Evaluating
MEASURES OF SUCCESS for Hatohobei and the management of marine resources at
Helen Reef:
assessing a project development and monitoring guide for the Hatohobei State Government and community, Republic of Palau.
July 2000
by Huan
Hosei
prepared
for the People of Hatohobei and the Hatohobei State Government
with the
assistance of the Community Conservation Network
This report is the evaluation of a project development guide
entitled Measures of Success authored by Richard Margoluis and Nick Salafsky
(1998). It was written to assist small
groups and communities go through the process of project planning,
implementation, and monitoring to enhance the success of any type of goal
oriented project or program. As the
book is described in review, "Measures of Success is a practical, hands-on
guide to community-oriented conservation and development projects that presents
a simple yet comprehensive approach to improving the focus, effectiveness, and
efficiency of projects.“ (See Appendix 1 for information on this guide.) This manual was provided to the Hatohobei
community and State Government by the Community Conservation Network
(CCN). CCN is currently assisting the
State and community with the development and implementation of a collaborative
community-based management plan for Helen Reef. My task, as a community consultant to CCN, was to provide an
evaluation of the manual, to assess its appropriateness for use with the
Hatohobei community, and to provide examples of some of the suggestions in the
text as it applies to the Helen Reef context.
To complete this mission, I became acquainted with the manual and then
conducted focus group discussions,
brainstorming sessions, and workshops with community members, state
officials, and CCN staff to explore and test some of the ideas and suggestions
presented in the manual. My assessment
of the manual by chapter follows.
CHAPTER ONE:
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER SUMMARY:
The purpose of the planning guide is outlined in this chapter,
and most of its subheadings are
applicable to the Helen Reef Marine Resource Management project. In fact, the contents of this chapter are
the very things that project coordinator(s), organizer(s) and assistants should
apply to ensure
the community is aware of how they
work in relation to community development and management of Helen
resources. Such approaches do construct
Western concepts and methods around a “planning process,” but in doing so it
seems that they genuinely attempt to ensure that local interests and cultures
are represented and accounted for. The
guide is merely a way of explaining and outlining one of many different methods
that might be used to execute a well thought out and on-going plan. For example, the 'Project Cycle' depicted is
an important tool for the community to use to visualize where we start, where
we are heading, what we are going to do, what are/will be the results of our
work, and what are we going to do about what we have learned of the project.
The manual suggests important modes or steps of a carefully
planned and adaptive project as set forth in this book:
1. Clarifying
Group’s Mission
2. Designing a
Conceptual Model Based on Local Site Conditions
3. Developing a
Management Plan: Goals, Objectives,
Activities
4. Developing a Monitoring Plan
(example: Scientific Monitoring
with Community members)
5. Implementing
Management and Monitoring Plan
(example: Scientific monitoring
trips to Helen Reef)
6. Analyzing
Data and Communicating Results
(example: Scientists and community analyzing data)
(example: Newsletter to communicate results)
7. Using Results to Adapt and Learn
HELEN REEF BACKGROUND
Before this assessment continues further, I would like to
present a brief context of Helen Reef.
The marine resources of Hatohobei and Helen Reef are vital to the
livelihoods of the people of Hatohobei. In brief, traditionally (e.g., in
legends, culturally, customarily, and politically) Helen Reef has belonged to
and been used by the people of Hatohobei Island. Helen Reef is remote, very large and potentially rich -- compared
to the small fringing reef at Hatohobei Island. (See Map, Appendix 2.) Our traditional use of Helen and its
potential for further resource production are some of the reasons our community
is interested in the place. With a
small community (approximately 200 in population) and limited economic
opportunity on their home island, those of Hatohobei would naturally like to
see Helen Reef used to its potential so that we can gain more subsistence and
economic benefits from the reef there.
However, there are obvious signs that Helen's marine
resources have been over-exploited, over-used and affected by natural phenomena
(bleaching) to the point where resources are degraded and no longer as abundant
and productive as in the past. (In this
way, Helen Reef is very much like the Coastal Fishing Village example described
in the Text.) This has occurred because
of foreign fishers (Taiwanese,
Filipinos, and Indonesians) and locally based activities within the past 10 to
15 years. Included in the stresses on
resource populations are the apparent legal over-fishing and destructive
fishing practices by operations associated with local commercial
activities. Elements of local
unsustainable subsistence harvest may also have an impact on Helen’s resources. It is common knowledge within the community
that sea cucumber and trochus numbers are significantly scarce, enough to
prevent harvests. Populations of birds
have declined, as well as some species of fish, turtle, and sharks. The scarcity of Helen Reef’s resources was
also reflected in recent survey reports of Helen Reef by conducted by the
Hatohobei State Government and the Community Conservation Network (in August
1999, April/May 2000 and August 2000, soon to be published; see these reports for
more detail).
CHAPTER TWO:
CLARIFYING A GROUP’S MISSION
CHAPTER SUMMARY:
This chapter describes the process of developing a mission
statement for your project, program, or organization. A mission statement is defined as “a written description of your group’s
mission. Your mission statement should
include the purpose, strategies, and values of your group.”
COMMENTARY:
I find that Measures of Success is a workbook that is
designed to help groups, like the Tobi community and the HSG, to make a plan
for natural resources management.
