Awareness about the connections between the global environment and human health
is not a new concept. Linking the conservation of biodiversity directly to
human well-being is, however, a relatively new idea.
On a global scale, there are many known benefits of biodiversity, namely
health, nutrition, climate regulation, water regulation etc.
On a local scale this relationship is even more apparent. Many areas in a given
ecosystem perceived as extremely rich in biological resources, are also home to
rural communities who depend on these resources for their livelihood.
Specifically, there are many ways in which local population rely on
conservation of biodiversity to ensure their good health, these includes, traditional
medicines based on local plants and animals, food and ecosystems services among
others.
Well managed ecological systems are a source of drinking water, they form and
retain soil and maintain crop yields among other benefits. This interaction
also flows in the other direction, with strong healthy communities more able to
sustainably utilize their environments in ways which protect the biodiversity
and preserve the resources.
Unfortunately it is also apparent that damage to environments can have negative
impacts on health and wellbeing, whilst unhealthy, vulnerable populations will
be less able to manage their environments in sustainable ways.
To further explore this link, The International Planned Parenthood Federation,
IPPF and IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of nature, have been
working since 2006 to strengthen understanding of the linkages between HIV and
the Environment.
Studies were conducted in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia to understand
the impact of HIV on the environment and how natural resources were being
utilized as coping strategy for AIDS affected households. These studies were
enriched with extensive community dialogue to capture local lessons,
particularly from communities that are heavily affected by HIV.
In preparation of this publication a consultative workshop was organized to
disseminate and analyze the findings of the study.
During this workshop priority issues were identified including promoting
further collaboration between HIV and conservation actors, capacity building
and policy development and expanding the scope of this work beyond HIV to
encompass the wider field of the interactions between Population Health and
sustainable environmental management.
As follow up to these recommendations, IUCN and IPPF propose to implement
activities in Northern Kenya to generate experience in integrating Population
Health and Environment in the field and to bring the lessons into policy
dialogue from local to national level.
The intervention will build on existing experiences in both the environmental
and health sectors and use a collaborative approach to bring the sectors
together, identify practical options for synergy between health and
environment, and work through local communities and local government to strengthen
the institutional arrangements for integrating population health and
environment.
The aim of this project is to nurture and capitalize on connections between
health and conservation in ways that simultaneously advance both human
development and biodiversity conservation.
In drylands, there are a range of underlying drivers of ecosystems degradation
including poverty, food security, gender inequality and health. It is clear
that many dryland communities rely heavily and directly on biodiversity around
them for survival and they most often strive to conserve it.
In light of this naturally occurring incentive to conserve, this project will
explore the synergy and relationship between population health and environment,
with particular interest in determining the extent to which community-based
health interventions can provide conservation benefits, and how efforts to
manage and preserve the environment can have positive outcomes on health and
wellbeing.
At the end of this project we envisage to understand, and programmatically link
health and conservation within project activities in a way that optimizes
conservation success and improves the health status of the population.
Project Goals and Objectives
The Project Goal is: “Support Sustainable Dryland Livelihoods by Building
Capacity of Government to Integrate Population Health and Environment”. It
contributes strongly to IUCN’s Regional Drylands Program Goal for Eastern and
Southern Africa: “Dryland ecosystems are sustainably managed to protect biodiversity
and contribute to local livelihoods and national economies”.
IPPF Africa Region has identified Population Health and Environment as a key
strategic area during its next 5 year planning period 2011 – 2015. This project
therefore directly contributes to this key result area as it will build on the
work that the two institutions have being doing on strengthening evidence on
PHE linkages and using such evidence will influence policy and more importantly
support sustainable livelihoods. This project addresses the broader Population
Health and Environment linkages as part of the learning process.
Interactions between Population Health and the Environment
Humans and other species rely upon natural ecosystem processes and ecosystem
services for their very survival. As human population has grown, overuse or
misuse of the environment and impairment of its ability to provide ecosystems
services have led to shortages in the supply of critical human and other
species’ requirements.
The last decade has witnessed an increase in the awareness and interest in the
complex interactions among population, health and the environment (PHE). Myriad
studies have brought to light a series of interacting and complex
relationships, many with negative feedback loops, between population health and
the environment.
The connections between population health and the environment are subtle,
bi-directional, and involve indirect as well as direct pathways.
The recent publication by IUCN and IPPF highlights a number of topics that link
PHE including: food insecurity, natural resource use, agriculture, land tenure
and use, the fisheries, gender, orphans and vulnerable children, migration,
crisis situations, climate change, effects of environmental interventions on
population health, and workforce and human capacity impacts of diseases such as
HIV/AIDS among others.
These disciplines relate population health and the environment at different
levels including the household level, community level and at the global level.
Rationale for the baseline study
This project contributes towards the overall goal through the following four
results:
- Policy
Dialogue at community, county and national level to integrate population
health and environment
- Demonstrate
sustainable Dryland Natural Resource Management in a context of
social/demographic change
- Promote
and implement health interventions that address determinants of
sustainable natural resource management
- Knowledge
Management to understand demographic and social processes, identify good
practices and to inform policy dialogue
The
baseline will gather information on all four result areas, collecting data on
the current state of policy and practice with regards to PHE and the impacts
that these have on the state of health and environment in the project sites of
Garba Tula and Garissa.
This study will provide a baseline against which the project outcomes (and
potentially impacts) can be monitored over the project life. It will also
enable IUCN and IPPF to ensure greater learning within the wider field of PHE,
and to support in scaling up experiences within wider drylands of Kenya.
