Virunga Wood Energy Evaluation Consultant

The objectives of this consultancy are:

• to measure the impacts of the ongoing activities (tree planting, charcoal production and commercialization, efficient wood stoves production and marketing) ;
• to identify the overall recommendations in view of fine-tuning/improving the implementing strategy of the different program components (see above) as well as in view of improving its effectiveness and efficiency.

This Consultancy focuses on the major issues raised above, establishing the relation between a possible change in use of forest resources and the activities developed by WWF and its partners over the last decade to induce that change. Principal tasks are therefore:

• Literature review and collection and review of existing studies and reports (in particular in addition to the evaluation conducted by Réseau CREF (2017));
• Complementary satellite imagery analyses on deforestation trends over the last three decades around and within the Virunga National Park, considering already existing studies (CBFF);
• Quantify projected charcoal consumption taking into account population growth (so charcoal consumption increase) and charcoal-use reduction due to the use of improved cook stoves;
• Feasibility study on expanding reforestation and its geographical, ecological, social and economic (and political) limits taking into account the different potential and used (fast growing) tree species;
• Gap analysis of aspects that are still poorly understood and concrete proposals for studies to remedy such short comings.