Implementation and Operation of FLR Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting Frameworks for Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR)

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), GmbH - India is implementing a six-year project titled "Restore, Conserve and Protect Forest and Tree Cover for NDC Implementation in India (RECAP4NDC)" under Indo-German bilateral cooperation. The Indian political partner is the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC), Government of India. The project involves a consortium of six partners, including GIZ, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) India, Forest Survey of India (FSI), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), and International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The project aims to support India in achieving its targets on restoring degraded forests and landscapes inside and outside forests as defined in the National Forest Policy and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC"s). The approach aligns with the principles of the Bonn Challenge, focusing on restoring the ecological functionality of degraded landscapes while enhancing the well-being of people. By 2029, RECAP4NDC aims to achieve ecological, socio-economic, governance, and climate change benefits across 0.4 million hectares of forest landscape, benefiting 10 million people through improved forest ecosystem services. Four states have been selected for cooperation, each with specific starting conditions: - Delhi NCR: Faces challenges of rapid urban development and encroachment, with potential for urban tree cover restoration and cross-agency collaboration. - Gujarat: Includes diverse habitats like grasslands, mangroves and hill ranges, requiring unique restoration approaches for coastal degradation and grazing pressures. - Maharashtra: Features nine agro-climatic zones, providing opportunities for comparative testing of different FLR approaches. - Uttarakhand: Has a range of elevation zones, with existing community forestry programmes that can be supplemented with targeted interventions. Implementing partners are State Forest Departments (SFD) of the respective states. Project outputs are divided among consortium partners and include FLR model implementation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting (MER) systems, financing models for FLR, policy and planning integration, and capacity building for stakeholders. The assignment is to be carried out in close coordination with FSI, who has responsibility for the MER output. The Terms of Reference (TOR) for this contract focus on developing an integrated MER system to assess the ecological, economic, and social impacts of FLR initiatives. The assignment has three main objectives: - Develop the FLR Reporting Framework (FLRRF): Create a standardized, user-friendly framework and portals for reporting FLR outcomes (ecological and socio-economic benefits), integrating data from the national agency"s digital tools. - Build Stakeholder Capacity: Train state-level staff and Community-Based Monitoring Groups (CBMGs), including women-led groups, to effectively use the FLRRF, DSS, and national agency"s tools. - Support FLR Decision-Making and Monitoring: Develop a DSS for FLR investments, monitoring, and evaluation, featuring single-window systems, remote sensors, mobile apps, and cloud-based data solutions, to enable informed decision-making. This project aims to develop and refine a comprehensive MER system to measure the ecological, economic, and social impacts of FLR initiatives across state and national levels. The goal is to establish reliable tools and frameworks that enable stakeholders to monitor FLR outcomes, prioritize investments, and report on India"s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and Bonn Challenge commitments. The system will integrate with the national agency"s digital tools, including mobile apps and remote sensors, and leverage technologies such as cloud-based platforms for enhanced monitoring and decision-making. Starting with an assessment of existing FLR monitoring practices, the project will define key parameters for ecological and socio-economic outcomes, develop the FLRRF and DSS, conduct capacity building for stakeholders, and refine the systems based on feedback. Deliverables include a baseline assessment report, FLRRF guidelines and portal, a functional DSS with training materials, institutional frameworks, and a detailed pilot testing and enhancement report. The assignment will begin with a thorough assessment of existing FLR monitoring mechanisms, reviewing tools and best practices from SFDs, FSI, and the national agency to identify gaps and define parameters for monitoring ecological restoration (e.g., tree cover growth) and socio-economic benefits (e.g., community livelihoods). This will inform the development of the FLRRF, a standardized framework and digital portal with user-friendly features like dashboards, and the DSS, a single-window system with interactive maps and investment dashboards, both integrating remote sensors and mobile apps. These tools will be pilot-tested across the four states to ensure usability, accuracy, and scalability, with knowledge exchange workshops incorporating best practices from projects like WASCA and the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration. Concurrently, a Training Needs Assessment (TNA) will identify skill gaps among SFD staff and CBMGs, followed by targeted training programs, including workshops for state-level staff and community sessions in local languages (e.g., Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi), to ensure effective use of FLRRF and DSS. Feedback from CBMGs, particularly women-led groups, will be gathered to enhance the systems, promoting inclusivity and citizen science. The expected deliverables include a comprehensive baseline report on current mechanisms, FLRRF guidelines and a functional portal, a DSS tool with training materials, institutional frameworks for stakeholder coordination, and a detailed report on pilot testing results and system refinements. Close coordination with FSI