Consultant - Development of hydrology management plan and monitoring system in Lang Sen Wetland Reserve

Background

The Plain of Reeds, a vast natural wetland (700,000 ha) in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, supports important biodiversity. Lang Sen Wetland Reserve, neighbor of Tram Chim National Park, is one of the significant sites in this great wetland representing one of the last remaining semi natural areas with about 152 flora species and 150 fauna species including water birds. Lang Sen is found in a low-lying area of the Plain of Reeds, with annual flooding from July to November from 1.5 to 2.0 m. This makes it ideal for many migratory fish species to find food or to spawn, and therefore the fisheries resource in the Lang Sen Reserve is plentiful and diverse.

An ecosystem-based management approach is being taken in the wetland reserve to restore ecosystem processes and natural wetland habitat that will support the recovery of many bird species such as the Sarus Crane. Under the BMZ funded project through WWF Germany, a key activity is to set up a suitable hydrology management plan in the context of forest fire management and wetland restoration in Lang Sen Wetland Reserve. A consultant group is required to conduct a number of tasks as outlined below to be able to produce a hydrology management plan and monitoring system of restoring wetland habitat for the reserve for a long term conservation programme.

The outputs of this activity are the development of a hydrology management plan to include the water control levels at each zone and quick response to changing climate parameters and floods to restore semi-natural wetland habitat and supporting species conservation. This task will require collecting available data from different sectors and sources and predicting changing climate parameters and floods in the larger delta areas. Therefore, the senior/professional consultant is required to carry out this challenging activity.

This terms of reference addresses the roles and responsibilities of the consultants who are required to carry out the above mentioned tasks. The consultancy is expected to start in April 2015.

Specific tasks of the consultant

• Data collection on relevant issues of Lang Sen Wetland Reserve ;
• Identify data collection points (install water levelers)
• Create baseline data of hydrological regime;
• Develop the water management plan;
• Identify key species and key resources for water management plan;
• Set up the water and biodiversity monitoring plan, including the inner dyke opening
• Train database management and analysis to Reserve’s staffs;
• A kick-off workshop to start the plan
• Provision technical inputs twice a year to support the implementation (2016, 2017)
• Evaluation of the results and recommendations for adjustment as appropriate (2017)

 Deliverable outputs of the activities

• Hydrological regime and sedimentation inside Lang Sen reserve area;
• Identify key species (e.g. Co nang kim - Eleocharis ochrostachys) and key resources (as sediment) which may be affected by hydrological regime (these key factors considered as indicators to monitoring along with water management plan).
• Water management plan with water level for each zone/sluice-gate,
• Set up locations for water data collection and plots for biodiversity monitoring;
• Recommendations for dike/sluices modifications and new construction;
• List of quick responses to changing climate issues and Mekong floods;
• Train Reserve staff on water management plan;
• Train Reserve staff on biodiversity monitoring program (e.g migrant fish, rare vegetation).
• Propose the implementation plan until end of 2017 and technical inputs needed for the implementation, and provide inputs as agreed
• Evaluation report (in 2017) after implementation within project duration.

Time

Development of the water management plan (2015):

• Collection of data in dry and rainy seasons in 2015.
• The first draft report is expected at the end of flooding season, probably in December 2015.
• The due date for final draft is no later than 28 February 2016.

Implementation and technical inputs (2016, 2017):

• Inner dykes opening and monitoring are expected to start in March 2016
• Technical inputs by consultant twice a year

Evaluation (EN and VN, 2017):

• Presentation of evaluation report at a workshop (hold by WWF)
• Final evaluation report expected by 31 October 2017.

Requirement of the consultants

The consultants are expected to meet the following requirements:

• Own at least doctorate degree in wetland ecology, hydrology, natural resources management, or related fields
• Over 10 - 15 years of working on wetlands management, especially in Dong Thap Muoi and Mekong Delta
• Experienced in modeling (both GIS and hydraulic models)
• Have close network in relevant departments in Long An, MRC and MONRE
• Have a strong knowledge of biodiversity and natural resource management
• Have a strong experience on climate change adaptation