Measuring Conservation Impact Initiative World Parks Congress Durban, South Africa September 8-18, 2003 Foundations of Success (FOS) with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Conservation International (CI) funded by The Moore Foundation

Topics 1.Provide a brief introduction to the work of Foundations of Success in general. 2.Describe the Measuring Conservation Impact (MCI) study. 3.Present some of the major lessons from that study. 4.Discuss current and future products.

Foundations of Success (FOS) Our Mission To improve the practice of conservation by working with practitioners to develop and communicate tested knowledge about the conditions under which different conservation strategies and tools are effective.

FOS Objectives The “Foundations of Success” Work with practitioners to: 1.Define clear and practical measures of conservation success. 2.Determine sound guiding principles for using conservation strategies and tools. 3.Develop and strengthen practitioner knowledge and skills in adaptive management.

Foundations of Success What do we do?  Learning Portfolios  Adaptive management systems  Neutral facilitation  Training  Applied research

Foundations of Success (FOS) with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Conservation International (CI) funded by The Moore Foundation Measuring Conservation Impact (MCI) Initiative

Our Collective Inability to Define & Measure Conservation Impact Causes Many Problems  Difficulties in establishing priorities  “Blind” management  Obstacles to learning  Problems in convincing donors and society to support our work  Many “competing” M&E approaches among conservation organizations

Measuring Conservation Impact Review Objectives  Investigate history of M&E in various fields and synthesize lessons learned – Business & management – Education & social services – International development – Public health – Conservation  Develop framework for M&E in conservation  Develop a database and computer-based decision tree for conservation project indicators

M&E Publications Reviewed by Field (n > 350)

Conservation Family Tree

Business & Management Family Tree

Education & Social Services Family Tree

International Development Family Tree

Public Health Family Tree

LESSON #1: Different M&E Needs Require Different M&E Approaches 1.Status assessment 2.Measuring effectiveness a) Impact assessment b) Adaptive management 3.Accounting and certification (compliance) 4.Basic research

Examples of These Types of M&E Needs in Conservation

1. Status Assessment – Present State “How are things doing overall?”

2a. Measuring Effectiveness (Impact assessment) “What is the likely or actual impact of an activity?”

2b. Measuring Effectiveness (Adaptive mgmt) “How can we get better at our work?”

3. Accounting and Certification “Are we meeting pre-determined standards?”

4. Basic Research “How do we advance the frontiers of knowledge?”

LESSON #2: Trend towards integrating M&E into the broader project cycle

Lesson #3: Good M&E considers the context Which Site is Better Conserved?

Lesson #3: Good M&E considers the context Which Site is Better Conserved?

Lesson #3: Good M&E considers the context Which Site is Better Conserved?

LESSON #4: Good M&E tests assumptions Generic impact chain

LESSON #4: Good M&E tests assumptions Sample impact chain – sustainable agriculture

LESSON #5: Good M&E is diagnostic

1. Different M&E needs require different M&E approaches a. Status assessment b. Effectiveness measurement c. Accounting and certification d. Basic research 2. For project management, evaluation should be integrally situated within the project cycle Where do we go from here? Review of some lessons from the MCI project

3. Good M&E considers the context 4. Good M&E is predictive - Considers causal links 5. Good M&E is diagnostic – Tells why something did or did not work

Products From MCI Work  “Evolutionary” trees and synthesis of approaches in different fields  Archival database of M&E resources from all fields, including conservation  Synthesized framework (problem statement, lessons, and principles) for conservation  Interactive indicator decision tree and database

Available at…