Entrepreneurship in the territories: is it the right time?
Purpose of the Consultancy
Conduct a financial needs assessment to support the effective conservation of three priority Protected Areas (PAs) and their surrounding landscapes. The analysis should be grounded in biodiversity objectives such as maintaining or improving species, and ecosystems and processes supporting the livelihood dependencies of local communities on natural resources.
The assignment will identify and evaluate sustainable finance mechanisms with the potential to generate long-term, nature-positive revenue streams that reinforce conservation outcomes while supporting inclusive development for local communities. Mechanisms may include payments for ecosystem services, sustainable livelihood models, conservation trust funds, sustainable tourism models, carbon and biodiversity credits, and blended finance approaches, tailored to the local context.
The final output will include a practical implementation roadmap outlining next steps, enabling conditions, stakeholder roles, and financing pathways to mobilise resources for biodiversity conservation and community resilience. The work is expected to be primarily desk-based, with WWF Cambodia providing key contacts to be interviewed, and relevant documentation.
Scope of Work (SOW)
1. Financial Needs Analysis The Consultant (or team of consultants) will work with WWF-Cambodia to develop a framework for the running of the three PAs based on existing plans and practices. Based on this, the Consultant will work with WWF-Cambodia to deliver a financial needs analysis based on core components, including fixed assets; operating expenses; monitoring expenses; scientific activities; outreach and stakeholder engagement, etc.
2. Sustainable Financing Mechanisms The Consultant will evaluate existing sources of funding for the PAs, with WWF-Cambodia’s input. The Consultant will then undertake a comprehensive evaluation of possible financing interventions, both on the financing green and greening the finance side, using WWF’s Sustainable Finance for Conservation Playbook. The Consultant will develop a list of key criteria including feasibility, flexibility, and scale, in order to create a ranking of financing sources for each PA. The Consultant will also consider enabling conditions and the legal framework required for the use of these mechanisms, ensuring they are relevant to the Cambodian context. Both local and international sources of financing should be explored. The Consultant will consult extensively with local stakeholders, as facilitated by WWF-Cambodia. The Consultant will also examine and recommend communitybased financing mechanisms that enhance community ownership and overall sustainability of the landscape. This may include, for example, mechanisms such as benefit-sharing models, community conservation funds, ecotourism participation, etc. Based on the evaluation of the financing streams, the Consultant will provide final recommendations and design a possible structure through which to operate these, considering relevant enabling conditions and legal regulation.
3. Roadmap The Consultant will develop an implementation roadmap for the prioritised sustainable finance mechanisms with a timeline detailing next steps, including identification of the relevant actors and stakeholders, along with their proposed roles.
