National Consultant – Business Engagement Expert
- Career Category: Advisor / Individual Consultant, Resources & Environment, Business Administration, Exec. / Management
- Schedule:Short-term
- Salary: N/A
Assignment Title: Consultant – Business Engagement Expert to engage the private sector to the development of ABS business models that aligned with the ABS Sub-Decree (Activity 3.1)
Post Level: Specialist
Contract Type: Individual Contractor
Duty Station: Home Based
Expected Place of Travel: Project sites in Cambodia
Contract Duration: 65 days (between October 2026 – March 2027)
Scope of Work
Cambodia’s biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge (TK) are facing accelerating threats due to economic development, deforestation, habitat loss, overharvesting, and rapid land-use changes. As the country transitions from a subsistence-based agrarian economy to a consumption-driven cash economy, competing demands for land from agriculture, urbanization, and infrastructure development have contributed to biodiversity loss. Despite covering about 40% of its land area with protected areas, Cambodia’s biologically rich ecosystems continue to decline. Over 324 native medicinal plant species are classified as threatened, posing risks to the livelihoods of IPLCs, which depend on them for traditional medicine, food, and cultural practices. Modernization and unsustainable practices have led to the erosion of TK associated with these genetic resources.
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- Private Sector Mapping and Engagement
- Conduct a desk review and market assessment to identify potential national and international buyers, traders, processors, and manufacturers engaged in herbal medicines, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, and related biodiversity-based products.
- Map private sector actors with an interest in the species available in Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces, including pharmaceutical companies, cosmetics companies, and agricultural processing companies.
- Assess and document the conditions for each buyer/processor/trader to engage with IPLCs and CPAs, including their procurement requirements, quality standards, pricing structures, and willingness to comply with ABS regulations.
- Linking Private Sector with IPLCs/CPAs
- Facilitate meetings between the project team, IPLCs/CPAs, and potential buyers/processors/traders to build trust and mutual understanding.
- Support the negotiation of ABS agreements between IPLCs/CPAs and private sector entities, ensuring that agreements are fair, equitable, and compliant with the national ABS framework, the Nagoya Protocol, and the provisions of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT), using the model contract developed by A-ABS
- Develop and recommend business models that link private sector actors with IPLCs/CPAs, including co-development, contract farming, joint ventures, and benefit-sharing arrangements. These models should be gender-responsive and inclusive of vulnerable groups.
- Provide technical advice to IPLCs/CPAs on business acumen, contract negotiation, pricing, and value addition, in coordination with the capacity-building activities under Component 2.
- Market Analysis and Value Chain Development
- Conduct a market analysis to identify niche opportunities for bio-products derived from the selected species in domestic and international markets, including market trends, demand, pricing, and certification requirements.
- Develop a gender-smart and ABS-compliant value chain strategy and roadmap for the identified genetic resources in Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces, in collaboration with the Biodiversity Specialist and other project consultants.
- Reporting and Coordination
- Prepare and present the inception report, draft report, and final report to the PMU, the ABS TWG, and other stakeholders.
- Coordinate with the Biodiversity Specialist to ensure that the species selected for business engagement are aligned with the conservation assessment and sustainable harvesting protocols.
- Document lessons learned and best practices from the private sector engagement process to inform policy reforms under Component 1 and future ABS initiatives.
- Propose at least two ABS agreements (one per province).
- Khmer - Fluent is required
- English - Fluent is required
- Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration/Management, and Other related fields
- Master's Degree is preferred
- Natural resources management, biodiversity and forest conservation, ecosystem protection, or related field for 5 years as a minimum
- A Cambodian National with a high level of fluency in written and spoken English and Khmer is required.
- Understanding of Access and Benefit Sharing, including an understanding of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol; Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT), ABS contract negotiation, and permit/certificate issuance.
- Experience working with the private sector businesses working with local communities and understanding of their business strategies.
- Understanding of Cambodia’s business landscape, biodiversity, and ecosystem issues.
- Experience in secondary and field-related data collection and analysis
- Experience in working with community groups, particularly with CPAs and IPLCs, with and understanding of GR, TK and IKSP.
- Good team player, self-starter, has the ability to work under minimal supervision and maintain good relationships.
