A Biologist at a Consultancy firm. Wim Giesen Euroconsult Mott MacDonald NIOZ, Yerseke, 20 September 2017

Transcription

1 A Biologist at a Consultancy firm Wim Giesen Mott MacDonald NIOZ, Yerseke, 20 September 2017

2 What do consultancy firms do? Consultancy firms provide advice, on just about everything Advice: means providing answers & guidance Tendering for advertised projects (rarely: formulating projects) Clients: mainly governments, sometimes private sector Donors: bilateral donors (gov. to gov.), development banks (WB, AsDB,..), UN-agencies (UNDP, FAO,..),... Individual consultants: employed by consultancy firms (such as ) or self-employed ( freelance /zzp-er)

3 Mott MacDonald History: NL-based, established 1956 by Heidemij (renamed Arcadis in 1997) for consultancies in developing countries; in 2007, becomes part of Mott MacDonald Group (UK). Focus initially rural development (irrigation, drainage, agriculture ), now much broader, including conservation, finance, education, governance, natural resource management, etc Staff: 75 Arnhem (NL; incl. 7 biologists/ environmental scientists), 260 abroad Mott MacDonald: 16,000 staff, turnover 1.4 billion, activities in 140 countries 8% are biologists/env. scientists

4 Services has two units: BMB Management Consultants Services Services Water Supply & Sanitation Irrigation & Drainage Rural Development Agriculture services focuses on: Water Land Environment Integrated Water Resources Management Water Quality Water Land EC Environment Community Forestry Management Protected Area Management Biodiversity Conservation Climate Change Adaptation Integrated Coastal Zone Management Environmental Assessment

5 Water Irrigation and Drainage Water Supply and Sanitation ( WASH ) Integrated Water Resources Management (including River Basin Management) Water Quality Shift of focus latest 5-10 years: - main focus of IWRM has become flood prevention - WASH projects on the rise

6 Land Rural Development Agriculture Community Forestry Management Protected Area Management Shift of focus latest 5-10 years: - far fewer traditional land projects - now focus on sustainable landscape management

7 Environment Biodiversity Conservation Integrated Coastal Zone Management Environmental (and Social) Impact Assessment (EIA) Climate Change (REDD+, emissions reduction, mitigation, adaptation, etc...) Shift of focus latest 5-10 years: - most environmental projects are now linked to climate change (REDD+, adaptation & mitigation, etc..) - EIAs remain part of development projects

8 Changes over past 10 years 10 years ago, focus on: 1. Integrated Water Resources Mgt. 2. Biodiversity Conservation 3. Integrated Coastal Zone Management 4. Environmental Impact Assessment 5. Climate Change 6. Protected Area Management Now: 1. Climate Change related 2. Sustainable landscape management 3. Environmental Impact Assessment 4. Integrated Water Resources / Flood Mgt. 5. Integrated Coastal Zone Management

9 Current projects & biologist/environmental expert involvement from hq Bangladesh: CC adaptation, ICZM Egypt: water resources management Indonesia: climate change (peat [landscape] restoration) in Sumatra Indonesia: sustainable landscape management eastern Indonesia Nepal: disaster relief & CC resilience Rwanda: integrated water resources management & climate change adaptation Tanzania: EIA for WASH project VERY FEW PROJECTS FOCUS PRIMARILY ON THE ENVIRONMENT, MANY PROJECTS ARE CROSS-SECTORAL

10 Example (1) ongoing cross-sectoral project Blue Gold project Bangladesh Five components: Community Mobilisation and Institutional Strengthening Water Resources Management Food Security and Agricultural Production Business Development Cross Cutting Issues (good governance, gender, environment, disaster risk reduction and innovation [business, environment,..])

11 Example (2) ongoing cross-sectoral project Berbak Green Prosperity Partnership project Sumatra Following components: Peatland restoration (canal blocking, replanting programmes, community livelihood programmes, engagement via local NGOs) Support to national peatland restoration agency BRG (capacity building programme) Support to oil palm smallholders on mineral soil (management support, training, assistance with RSPO certification, etc..) Cross Cutting Issues (gender, environment, equitability)

12 presence Always changing; at present: 50+ projects in 28 countries

13 How to become a consultant? What is important? Years experience (5-10 years sufficient on most projects) Broad experience (but also in-depth experience niche ) Experience abroad (in different countries) Number of different projects What is less important? Degree (Masters degree is enough in >95% of projects, rarely PhD) Age or Gender Project experience in foreign countries is single most important factor!

14 Gaining experience abroad Programmes of universities & institutes (e.g. long-term studies abroad) Contacts with foreign universities, institutes & agencies Internships with consultancy firms Internships or voluntary work for environmental NGOs (WWF, Wetlands Int l, Conservation Int l, FFI, etc..)

15 Combining science with consultancy Can I combine science with being a consultant? Not necessary, but not impossible Publication of papers related to work on projects (own experience: 1-2x per year,..) MMD supports this, e.g. by allowing participation in conferences or int l workshops 1-2x per year, annual prize for best papers, bonus for publications.

16 Contacts: Mott MacDonald Amsterdamseweg CM Arnhem The Netherlands