Terms of Reference (ToR) - Tree seedlings production, planting, and maintenance

Objectives of the assignment

This assignment has the following objective(s):

1. Production of quality tree seedlings
2. Planting trees in areas around Rusumo hydro power plant.
3. Tree maintenance for one year

Background

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is partnering with the Rusumo Power Company Limited (RPCL), to implement activities targeting the rehabilitation and restoration of landscapes at the site of the Regional Rusumo Falls Hydroelectric Project (RRFP). The RRFP is a hydropower project under joint development by the Governments of the Republic of Burundi, the Republic of Rwanda, and the United Republic of Tanzania through a commonly RPCL.

The project was launched on the 30 March 2017 with the governments of the three countries forming a Tripartite Agreement for a joint development.

The project is located at Rusumo Falls, at the common border of Rwanda and Tanzania on River Akagera. The power production facilities are located entirely on the south side of the bank of the Kagera River in Tanzania, while the substation is located on the northern side of the bank of the river in Rwanda.

The project will develop renewable hydroelectric power (80MW installed capacity) as part of a broader program to support sustainable management of the Akagera River Basin and promote growth and poverty reduction. The Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP) is building the hydropower plant on behalf of the three countries. Inevitably, during construction of the hydropower plant, landscape disturbance and degradation is bound to occur.

IUCN was requested by RPCL to provide technical guidance and support in restoring degraded areas at the power plant with an initial estimate targeting areas impacted during the construction of the hydropower infrastructure (about 20 hectares). A rehabilitation plan based mainly on revegetating the sites is proposed. As the rehabilitation works mainly involve re-growing of trees and shrubs, identification of suitable native trees and shrubs and their adaptability to the local conditions is a prerequisite.

Pennisetum clandestinum/the tropical grass species, Cenchrus clandestinus (Kikuyu) grass dry land) species and Paspalum conjugatum are among the grass species, that are considered to rehabilitate the degraded landscape and riverbank stabilization. On the other hand, Local Acacia tree seedlings for fuel wood, Callitris, Maesopsis eminii (umbrella tree), Croton megalopolis, filao and shoga trees will be planted as a landscape rehabilitation and ornamental trees along the access road. In this regard, IUCN is looking for capable and experienced local national individual or farmer group that will produce tree seedlings, plant and maintain for one year.

About IUCN

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous people organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being.

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About the Project

The landscape restoration approach will be used to rehabilitate the affected area around Rusumo hydropower plant; a very important approach in the environmental rehabilitation works in numerous hydropower projects, as it has the embedded goal of fast establishment of dense, green, and aesthetically appealing vegetation after the power plant construction is finalized.

The rehabilitation works will start with site clearing and levelling of heaps and irregular surfaces, particularly for grassing and beautification areas. As most of the rehabilitation, areas are highly degraded, incorporating organic manure before sowing grass seeds and planting grass splits is recommended.

Besides, organic manure mixed soil/forest soil will be applied in every pit where seedlings are planted. It is proposed that only local trees and shrubs will be used as a planting material to rehabilitate the affected area. In the proposed rehabilitation plan, roadside plantation and riverside stabilization works will also be considered. This rehabilitation will not be a one-time operation. Levelling, grassing, and planting trees and shrubs in the area will need subsequent follow-up management works to ensure survival of planted materials. Hence, the restoration follow-up management should continue until the planted materials prevailed dominantly and restored the affected area. On the other hand, during and after the rehabilitation works, community engagement and awareness campaigns will be conducted to make the community members develop a sense of ownership for the implemented interventions.

Description of the Assignment

The incumbent will be assigned to produce seedlings and plant 1500 grafted fruits and 6450 non-grafted trees.

NB: The number of seedlings may change, in that case IUCN will consider the unit price.

The specific tasks are but not limited to:

• Provide the required land for tree nursery establishment.
• Prepare the seedbed and establish an appropriate nursery to safeguard the seedlings.
• Comply with technical advice from IUCN technical staff.
• Use good quality seeds and ensure that produced and planted tree seedlings meet the required quality as recommended by IUCN technical staff.
• Ensure that the financial support received from IUCN is strictly used in activities aligned with this assignment.
• Use group members and neighbouring communities in nursery activities for job creation purposes.
• Avail all seedlings on time as per seedlings production calendar.
• Ensure that all categories including youths and women are involved in nursery activities and tree planting.
• Planting trees as per determined standards, (timeline, spacing and species) according to the landscape design.
• Put in place the beating up plan, implementation, maintenance of trees and handover after a period of one year.

Duration of the Assignment

From 15^th July 2024 to 20^th June 2025

Deliverables and Activities

The service provider will provide the following deliverables:

Payment Schedule

The Timetable below summarises the chronological order of deliverables and indicates milestones at which IUCN will pay the service provider:

Skills and Experience

The service provider is expected to:

• Be and individual or the farmer group recognized at sector level,
• Have experience in managing contracts of comparable value and related scope within the last five years, of which at least one should have been in areas around Rusumo hydropower plant.
• Have Sufficient organizational, managerial and staffing capacity to operate nursery activities.
• Sound working knowledge in tree seedlings production and tree planting.
• Demonstrated capacity to deliver high quality tree seedlings on time according to the tree seedlings production calendar.
• Master tree planting techniques and calendar
• Be able to, or have been working with a financial institution.

Supervision and coordination

The service provider will report to and work under the supervision of Rusumo project manager.

Submission address

Interested Individual Consultant and/or Consultancy Firms should submit their applications including Cover letter, electronically to tenders.rwanda@iucn.org The application deadline is, 1^st July 2024, at 5:00 PM (CAT). During the application period, kindly, contact tenders.rwanda@iucn.rw for any inquiry regarding this call.