National Consultant – Biodiversity Expert
- Career Category: Advisor / Individual Consultant, Agriculture - Forestry, Resources & Environment, Research / Development
- Schedule:Short-term
- Salary: N/A
Assignment Title: Consultant – Biodiversity Expert to conduct comprehensive biodiversity analyses on 10 priority species to support multi-province demo projects with the Business Engagement Expert
Post Level: Specialist
Contract Type: Individual Contractor
Duty Station: Home Based
Expected Place of Travel: Project sites in Cambodia
Contract Duration: 35 days (between November 2026 – February 2027)
Scope of Work
Cambodia’s biodiversity and TK are facing accelerating threats due to economic development, deforestation, habitat loss, overharvesting, and rapid land-use changes. As the country transitions from a subsistence-based agrarian economy to a consumption-driven cash economy, competing demands for land from agriculture, urbanization, and infrastructure development have contributed to biodiversity loss. Despite covering about 40% of its land area with protected areas, Cambodia’s biologically rich ecosystems continue to decline. Over 324 native medicinal plant species are classified as threatened, posing risks to the livelihoods of IPLCs, which depend on them for traditional medicine, food, and cultural practices. Modernization and unsustainable practices have led to the erosion of TK associated with these genetic resources.
Please click attachement below for more information.
- Conduct Desk Review and Assessment:
- Conduct a comprehensive desk review of existing studies, reports, and data on Cambodia's biodiversity, with a focus on medicinal and aromatic plants in Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces.
- Review the project document's list of potential species (The project will share the biodiversity profile of Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri with the selected consultant for reference)
- Field Assessment and Species Identification:
- Visit project sites, meet community protected areas (CPAs), IPLCs, Provincial Department of Environment (PDoE) Officials, NGOs, local businesses, and other relevant stakeholders to identify and verify the potential species for Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri, corresponding private sector engagement (activity 3.1.2.1), especially IPLCs and local communities that stand to benefit economically from genetic resources (GRs) and TK in ways previously not fathomed.
- Assess the availability, volume, and distribution of target species in the wild, ensuring that any proposed utilization is sustainable and does not threaten wild populations.
- Meet private sector buyers, traders, and processors (which are engaged in herbal medicines and cosmetics products), list our their species of interests, match them with the species available in Mondulkiri and Ratanakiri.
- Collect scientific data (e.g., herbarium specimens, photos, GPS coordinates) for the identification and verification of species.
- Species Shortlisting and Rationale:
- Develop a clear and scientifically defensible criteria for shortlisting species, based on the project's guidelines, including: 1) Socio-economic value for IPLCs, 2) Presence of associated TK, 3) Threatened status, 4) Recognized medicinal or commercial potential, 5) Well-documented traditional uses, and 6) Potential for equitable benefit-sharing.
- Based on the criteria and field assessment, lead the process to agree on a final list of at least 10 species for the demonstration projects, ensuring a balanced representation for both Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri.
- For each selected species, prepare a detailed profile that includes its botanical description, conservation status, associated TK, sustainable harvesting protocols, and potential for cultivation (nursery establishment).
- Technical Support for Safeguards and Planning:
- Contribute to the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) and the implementation of the project's Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), specifically regarding biodiversity conservation and sustainable natural resource management.
- Provide technical inputs for improvement of guidelines for climate-resilient ABS-friendly restoration practices using the selected medicinal plant species.
- Provide technical guidance for the establishment of nurseries for the selected species, including best practices for propagation and cultivation (Activity 3.1.2.9).
- Provide technical oversight for the restoration efforts of forested land using saplings from the nurseries (Activity 3.1.2.10).
- Reporting and Coordination:
- Present findings to the Project Management Unit (PMU), the ABS TWG, and other stakeholders.
- Coordinate with the PMU and other consultants (e.g., the Business Engagement Expert) to ensure a cohesive approach to the demonstration projects.
- Ensure that all work is aligned with the principles of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and the project's Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP).
- Khmer - Fluent is required
- English - Fluent is required
- Master's Degree in biology, Botany, Forestry, Biodiversity, Environmental Sciences or other related fields
- Phd is preferred
- Natural resources management, biodiversity and forest conservation, ecosystem protection, or related field for 7 years as a minimum
- A Cambodian National with a high level of fluency in written and spoken English and Khmer is required.
- Understanding of Access and Benefit Sharing, including an understanding of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol; Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT), ABS contract negotiation, and permit/certificate issuance.
- Proven experience in working with the IPLCs and CPAs, with an understanding of GR, TK and IKSP.
- Understanding of Cambodia’s businesses engaged in buying, trading, and processing of species that have medicinal and cosmetic products.
- Experience in secondary and field-related data collection and analysis
- Good team player, self-starter, has the ability to work under minimal supervision and maintain good relationships.
