REVIEW OF POLICIES AND REGULATIONS ON CHARCOAL & HOW TO PROMOTE A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE CHARCOAL PRODUCTION AND USE IN MALAWI

The Shire River Basin covers over 3.1 million ha and directly or indirectly influences the livelihoods of over 5.5 million people in the southern region of Malawi. The basin is of critical economic importance: it is the source of over 98% of the country’s power generating capacity, supplies water to major urban centres such as Blantyre and Limbe, supports a locally significant artisanal fishery, and supplies irrigation water for valuable crops. Malawi’s economy is based primarily on agriculture, dominated by subsistence and rain-fed food production systems that are greatly challenged by land degradation and declining soil fertility. Charcoal production is regarded as one of the major contributing factor to loss of biodiversity and clearing of forests in the region. In the Shire River Basin a large number of people depend for their livelihoods on the burning and selling of charcoal. Consumption of charcoal in the nearby Blantyre City alone is estimated to be around 1.06 million ton per year and this is equivalent to cutting 36 ha of trees each day of the year. Charcoal production and opening up of land for agriculture are the major contributing factors to deforestation and hence environmental degradation and therefore need to be addressed urgently if the goals of the MGDS are to be realized. Unfortunately, charcoal production remains quite traditional, with inefficient wood conversion to charcoal, thereby exacerbating the problem. There are several barriers to the wide scale adoption of sustainable charcoal production in Malawi, among which include: · Lack of an enabling policy or institutional arrangements. · Unclear legal status of charcoal, and the consequent insecurity from constant threat of bans on several parts of the charcoaling chain. No official recognition of charcoal production and marketing by national energy or forestry policies. · Various aspects of charcoal are under different ministries and therefore different policy instruments, with complications for coordination. · No institutional framework that can coordinate the implementation and replication of the steps of sustainable charcoal locally or nationally. · Inadequate knowledge on improved charcoal production techniques In order to address the above issues, Government and UNDP/GEF developed the Private Public Sector Partnership Project on Sustainable Land Management ( SLM Project ) in the Shire River Basin with the goal being the provision of the basis for economic development, food security and sustainable livelihoods while restoring the ecological integrity of the River shire Basin”. Specifically, the objective is: “To reduce land degradation in the Shire River Basin through improved institutional, policy and Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) arrangements.” The objectives will be achieved through 4 key outcomes: · Policy and institutional arrangement for basin-wide SLM, including preparatory work for the establishment of the River Shire Development Authority · Private public partnerships providing financial incentives for SLM · Improving knowledge and skills at all levels to support SLM; · Crop insurance providing the basis for increased access to credits as well as increased use of up to date weather information in decision making for improved livelihood systems. The project is focussing on the middle and lower Shire river basin. Lessons learnt will be up-scaled to the entire Basin through the planned River Shire Development Authority, which is to be developed through the project. This four year program is coordinated by the Environmental Affairs Department (EAD) of the Ministry Natural Resources, Energy & Environment. Implementation is taking place in Blantyre, Neno, Balaka and Mwanza districts involving local authorities and stakeholders, as well as the departments of forestry, energy, Climate Change & Meteorological Services, Land Resources Conservation, Extension, Water and Planning. Linkages with the private such as ESCOM, Blantyre Water Board, Southern Region Water Board, as well as NGOs will be established as well. Since charcoal will continue to play an important role in the future energy mix of the Malawi, there is need to revisit the charcoal production chain at policy and practice level adopting a ‘systems- wide approach for sustainable charcoal. Thus, the present study has been initiated by government in order to examine and review policies and regulations regarding charcoal production, marketing and identify options that can modernize the industry. Specifically, the consultant will be required to undertake the following tasks: Review and identify gaps and contradictions of all existing policies, legislation, implementation mechanisms and regulatory frameworks as regards to charcoal production, marketing and taxation. The review should cover the harvesting for charcoal production and should link with policies and regulations on capacity or lack of it in afforestation by the charcoal producers. Also review the national energy policy with specific attention to supply and demand of electrical energy as well as the alternative energy sources and their production, in view of how the gap between supply and demand will be bridged Determine policy changes that will be necessary and are in line with principles of sustainable charcoal at various stages (from tree to charcoal to kitchen), particularly ensuring that policies recognize governance structures (such as charcoal producers or traders associations). Review all legislative and regulatory frameworks, where they contradict the sustainable production of charcoal or the lack the legislative and regulatory frameworks. Determine the legislative and regulatory framework for promoting sustainable charcoal production in the country and how that can effectively be implemented both at national and local levels. What institution(s) can best implement the regulatory frameworks at both national and local level Formulate recommendations for improvement of charcoal production and use and for lobbying for the adoption of those recommendations. Clear recommendations on the taxation of charcoal and how those taxation revenue can be channeled into/ to be ploughed back for the creation of a more sustainable industry. Propose clear guidelines on zoning of land for sustainable charcoal production · Propose guiding principles and approaches to be followed to achieve compliance with Sustainable Charcoal production and the enforcement mechanisms at all levels. · Propose clear standards for the production, processing and marketing (such as certification) of charcoal. OR produce a certification procedure for the production process and marketing of charcoal as well as reviewing the licensing procedure of charcoal production and marketing. Determine the roles and responsibilities of different players in government (central& local), private sector, including charcoal producers, traders and consumers in the implementation and regulation of sustainable charcoal production and use. Recommend How sustainable charcoal business can be systematically supported and become an incentive for promoting sustainable land management in the basin Draw lessons learnt from the past efforts by government to introduce improved charcoal production techniques. Also draw lessons from the non-engagement policy or the criminalization of the charcoal producers. Conduct SWOT analysis and synthesize lessons from various efforts and initiatives on charcoal production and utilization implemented previously in Malawi Recommend which incentives and capacity building are/is required to ensure charcoal producers adopt new techniques in charcoal production. Identify key partners to pilot sustainable charcoal production whose success can be replicated in the basin and the nation as a whole. Noting the land tenure systems in the country, propose mechanisms and necessary accompanying legal implications that can be introduced so that many people participate in afforestation programs including owning individual woodlots, specifically for charcoal production. Identify partners whom the project can work with in the introduction of the sustainable cooking technologies /systems in the urban areas. Review the experiences on the production and use of various types of briquettes as an alternative energy source to charcoal Draw practical recommendations with a risk analysis on: · Charcoal policy, institutional and legal regulatory framework. · Sustainable charcoal production, licensing, certification, taxation and marketing. · Sustainable charcoal production for Carbon Development Mechanism · (CDM)/REDD + investments. · Efficient technologies for charcoal production and utilization

