Sri Lanka: Disaster and Hazard Mapping (Crops) Consultant (National)

The “Disaster and Hazard Mapping (Crops) Consultant” will work closely with the NAP Team Leader, Sector Specialists, Provincial Adaptation Planning Consultants, and Firm for Capacity Building to prepare and update vulnerability maps for all crops in Sri Lanka.

INTRODUCTION

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) was established as an intergovernmental organization with the objective of promoting sustainable development in developing and emerging countries including the least developed countries. GGGI is dedicated to supporting the creation and diffusion of the model of economic growth known as “green growth”. The green growth model integrates economic growth, environmental sustainability, poverty reduction and social inclusion.

In Sri Lanka, GGGI is working under the guidance of, and in close collaboration with the Ministry of Environment (MoE). The Ministry of Environment through the Climate Change Secretariat (CCS), as the National Designated Authority (NDA), nominated GGGI to be its delivery partner for the implementation of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) supported National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Readiness Support Project “Strengthen the Process and Capacity of the Implementation of National Adaptation Plan of Sri Lanka”. The Project is aimed at building resilience of the most vulnerable sectors and communities in Sri Lanka to adverse effects of climate change by strengthening the country’s capacity and system to implement the National Adaptation Plan. GGGI as the project delivery partner, in close collaboration with the NDA, will implement the project, and among others, will guide, monitor, and supervise the implementation of the work by the consultants/vendors based on GGGI standard of implementation/monitoring procedures.

BACKGROUND

Sri Lanka, as an island and developing nation, is highly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. Occurrences of natural disasters due to extreme weather conditions such as prolonged droughts, flash floods and landslides deprive lives and livelihoods of people. Building resilience of vulnerable communities and ecosystems over climate change effects within a broader framework of sustainable development remains the country’s priority. Thus, in line with broad set of guidelines set forth by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the development of national adaptation plans to build resilience, the country prepared the National Adaptation Plan for Climate Change Impacts in Sri Lanka (NAP) 2016-2025.

The NAP covers adaptation needs at two levels; adaptation needs of vulnerable sectors and cross-cutting national needs of adaptation. Nine vulnerable sectors have been recognized to improve resilience: food security, water, coastal, health, human settlements, biodiversity, tourism and recreation, export development, and industry-energy-transportation. The NAP 2016-2025 identifies adaptation needs of these vulnerable sectors based on projections, vulnerabilities, impacts and socio-economic outcomes. Impacts of climate vulnerabilities are to be assessed and addressed at national and sub-national scale across the 09 sectors to improve resilience. Standardized Vulnerability Impact Assessment (VIA) and adaptation appraisal methodology and tools for undertaking a comprehensive vulnerability assessment of all 09 sectors will enhance adaptation options and thereby resilience to climate change.

Among the 09 vulnerable sectors identified in the NAP2016-2025, agriculture of the food security sector is a mainstay of economy and the livelihood of a significant population of the country. Studies have shown that food security of the nation will be adversely affected due to climate change impacts of agriculture. The Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) published in 2014 by the CCS identifies crop diversification as a priority adaptation measures for the sector.

Crop diversification returns farming with returns for complementary marketing opportunities while increasing the nutritional security by balancing food demand in lieu of increasing food security, while it helps to build resilience by increasing crop diversity and enhancing the capacity of crops to withstand climate-related shocks. The crops varieties are spatially distributed across the three major climatic zones across 46 agro-ecological regions (DOA, 2003). 

Child protection – GGGI is committed to child protection, irrespective of whether any specific area of work involves direct contact with children. GGGI’s Child Protection Policy is written in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.