USAIDSS-RFI-29OCT2021Conserving Biodiversity in South Sudan.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Date of Issuance: October 29, 2021 Reference Number: USAIDSS_RFI_29OCT2021 Preliminary Activity Title: Conserving Biodiversity in South Sudan Response Due Date and Time: November 19, 2021, 8:00 a.m. Juba Local Time Submit Responses to: sgeorge@usaid.gov, jailewis@usaid.gov, and amcginness@usaid.gov

Dear Interested Parties:

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to collect written information about an activity with the preliminary title of “Conserving Biodiversity in South Sudan,” in which USAID seeks to enhance the capacities of communities to manage natural resources and to conserve wildlife and biodiversity in the Boma, Badingilo Landscape (BBL) and migratory corridor, as further described in Attachment 1.

This RFI is open for comments from any U.S. or non-U.S. organization. This is an RFI, not a Request for Application (RFA). Do not submit any applications at this time; only the information requested in Attachment 2 to this RFI will be reviewed. Responses will be treated as confidential. A solicitation/notice of funding opportunity is expected to be released in early 2022.

USAID is seeking input regarding the list of inquiries contained in Attachment 2. The information gathered from responses to this RFI will be used to help finalize the activity design in order to improve development outcomes. USAID may revise the structure and concept of the activity based on the comments received, but it is not obligated to do so.

All responses should be sent using the cover page that is part of Attachment 2 (Response Form) to this RFI. All comments must be submitted electronically to all three of the email addresses listed above, with the subject of “RFI: Conserving Biodiversity in South Sudan” no later than the date and time stated above.

The issuance of this RFI will not restrict the U.S. Government’s ultimate approach. USAID is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information, answer questions, or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information provided. Any information submitted in response to this notice is voluntary. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation.

Please note that release of this RFI is not to be construed as a commitment by the U.S.

Government to issue any notice of funding opportunity or solicitation or ultimately award on the basis of this RFI. USAID is not responsible for any costs incurred in responding to this mailto:sgeorge@usaid.gov mailto:jailewis@usaid.gov mailto:amcginness@usaid.gov

RFI: Conserving Biodiversity in South Sudan

RFI, nor will funding be made available prior to any award. Respondents are responsible for all costs incurred prior to award.

Thank you for your interest in USAID/South Sudan’s programs and we look forward to your comments.

Sincerely, /s/ Alexis McGinness

Alexis McGinness Supervisory Contracting Officer USAID/South Sudan

Attachments:

1. Activity Description

2. Cover Sheet and Questions

ATTACHMENT 1: ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION

Preliminary Activity Title: Conserving Biodiversity in South Sudan Activity Purpose: To enhance the capacities of communities to manage natural resources and to conserve wildlife and biodiversity.

Locations: Boma Badingo Landscape (BBL) and wildlife migratory corridor.

Period of Performance: Five (5) years Anticipated Funding: USD 12.5 million Instrument Type: TBD

I. BACKGROUND

South Sudan boasts one of the largest wildlife migrations globally and contains some of Africa’s most important biodiversity and wildlife areas. This includes the continent’s largest tropical wetlands and intact savannahs as well as important areas of lowland forests, Afromontane forests, high-altitude plateaus, and floodplains.

The Boma Badingilo Landscape (BBL) covers an estimated area of 37,500 square kilometers in South Sudan. It is connected to the “Sudduth-Sahelian flooded grasslands and savannahs'' and “East Sudanian savannas,'' both of which are among the World Wildlife Fund’s global 200 ecoregions, bringing the total area of contiguous rangeland to approximately 95,000 square kilometers. The landscape consists of Boma and Badingilo national parks on either side of a large expanse of savannah habitats, and is the home of Africa’s second largest animal migration.

The BBL is a product of two national parks, to the west lies Badingilo (8,935 square kilometers) and to the east is Boma (20,000 square kilometers). These are connected by an unprotected corridor that allows the wildlife to move between the two protected areas. Various White Nile tributaries flow northwards through the landscape, including the Kinyeti, Lotilla and Kengen, all of which drain into the Pibor River. The lower Pibor River drains into the Sobat River. The north of Boma National Park contains the Juom swamps that have various permanent pools and forms an extensive flooded grassland during the wet season.

II. PROBLEM STATEMENT

The BBL is specifically threatened by a litany of complex issues, such as poorly controlled armed groups, the proliferation of automatic weapons within the general population, civilian1 incursion into protected areas, poaching, weak natural resource governance and management,2

2According to a recent article from Phys.org (2020): "There used to be plenty of wildlife here, living close to the community," William Til, the acting park warden in Boma, deep in the country's eastern interior, told AFP.

"Before the war people would use dogs, or spears, and just catch a few animals, and were satisfied with that. But now with automatic rifles, it's become harder for wildlife. Bigger species have vanished from the area."

In the decades-long war for liberation from Sudan, zebras and rhinos, once abundant in the southern region that became the new nation of South Sudan in 2011, were hunted to extinction. Antelopes and giraffes were slaughtered to feed soldiers on all sides.

Elephants—numbering some 80,000, 50 years ago—were wholesale massacred for ivory to fund the fighting. Their numbers are reduced to an estimated 2,000 today. https://phys.org/news/2020-05-south-sudan-unexplored-eden-biodiversity.html

1 https://ceobs.org/weapon-proliferation-challenges-biodiversity-protection-in-south-sudan/ https://phys.org/news/2020-05-south-sudan-unexplored-eden-biodiversity.html underlying tribal conflicts, political and armed conflict, economic crisis, and climate change.