Duties and Responsibilities

· Inception Report (max. 6 pages), including: An assessment of the ToRs; A strategy and workplan of how to implement the assignment, including division of labour between the consultants; Outline of Final Report, List of stakeholders to consult; References. Draft Inception Report to be delivered max. 5 working days after commencement of assignment, and to be finalized including comments of stakeholders within 8 working days after commencement of assignment. · Presentation of main findings to the national stakeholder consultation workshop, to be held within 4 weeks after commencement of assignment · First draft Report, to be submitted to EAD , incorporating comments from the Stakeholders workshop, 6 weeks after commencement of assignment · Final and approved Report, containing all areas addressed as stated above, and with relevant stakeholders comments addressed, to be delivered max. 10 weeks after commencement of assignment. The consultant shall review all available and relevant background information available, particularly related to policies and regulations that have a bearing on Charcoal. The team will consult all relevant stakeholders, either individually or in focus group discussions. Consultant team can opt for field visits to ground truth their observations and consult with land managers and or charcoal producers and other stakeholders. The International Consultant will report and work under the overall supervision of the Director of Environmental Affairs, through the Project Manager. The International Lead Consultant will work with a local consultant that will be hired separately by the project, who will look into specific issues as guided by the TORs and the International Lead Consultant, and will report to the Lead Consultant. The assignment for the Lead Consultant will be conducted over a period of 28 person days of which 15 days are in-country, spread out over a maximum period of 10 weeks. This includes preparation, inception report, consultations, desk- and field-work, draft report and final report as indicated in the Deliverables above. The International Consultant is responsible for the ultimate delivery of the outputs of the assignment.

Competencies

· Is up to date of new developments, concepts and theories in the area of Sustainable Charcoal Production and use and actively seeks to stay abreast of these development · Possesses expert knowledge of advanced concepts in natural resources management, a broad knowledge of related disciplines, as well as an in-depth knowledge of relevant organizational policies and procedures · Extensive experience in policy analysis, legislative analysis and institutional capacity building · Good understanding of the governance and traditional institutions. · Someone who can persuade, convince or influence others in order to have a specific impact or effect. · Good ICT skills · Works with energy and a positive, constructive attitude · Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills · Results Orientation

Required Skills and Experience

The international consultant will be the Team Leader should have the following qualifications and Experience: · Education: Advanced university degree (Masters or higher level) in a discipline relevant to Natural Resources Management such as: Natural resources management, environment studies, development studies, forestry, geography, etc..; · Experience: Minimum of 10 years professional experience in environment, sustainable management of natural resources, and / or related field; · Experience in Policy Development and Review · Legal Experience an advantage, specifically in ENRM · Good understanding of the governance and general energy supply and distribution · Experience in sustainable charcoal management preferred. · Extensive experience in policy analysis and energy issues OR a background in forestry with experience in energy issues · Skills in facilitation and coordination, with strong communication and inter-personal skills · Sound judgment and strong client and results orientation; Strong analytical and report writing abilities required;

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.

REVIEW OF POLICIES AND REGULATIONS ON CHARCOAL & HOW TO PROMOTE A SYSTEMS APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE CHARCOAL PRODUCTION AND USE IN MALAWI