The project implementation processes followed on the ground, and the lessons
that are gained from this work, will be documented in detail towards the end of
the project and used to develop recommendations for IUCN, IPPF and other
agencies, government planners, and other International organization.
Terms of Reference for the Baseline Study
The purpose of the baseline is to measure the status of all things which the
project anticipates to change by the end of the project implementation.
Therefore, the baseline study should cover all result areas as described in the
project document and the consultants are expected to produce baseline report
for the two project sites.
The information generated will be used in setting the indicators and mechanisms
to track the project progress.
Specifically, the study will provide information on the following:
Baseline study to demonstrate
demographic and social processes, land tenure and governance arrangement and
their link to Population Health-Environment
- Demographic
and social data – recent census figures, rural-urban shift, out-migration
and remittances, poverty data, health services coverage and access,
education availability, enrolment rates , major health issues/diseases.
- Governance
data - Land tenure arrangements (statutory and customary), NRM governance
structures (Formal and traditional) – Garba Tula information already
available)
- Environmental
data: livelihood practices, state of the rangeland, availability of water
points, land use changes, the extent of degradation
- Use
the conceptual framework from our 2010 publication with the University of
Washington to identify cause-effect relationships between PH&E in the
project area
Study of existing Sustainable Natural Resource
Management (SNRM) practices.
- Recent
or current SNRM initiatives in study areas, elements of success,
significant gaps (e.g. rangelands management, forest management,
integrated water resource management, ecosystem approaches)
- Major
constraints and opportunities to NR governance and management
- The
extent to which SNRM activities have had a positive impact on health
outcomes (direct or indirect).
- Based
on the analysis make recommendations for good SNRM activities and
particularly those which have clear health and wellbeing benefits
Study of the existing community health system in
the project area(s)
- Recent
or current Health Initiatives in study area, elements of success, gaps, alternative
service delivery options
- Constraints
and opportunities for different approaches to health service delivery
- Establish
the existing models of service delivery especially with regard to
reproductive health services and information; specifically evaluate the
Nomadic clinic model.
- Assess
the viability of the MOH strategy of using retired health workers in
community service delivery (are these available, what are the training
needs if they are, what the recommended remuneration/motivation package
is?)
- Determine
to what extent the national community health strategy has been implemented
in the project sites; what are the gaps especially with regard to an
integrated PHE approach
- Determine
the level of male involvement in Reproductive Health (RH) programmes and
opportunities for enhancing it and Identify potential entry points for
male involvement in RH within the existing and potential environment and
population programmes
- Identify
good practices in RH service delivery that can be strengthened and scaled
up
- The
extent to which health initiatives have had a positive impact on natural
resources and the environment, both direct and indirect
- Make
recommendations for good health delivery systems, ensuring adaptation to
the local context and integration of PHE, to promote additional
environmental benefits.
Establish status of women’s rights and the impact
on maternal and child health.
- Relate
the current status with the new constitutional dispensation and document
areas for possible intervention
- Determine
existing customary and traditional services and decision making process
that impact on the health especially reproductive health of women and
girls in the project area to inform project intervention
Policy
- Identify
the current policies on PHE, and the extent to which health and
conservation are integrated at the district level
- Identify
the current policies to support more sustainable NRM, local NR rights,
land tenure and governance institutions taking into consideration the new
constitution
- Identify
the current policy options for appropriate health service delivery – which
policies support or impeded different Good Practice options, upcoming
opportunities to dialogue with government over these policies.
Monitoring
and Evaluation
Through this analysis the baseline study should:
- Create
measurable outcome-level indicators on project targets and results and set
benchmarks for monitoring and evaluation of the progress based on the
project document and logframe
- Suggest
simple, appropriate and cost effective means to measure the changes by the
project intervention and communication strategy
- Help
develop brief M&E of project interventions.
Time
Frame
The consultants should be available to commence the work in the second week of
October, 2011 and finalize the assignment by end of November, 2011.
The first draft report should be shared in third week of November 2011, whilst
the final report should be produced by end of November.
Within this overall time frame, the detailed timeline of deliverables for
consultants are:
Deliverables Deliverable date
Anticipated appointment date: - 30th September
Attend consultative briefing session
& sign contract: - 5th October
Commence the assignment, desk review
and field mission to both Garissa and Garba Tula: - 5th October
Submit
draft report - 15th November
Present the findings of the study at a
feedback workshop with steering committee: -
21st November
Submit Final Report: - End of November
The team of consultants will work independently; however IUCN and IPPF team
will coordinate and provide timely inputs. The selected consultant will prepare
an inception report with a clear work plan within seven days after signing the
contract. The proposed baseline study will have to be completed within 30 days
from the date of contract signed
The Consultancy team
As per the elaborate Terms of Reference, this assignment requires a team of
experts to deliver. We anticipate engaging one lead consultant who will manage
the task supported by two other consultants to be engaged at thematic level
(Environment and health).
The lead consultant should have expertise and experience in environment and
health issues, with at least master’s degree in the relevant field and with
over 5 years progressive working experience in the field of PHE with proven
skills and experience in conducting elaborate baseline surveys.
Good understanding of PHE policies and extensive publication on PHE will be
prerequisite. He/she will be supported by team of other two consultants with
expertise and experience on environment and health discipline respectively.
All applications (both technical and financial) should be sent to Guyo M. Roba
(guyo.roba@iucn.org) with the subject line: “Baseline study on PHE” not later
than 27th September, 2011
5:02 PM
maboko
