Team Expert/National Evaluator

Description of the Assignment: Communities in Aurora, Samar, Siargao and the Calamian Islands suffer from the devastating impacts ofhabitat destruction, biodiversity loss and extreme climate events. High levels of poverty, lack of awarenessand resources for biodiversity protection, fragmented approaches to ecosystems-based adaptation, weakgovernance, gaps in national and local policies and institutions pose challenges and barriers to improvedand sustainable practices. Expansive commercial interests, growing tourism and a lack of effective publicprivate partnerships often lead to unsustainable practices creating negative stressors on scarce naturalresources.This project seeks to address pressing environmental and associated social and economic challenges, bycapacitating local communities and institutions, with support from government to pilot and implementinitiatives that promote biodiversity protection. The project will promote the landscape approach, therebysupporting multi-stakeholder interventions, which mutually reinforce one another to result in landscapelevelresults. The objective of the project is to build socio-ecological and economic resilience in fourselected landscapes and seascapes on the Eastern Seaboard of the Philippines - (1) Catubig WatershedSamar Island, (2) Aurora Province in the Sierra Madre, (3) Siargao Island Protected Landscape/Seascape -and along the West Philippine Sea - (4) Calamianes Group of Islands in Northern Palawan - throughcommunity-based activities for global environmental benefits and sustainable development. SGP7contributes to the achievement of UNDP Philippines’ Country Programme Document (2024 to 2028)Outcome 3 on Climate action, environmental sustainability and disaster resilience towards SustainableDevelopment Goals 13 (Climate Action), 14 (Life Below Water) and 15 (Life on Land).The following five outcomes, with specific target outputs, are being implemented under this project:Component 1: Resilient landscapes for sustainable