LMMA Capacity Inhambane

Title: Consultancy for Assessing and Strengthening Governance Capacity of Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs), in Inhambane Province Objective of the Consultancy The objective of this consultancy is to assess the capacity and governance readiness of LMMAs and their associated community institutions in Inhambane Province, identify priority strengthening needs, and develop recommendations and a roadmap for sustainable coordination, knowledge exchange, and future collaboration among LMMA stakeholders to support effective community-based marine resource management. Background Project Reference: PO4216 (activity 1124.1 and technical support for activity 1124.2). Donor Reference: Global Affairs Canada (GAC) About IUCN IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and around 15,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards. IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous people’s organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development. Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people’s well-being. www.iucn.org https://twitter.com/IUCN/ About the Project Regenerative Seascape for People, Climate and Nature (ReSea) is a joint initiative by Mission Inclusion and IUCN, in partnership with feminist organizations in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, and Comoros, funded by Global Affairs Canada under the Partnering for Climate program. In Mozambique the Project is being implemented in Inhambane Seascape (with focus on Vilanculos and Inhassoro Districts) Its goal is to strengthen coastal communities’ resilience by promoting nature-based solutions (NbS) and gender-responsive conservation to protect, restore, and sustainably manage ecosystems while unlocking a regenerative blue economy. ReSea contributes to the Great Blue Wall (GBW) initiative through three pillars: Blue Planet: scaling effective, equitable, and gender-responsive governance of marine protected and conserved areas (aligned with GBF Target 3). Blue Nature: restoring and conserving critical ecosystems via gender-responsive NbS for climate adaptation (aligned with GBF Target 2). Blue People: promoting regenerative blue economy and women’s economic empowerment in nature-based value chains (aligned with GBF Target 9). A cross-cutting Blue Partnerships pillar fosters innovative collaborations between conservation actors and feminist organizations, ensuring inclusive decision-making, equal benefits, and strong community leadership. The program draws on local knowledge and works with women’s and youth organizations to design NbS tailored to community needs, delivering transformational change for people, nature, and climate. In Mozambique, the project is being implemented within the Inhambane Seascape, one of the country’s most ecologically significant seascapes. The seascape includes the Bazaruto Archipelago National Park and adjacent protected areas, which support critical habitats such as seagrass meadows and coral reefs, as well as the last viable dugong population in the Western Indian Ocean. Over recent years, Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) have expanded considerably across the province, reflecting growing community engagement in marine resource stewardship and co-management. However, many LMMAs and their associated Community-Based Organizations (OCBs) remain at different stages of institutional and governance development, while formal recognition processes and coordination among initiatives continue to evolve. This situation highlights the need to better understand the governance maturity, institutional capacities, and stakeholder engagement mechanisms of existing LMMAs, identify capacity gaps and opportunities for strengthening community-based marine resource management, and explore sustainable approaches for information sharing, collaboration, and representation among LMMA stakeholders. In addition, there is a need to assess the feasibility of identifying an Inhambane LMMA Champion or Provincial Focal Point to facilitate communication among LMMA practitioners, strengthen engagement with government institutions and partners, and support the gradual development of sustainable coordination mechanisms. Such efforts will help build a stronger foundation for effective co-management and may, over time, support the development of more formal and sustainable coordination arrangements at the provincial level. Description of the Assignment The consultant will lead a participatory and evidence-based process to assess the governance maturity, institutional capacity, and stakeholder engagement effectiveness of Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) and associated Community-Based Organizations (OCBs) in Inhambane Province. The assignment aims to identify strengths, gaps, and capacity needs of existing LMMAs and explore sustainable mechanisms to strengthen collaboration, information sharing, and engagement among LMMA stakeholders. Specifically, the consultant will undertake the following tasks: [...] Procurement details Reference: IUCN-26-09-LMMA Capacity Inhambane-742 Procedure: SOP1 - Open Procedure Procurement type: Consulting IUCN office (lead): ESARO Mozambique Requisitioning unit: ESARO Mozambique Programme (MZ) Project: P04216 ReSea Country of performance: Mozambique Expected contract duration: 2 months Estimated contract value: <25,000 CHF Currency of proposals: USD - United States dollar Language of documents: English Deadline for questions: 22 September 2026 21:59 UTC Deadline for technical and financial proposals: 25 September 2026 21:59 UTC Expected contract award date: 01 October 2026 21:59 UTC Documents - Terms of Reference: Consultancy -1124.1.V2.docx - Conditions for Participating: Conditions for Participating ENG-SPA-FRA.docx - Standard contract: Standard Agreement.docx - RfP_IUCN-26-03-P04216-3.docx The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a membership union of government and civil society organisations working on nature conservation and sustainable development. IUCN procures consulting services, goods and works for its projects worldwide through the IUCN Procurement Portal. For all contracts above CHF 25,000 IUCN selects contractors through a formal competitive tendering process under its Standard Operating Procedure 1 (Open Procedure). Interested bidders must register on the portal, review the Terms of Reference, the Conditions for Participating and the standard contract, and submit their technical and financial proposals through the portal before the stated deadline. Questions must be raised through the portal's Q&A function before the deadline for questions.