Objectives

The primary objective of this tender is to select a qualified firm to develop and draft management plans for five sites within the Addo-Amathole Biodiversity Node. The firm will engage with landowners, communities, and stakeholders to create comprehensive protected areas management plans (PAMPs) and annual operational plans (AOPs) in accordance with relevant legislation. The aim is to facilitate the declaration of community-owned properties as protected areas and ensure their sustainable management.

Scope

The scope of work includes:

• Developing, drafting, and completing five protected area management plans (PAMPs) and five annual operational plans (AOPs) for specified sites.
• Engaging with landowners, community members, traditional leaders, local municipalities, neighboring properties, and conservation authorities through consultations, workshops, and meetings (minimum of three per site).
• Preparing stakeholder engagement reports, minutes, attendance registers, and audio recordings of meetings.
• Providing a stakeholder engagement report on engagement methods, including communication in local languages such as IsiXhosa.
• Delivering a project close-out report and maintaining comprehensive documentation for each site.
• Submitting all relevant data and reports on USB drives, ensuring final documents are in MS Word and PDF formats.

Technical Requirements

The technical requirements for the consultancy include:

• Experience in developing protected areas or proposed protected areas in South Africa within the last 7 years, demonstrated through appointment and reference letters.
• Proven capability to undertake conservation planning, stakeholder engagement, and management plan development in accordance with the National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act (Act no. 57, 2003).
• Ability to prepare shapefiles, engagement minutes, attendance registers, and stakeholder reports.
• Use of appropriate communication tools and languages, including local languages such as IsiXhosa.
• Adherence to project timelines, with work scheduled to commence on 1 August 2026 and conclude by 30 June 2027.
• Provision of templates for management plans and operational plans, with the firm responsible for drafting, finalizing, and submitting all deliverables in specified formats.

Skills Requirements

The successful firm must demonstrate:

• Strong knowledge of the National Environmental Management Protected Areas Act and related legislation.
• Experience in protected area declaration processes and management plan development.
• Capacity to engage meaningfully with landowners, communities, and stakeholders in multiple languages, including local languages.
• Effective project management skills to coordinate consultations, workshops, and deliverables within the stipulated timeframe.
• Technical proficiency in GIS shapefiles, report writing, and stakeholder engagement documentation.
• Ability to work collaboratively with the ECPTA Protected Areas Expansion Unit and other relevant authorities.