II. PROJECT BACKGROUND

The EPA is Liberia's principal authority for environmental management. It coordinates, monitors, supervises, and consults with relevant stakeholders and sector Ministries, Agencies, and Commissions (MACs) on all activities related to protecting the environment and sustainable use of its natural resources

The Government of Liberia (GoL), through the EPA and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and with funding from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), received funding for the project “Enhancing Resilience of Vulnerable Coastal Communities in Sinoe County of Liberia (ERVCCS).” EPA is the project's Executing Entity. It is financed by a GEF Trust Fund grant and co-financed by UNDP and the GoL.

The project aims to build on existing projects to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable coastal communities and their livelihoods to the impacts of climate change, focusing on women and youth. Specifically, project interventions include the following:

SCOPE OF WORK

Under Component Three of the project, the consultant will support the international consultant in the establishment of a community-based coastal ecosystem monitoring programme to sustain nature-based adaptation interventions already initiated under the project. The assignment will build on previous work such as mangrove and forest restoration, the community action plans (CAPs), and the participatory community monitoring framework.

The monitoring programme will be designed to ensure that communities have the tools and skills to continuously access the health of coastal ecosystems and identify early signs of contamination and degradation. Specific tasks will include: