Request for Expressions of Interest
South Sudan: Hydrological Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity: Strategic Analysis for the Sudd Wetland
South Sudan has abundant wetlands and riparian areas, which provide essential ecosystem services, supporting a diverse range of livelihoods and species. One standout feature of South Sudan's natural landscape is the iconic Sudd Wetland. It is an environmental and economic asset to support livelihoods, national economy, and the culture. Approximately one million people inhabit in the Sudd Wetland region, relying on its natural resources for their livelihoods and well-being.
This Study aims to strengthen the information base necessary for decision-making at the nexus of water resources development, ecosystem management, and biodiversity conservation. Specifically, it will support a strategic analysis of the hydrological services, including flood regulation, provided by the country’s ecosystems and biodiversity, notably the expansive and renowned Sudd wetland. The study is anticipated to benefit all Nile riparian states by offering a more detailed and up-to-date understanding of South Sudan’s ecosystems' contribution to the basin’s hydrological dynamics and equilibrium. It also considers benefits extending beyond South Sudan's borders, such as regional public goods provision like flood regulation, moisture fluxes, biodiversity support, and carbon sequestration. Consequently, it will yield a strategic comprehension of the distribution of biodiversity-relevant freshwater species, a typology of hydrological ecosystem services, and an investment roadmap outlining opportunities to harness ecosystems and biodiversity for water security, particularly for flood regulation services and flood-dependent livelihoods.
This consultancy aims to support water resources management and planning in South Sudan and the Nile basin through an improved understanding of the Sudd wetland, with a focus on its state, its ecosystem services, including for livelihoods and freshwater biodiversity, and the multiple pressures it faces. The specific objectives of this assignment are:
1. Synthesize data on the extent, characteristics, and state of the Sudd wetland, including its connection with transboundary surface and groundwater flows.
2. Assess and map the ecosystem services provided by the Sudd wetland at local and regional scales.
3. Pilot innovative monitoring approaches to collect data on freshwater biodiversity that depends on these ecosystem services.
4. Assess and map the impact of multiple pressures, such as climate change, land-use change, upstream diversions, pollution, on the Sudd wetland at present and in the future. Identify the main pressures responsible for the recent observed changes in the extent of the Sudd wetlands.
5. Develop recommendations and a roadmap to address identified pressures, fill knowledge gaps and enhance the contribution of the Sudd wetland to economic development and water security in South Sudan.