaboration with international partners working on ecosystem restoration to ensure coherence and complementarity of efforts.
•    Support the development of capacity development materials for country reporting on restoration (for example, online learning courses or tutorials using GIS, remote sensing and ground, freshwater, marine-based tools).
•    Organize and/or facilitate meetings, workshops, technical trainings etc and coordinate with relevant units in FAO.
•    Perform other duties as required.

CANDIDATES WILL BE ASSESSED AGAINST THE FOLLOWING

Minimum Requirements

•    University degree/advanced university degree in forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, environmental sciences, natural resource management, or a related field
•    At least one year of relevant experience in ecosystem restoration, natural resource management, spatial analysis, or a related field
•    Working knowledge (level C) of English, French or Spanish and limited knowledge (level B) of one of the other two or Arabic, Chinese, Russian. Working knowledge of only English, French or Spanish can also be considered for PSA.SBS

FAO Core Competencies

•    Results Focus
•    Teamwork
•    Communication
•    Building Effective Relationships
•    Knowledge Sharing and Continuous Improvement

Technical/Functional Skills 

•    Knowledge of ecosystem restoration initiatives and how to plan, monitor and report on restoration progress.
•    Technical knowledge of ecosystem restoration, in terrestrial, inland water or marine ecosystems, or in combination.
•    Analytical skills and the ability to synthesize complex information and present it in a clear and concise manner.
•    Communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage with a wide range of stakeholders.
•    Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet tight deadlines.
•    Experience in developing global reporting frameworks.
•    Experience working with government officials, NGOs, and other stakeholders on issues related to ecosystem restoration.

Selection Criteria 

•    Extent of experience and expertise in ecosystem restoration.
•    Extent of experience in spatial analyses and monitoring indicators.
•    Extent of experience in international reporting systems.
•    Extent of experience in conducting research and producing analytical reports on ecosystem restoration and related issues.
•    Extent of written and verbal communication skills in English.
•    Strong analytical skills, with proven ability to analyse and synthesize complex information from multiple sources and present it in a clear and concise manner.
•    Strong writing skills, with the ability to produce high-quality reports and other written materials.