Therefore, the human-induced local, national and transboundary pressures, exacerbated by persistent armed and political conflicts threaten the long-term viability of BBL. Access to, and control over, land and natural resources is a significant governance challenge within the BBL and adjacent communities. This is especially true for rural communities and is a major cause of conflict in South Sudan.

There are two main government ministries with jurisdiction over the landscape. These are the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, and the Ministry of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism.

Both Ministries do not have the financial resources needed to implement interventions that are necessary to protect biodiversity in general and wildlife conservation in particular.

USAID Interventions in BBL

From 2007 to September 30, 2021, USAID helped South Sudanese communities to protect their world-renowned flora and fauna by ensuring effective conservation of key wildlife species and habitat, improving security and mitigating conflicts, enhancing sustainable and resilient livelihood for local communities, building local capacities, supporting land-use planning, combating wildlife trafficking, and managing natural resources. For the past decade, the activity ensured that critical ecosystems are secured to support the livelihoods of the population in the Boma-Bandingilo community of South Sudan. USAID protected wildlife, developed institutional and community capacity, and promoted sustainable land and integrated natural resource management.

In April 2021, USAID issued a Request For Proposal to procure a five-year activity in the BBL and the migratory corridor. The RFP was later cancelled for technical reasons. USAID is considering issuing a new solicitation to build upon the 14 years of development gains of U.S.

Government investments in the BBL and the migratory corridor.

The activity will use biodiversity earmarked-funds, and implementation of the activity must be based upon an a) analysis of drivers and threats to biodiversity and a substantiated theory of change; b) positively impact biodiversity in biologically significant areas; c) monitor indicators that articulate biodiversity conservation results and constraints.

III. THEORY OF CHANGE

If threats to wildlife populations and ecosystem functions are reduced and communities sustainably engage in NRM and conservation management, then biodiversity in the BBL will be sustained and conservation in the national parks will improve.

IV. PURPOSE

The purpose of this activity is to enhance the capacities of communities to manage natural resources and to conserve wildlife and biodiversity in the BBLarea and wildlife migratory corridor. Subject to legal and policy approval to work with the Government of South Sudan (GoSS), the activity will also strengthen the capacity of local park authorities in the Boma and Badingo parks to conserve and manage the biodiversity of the Boma Badingo Landscape.

These efforts will contribute to preventing illegal trafficking of wildlife.

V. OBJECTIVES

The anticipated objectives of the Conserving Biodiversity in South Sudan Activity are:

1. Improve conservation in high priority areas of the BBL through increasing and stabilizing the connectivity between critical wildlife areas (including the wildlife migratory corridor), and by reducing threats to wildlife populations and the ecosystem.

2. Improve community conservation and natural resource management of BBL landscape including through improved governance of natural resources, increased wildlife-compatible livelihoods, and reduced wildlife-livestock-human conflict.

VI. EXPECTED RESULTS

● Improved community-based natural resource management (NRM) practices.

● Wildlife poaching and trafficking reduced.

● Conflict between humans and wildlife is minimized.

● Alternative livelihoods enhanced within and around the national parks

ATTACHMENT 2: RESPONSE FORM

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) NO. USAIDSS_RFI_29OCT2021

General Information

Name of Organization: ___________________________________________________

Contact Person:

Name: ______________________________________________

Position Title: ________________________________________

Email Address: _______________________________________

Type of Organization:

___ U.S. Organization, Large Business

___ U.S. Organization, Small Business

___ South Sudanese Organization

___ Other - Please indicate: _______________________________________

Questions (Please note that you are not obligated to answer all questions in order to submit a response)

1. The cancelled RFP in summer 2021 was intended to advance interventions in BBL and the wildlife migratory corridor. Based on the description of this activity, what would encourage you to apply for future funding opportunities of this nature in South Sudan?

2. If you did not submit a proposal for the RFP in summer 2021, please explain the reasons for why you did not express interest?

3. What are some of the critical issues USAID needs to consider by expanding operations to include the migratory corridor which is outside Boma, Badingilo Landscape?

4. Despite several years of USAID conservation work in Boma, Badingilo Landscape, poachers continue to threaten the wildlife population. Is there a better approach that USAID could apply to reduce poaching? What measures should be taken to combat wildlife trafficking in this context?

5. South Sudan’s wildlife living in both government protected and non-protected areas remain under great threat from poachers. Is the concept of community conservancy an effective approach in the protection of wildlife? Do you have any examples of successful community conservancies?

6. What constraints do you foresee in implementing community conservancy? What are the best ways to build capacity among local community groups to conserve biodiversity? How might households and/or community resilience be improved and conserve biodiversity?

7. How might USAID help to reduce conflict and strengthen community-level governance?

8. What are some opportunities to engage youth in biodiversity conservation in South Sudan?

9. What might be some of the opportunities towards gender promotion in conservation work?

10. What measures for sustainability (of interventions and results) would you recommend be incorporated into this activity?

11. Please provide feedback regarding the proposed Theory of Change (ToC).

12. Please provide feedback regarding the proposed Activity objectives. What changes to the Activity objectives would you recommend?

13. How would you propose to achieve the expected results?

14. Do you believe the objectives and expected outcomes of this activity would be more effectively served by assistance (e.g., a cooperative agreement) or acquisition (e.g., a contract)? What are the pros and cons of either mechanism?

15. Would you advocate that further development of this activity be conducted via co-design? What form would you recommend that co-design take?

16. USAID’s New Partnership Initiative (see https://www.usaid.gov/npi) seeks USAID to partner with new and underutilized, local and locally established partners. How would you recommend USAID incorporate this initiative into the activity’s procurement strategy?

17. How do you think the private sector could be engaged to achieve the Activity objectives?

18. Any other comments?

[END OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION]

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