Accepting RFPs: Coastal Restoration Expenditures

WWF-Canada is seeking an expert in public sector finance to research and report on the Government of British Columbia's budget commitments and expenditures for coastal restoration. The project aims to understand past expenditures and assess if current funding meets restoration needs in southern BC. The contractor will produce a technical report for internal use, which may be adapted for broader audiences.
WORLD WILDLIFE FUND CANADA: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL - TERMS OF REFERENCE

Seeking expertise in public sector finance to undertake research, develop a written report and supporting excel reference table documenting Government of British Columbia budget commitments, allocation, and expenditures towards coastal restoration in BC.

I. CONTEXT / BACKGROUND

Canada, along with the global community has agreed to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) provides a roadmap for achieving this commitment. Within the KMGBF, Target 2 commits the global community to:

Ensure that by 2030 at least 30 per cent of areas of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine ecosystems are under effective restoration, in order to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, ecological integrity and connectivity.

Recognizing that reaching any of the KMGBF targets will require funds in excess of what is currently committed to biodiversity Target 19 calls for

“Significantly increasing domestic resource mobilization, facilitated by the preparation and implementation of national biodiversity finance plans or similar instruments according to national needs, priorities and circumstances…”

As part of Canada’s collective commitments to the KMGBF Canada has created the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan: Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy. Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy does not commit to a National Biodiversity Finance Plan but instead indicates “The federal government may also explore additional opportunities, including: Developing a national resource mobilization plan….” In BC, there is a formal Tripartite Nature Agreement between Canada, British Columbia and First Nations Leadership Council that commits at least $1.1 billion towards biodiversity outcomes in British Columbia between 2023 and 2026. The Tripartite Nature Agreement contains commitments to coastal restoration, but it is difficult to determine within the context of the agreement how much funding is being mobilized to support coastal restoration.

2026 is the final year covered by the majority of initial funding commitments in the Tripartite Nature Agreement and a number of significant funding programs supporting restoration in BC, including the Salish Sea Initiative, the Enhanced Nature Legacy Initiative, and the BC Salmon Habitat Innovation and Restoration Fund are coming to an end.

In a time of fiscal constraint and continued biodiversity decline there is concern funds will be reallocated for use in other areas despite remaining restoration needs on the BC coast. WWF-Canada is seeking an expert in public sector financing to undertake a Coastal Restoration Expenditure Review in southern BC to understand what the past levels of expenditure have been and inform discussion on whether current funding commitments are sufficient to meet restoration needs.

II. OBJECTIVES OF THE ENGAGEMENT

The objective of this project is to complete research and produce a technical report for WWF-Canada’s internal use. As such, all materials produced by the contractor should be appropriate for a technical audience. WWF-Canada then expects to adapt these materials for a variety of other purposes and audiences, including but not limited to government and restoration practitioners.

The goal for WWF is to understand the level provincial investment in coastal restoration and the financial discrepancy between funding currently committed and what is l required to meet stated government restoration objectives.

III. DESCRIPTION OF THE SERVICES REQUIRED / SCOPE OF WORK

The consultant will complete the following activities to develop a written report and excel reference table related to budget commitments, allocation, and expenditures of public, private and civil society investments in coastal restoration in BC:
• Identify key members of the coastal restoration community in the Salish Sea region that have received public sector funding allocations through program investments between 2000 – 2025.
• Develop a consultation plan for engaging with these key members of the restoration community, including interviews and use these interviews to identify other funding recipients in this region that might have not been identified in investment announcements or organizations/communities that work on coastal ecosystem restoration.
• Identify key data