Application deadline: 23 June 2026, 23:59 (Fiji time)
Budget: Up toFJD 160,000.00
Location: Site focus 1: Greater Tomaniivi Protected Area, Greater Delaikoro Protected Area.
Site focus 2: Nakauvadra Range, Nakorotubu Range, Natewa-Tunuloa Peninsula.
Workspace: At project sites, own working space, with meetings at BLI and/or MECC or other pre-determined locations.
Expected start date: 1 July 2026
Duration: 12 months
Questions and Clarifications:
Questions and/or clarifications can be submitted via email up till 2359 hours on Tuesday, 09 June 2026.
Questions and clarifications received after this deadline will not be entertained.
Responses will be compiled and shared with all known bidders on Friday, 12 June 2026.
The SAMBIO Project is a five-year initiative supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by Conservation International. The Government of Fiji through the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC), is the Executing Agency, with the support of BirdLife International (BLI).
SAMBIO was approved in 2022 as part of the GEF-7 Biodiversity Focal Area to address biodiversity loss across Fiji’s key terrestrial and marine ecosystems and to improve the long-term sustainability of ecosystem services that support island communities. The project builds on Fiji’s commitment to expanding and effectively managing its protected area network, both on land and at sea, and aligns with national biodiversity strategies and international conservation goals.
Fiji is globally recognised for its rich biodiversity, including forests, freshwater systems, coral reefs, seagrass beds and coastal ecosystems that underpin livelihoods and ecological resilience. These ecosystems face increasing pressures from habitat degradation, unsustainable resource use, climate change and socio-economic drivers. SAMBIO seeks to strengthen Fiji’s capacity to confront these pressures by strengthening biodiversity management practices, expanding protected areas, and reinforcing the legal, institutional and financing frameworks required for effective conservation.
SAMBIO is designed with multiple synergistic components that work across sites of high biodiversity value, including both terrestrial landscapes and marine seascapes. The project emphasises collaborative approaches, bringing together government agencies, conservation partners, traditional custodians, and local stakeholders. It also contributes to national priorities such as Fiji’s commitments to marine protected area targets, sustainable financing mechanisms for conservation, and improved management effectiveness for Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) and protected areas.
Objectives:
The central objective of the SAMBIO project is to establish and enhance effective protection of marine and terrestrial biodiversity in priority areas of Fiji, while strengthening governance, policy, and financing mechanisms that support sustainable biodiversity management into the future. This objective is implemented through a set of complementary components aligned with GEF-7 outcomes.
The project’s key aims include:
Improving management effectiveness and expanding protection of terrestrial key biodiversity areas (KBAs), focusing on priority forest and freshwater ecosystems on Fiji’s main islands to safeguard threatened species and habitats.
Establishing new and strengthening existing marine protected areas (MPAs) and locally managed marine areas (LMMAs), particularly in biodiverse regions such as the Eastern Division, Kadavu archipelago, Ringgold Islands and Lau Seascape, to enhance marine biodiversity protection while supporting community livelihoods.
Strengthening enabling conditions for protected area expansion and improved management through policy, legal, institutional and financing improvements that accelerate biodiversity conservation efforts and align with national priorities.
Enhancing monitoring, evaluation and adaptive management. Ensuring that up-to-date information systems inform project decision making, improve oversight, and facilitate learning for adaptive implementation and resilience.
Together, these objectives aim to protect Fiji’s most threatened biodiversity while building lasting capacity, governance and financing structures that secure ecosystem services and benefits for communities dependent on healthy terrestrial and marine environments.
Scope of work:
The consultant will provide technical leadership to implement the assessment, mapping, and conservation planning of freshwater ecosystems and associated biodiversity.
Key responsibilities include:
Conduct literature review and gather hydrological, ecological, and socio-economic data from government agencies, research institutions, and local communities. Analyse previous freshwater biodiversity and watershed assessments to identify data gaps.
Conduct ecological surveys of freshwater biodiversity, including water quality assessment and land-use impact analysis across key watersheds. Integrate local knowledge, including Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), where appropriate.
Apply global KBA standard criteria (biodiversity significance, irreplaceability, vulnerability) to evaluate and prioritize candidate freshwater sites.
Support Site Facilitators in the engagement of local communities and collaborate with conservation partners and relevant government agencies in field assessments and validation of freshwater KBA findings.
Provide input into the design of integrated co-management frameworks for freshwater KBAs, incorporating TEK and sustainable management practices.
Work and collaborate with other consultants (e.g. management plan and co-management framework development, biodiversity specialists, data management system development, protected area policy etc.) to provide relevant input related to freshwater species and ecosystems.
Working with MECC and BLI Teams:
Utilize GIS and remote sensing to analyse watershed boundaries, habitat conditions, and biodiversity hotspots; update Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) maps with field data and geospatial models.
Provide support and partake in stakeholder mapping for KBAs and co-management agreements (MOUs, Community Conservation Agreements).
Contribute towards workshops on forest KBAs and co-management frameworks to design management plans for Freshwater species and ecosystems.
Eligibility and Selection
Qualification in a relevant field plus explicitly relevant experience in freshwater species and ecology, applied ecology, environment conservation and development.
Specific Expertise Requirements
High level of technical skills relating to freshwater ecology conservation and alien species management.
A good understanding of modern conservation paradigms, including community-based conservation.
Relevant, conservation-focused, project management experience.
Good understanding of conservation, development and political issues in Fiji and the Pacific or small islands environment.
Knowledge and understanding of Key Biodiversity Areas and Protected Area development
Experienced in the development of community-centric, national level conservation projects.
Highly skilled in drawing up collaborative work across organisations incorporating sound science into conservation management work
Experience in preparing donor reports, delivering capacity-building and training programs in developing countries, and designing and applying project management tools. Demonstrated understanding of and experience working with NGOs and community-based development initiatives.
Selection Criteria
Selection of Proposals will be centred on the Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) method with a technical score weighting of 80% and a financial score weighting of 20%.
Emphasis will be placed on the candidate’s demonstrated experience in project implementation of similar nature and complexity, particularly in relevant technical or thematic areas, as well as their proven familiarity with the Fiji and/or Pacific Islands context.
FULL TERMS OF REFERENCE:
Before submitting the application, please ensure you have read through the full terms of reference here
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