Offers must be received electronically at the following e-mail address: car-asp@spa-rac.org, before the 30 May 2020

Following the request of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention at their COP 21 (Naples, Italy, 2-5 December 2019), SPA/RAC is launching a call for consultancy to update the Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemo-synthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea (Dark habitats Action Plan). 

The objectives of the consultancy are to:

• Assess the implementation the Dark habitats Action Plan at regional and national levels, and provide  a report on the status of its implementation (see the last report presented in 2015 for information), that will  be presented as information document to the next SPA/BD thematic Focal Point meeting, on May 2021.
• Propose a draft updating for the Action Plan to be presented as a working document to the next SPA/BD thematic Focal Point meeting (May 2021) to be finalized and endorsed in view to be submitted to the governing bodies of the Barcelona Convention (MAP Focal Points meeting and COP 22) for adoption. The updating should consider the MAP/Barcelona Convention ecological objectives and associated Good Environmental Status and targets, the post 2020 SAP BIO process as well as the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme of the Mediterranean Sea and Coast (IMAP) and Related Assessment Criteria.

The terms of reference are available at this link.

Due to COVID-19 lockdown, a 10 days exceptional extension of delay is accepted to complete the needed administrative documents. If after a period of 20 days, the documents are still not complete the candidate will be rejected even if already chosen as best positioned