Successful natural resource management
projects, especially more complex examples like the Helen Reef one, need
excellent planning. This book has many
useful ideas to help communities come together to plan the future of their
important resources. Building and
agreeing to a mission and mission statement is one of these. This chapter presents good ideas for an
island setting (like Hatohobei and Helen Reef) because it gives primary
importance and lessons to the so-called "stakeholders" whom are
basically community members and others who may have an interest in Helen Reef
and in the management or use of resources.
I see the usefulness of the suggestions in this chapter because it will
bring the ideas of the community in clearer focus, and then we will know what
the project is all about. I think it is
good for us as a community to consider adopting what is being presented to our
advantage. In general, this chapter
stated essential key ideas about a group’s mission and mission statement that
are valuable to a project like the one for Helen Reef.
EXAMPLE OF
HOW A MISSION STATEMENT MAY BE CREATED:
A potential way for the Hatohobei Community to lead
itself through a mission statement building exercise is as follows:
We can use information gathered at the group
meetings and other discussions we have had over time to start to write or
propose a preliminary Mission Statement for the HSG and community and their
involvement in the Helen Reef Management Program. For the purposes of this exercise, we can think about what is
important to us as a people, and we can also look at previous documents as a
reference, for example the State’s Constitution. Eventually, the community needs to be asked the question what
they would like the overall project to accomplish, and their answers can also
be incorporated into a formal Mission Statement, as well as the overall plan.
This can happen at a community meeting, where everyone lists what is important
to them. Or maybe a select group of
people from the community, (e.g. various community leaders and well-respected
people) can come together and discuss what is important to the community.
Once the purpose, activities, and values of the
community have been surveyed, we can then choose one or two people to write the
mission statement. We can then,
distribute the draft mission statement to the community or to the group of
leaders to discuss it further and make changes. Repeat this process until you have a statement you are happy
with.
1.
Purpose (target condition): What
is your group seeking to accomplish?
“What is the HSG seeking to accomplish through the
Helen Reef Management Plan?”
2.
Strategies (activities): The
general activities or programs your group chooses to undertake to pursue its purpose.
“What activities or programs the HSG has chosen to
undertake to pursue its purpose under the Helen Reef Management Program?”
3. Values
(vision): The beliefs which the members
of your group have in common and try to put into practice while implementing
the group’s strategies.
“What are the values, beliefs, ideas that are most
important to the HSG and the community as they seek to achieve their goals and
strategies?”
As an example, a preliminary mission statement that
was proposed in a group exercise in preparation for a community-managed marine
reserve conference held in August 2000 in Fiji is presented here:
“The mission of the
Hatohobei State Government is to protect the marine and
land resources of Helen
Reef through enforcement, monitoring, and
management for the
benefit and well-being of the community.
The Hatohobei
State Government is
dedicated to the belief that a sound management of our
resources leads to the
future social and economic advancement of the
community's livelihood
for many generations to come”
This
preliminary mission statement may need to be changed or revised over
time, but this statement helps people involved in the project, and outsiders,
know what roles the national government, community, and other interested non-governmental
organizations play in the management/monitoring plan for Helen Reef.
NEXT
STEP BASED ON THIS CHAPTER:
The mission and/or vision for the project is
practically clear in each mind of the local community members; we just have
never put it down in writing, or really thought about if we are all thinking
the same thing. We, for that matter, do
not know if we are all thinking about the same goals or activities to do for
the project. Of course we have
disagreements among ourselves; but what we are trying to do when we plan this
project through a process like the one suggested in the book, is to minimize
the disagreement among us by understanding and agreeing to common goals. A well-written mission statement will help
us with this. It will take some effort
to develop a mission that we all agree on, but the effort may be worth it, in
guiding our future action into the future.
As a start, community individuals and the state leadership have worked
together in group discussions, with the assistance of CCN, on the purpose,
strategies, and values associated with the Helen Reef project. These are just suggestions. We do need to come together a develop a
more comprehensive and group focus of what the project is about.
Also, to remedy misunderstandings, it is the
obligation of the state government to inform the community of the project - why
it happens and for what purpose? Who
are our potential partners in this project and what are their roles? But we also need to let the State know
during the beginning what we would like the project to achieve and how to do
that. We have to make sure that this is
a generally accepted idea among the community, and that we for the most part
concur on how to achieve these goals.
CHAPTER 3:
DESIGNING A CONCEPTUAL MODEL BASED ON LOCAL SITE
CHAPTER SUMMARY:
This chapter describes way to build a “conceptual model” for
the project. A conceptual model is a
picture or diagram that can help community members and others understand more
about how the Helen Reef ecosystem works, how it is affected by impacts, and
how our actions may address some of these impacts. An impact is something that might cause damage to Helen
Reef. A conceptual model is basically
a type of language that allows us to summarize what we think is happening at
Helen Reef so that we can share with ourselves and others. Like an organizational chart, a conceptual
model illustrates graphically how various things are related to each other.
COMMENTARY:
The authors of this book suggest that group of
stakeholders gather to depict a conceptual model of their home reef and
resources to the other groups at a workshop. They suggest that this will help
people become more involved and knowledgeable with all aspects of the project,
from resource users to government decision makers, by sharing a common
understanding of how the natural systems with which the stakeholders are
concerned about work and respond to human intervention.
I believe that conceptual model is good for the Helen
project because it gives the local community some ideas and/or pictures of what will be going on with
the project. Moreover , it will help
the community express and understand themselves
how they see things and actions in the system relating to one another. In other words, the community will be able
to depict what they believe are the positive and negative effects of the
current impacts and proposed activities related to the project. As the manual points out, "The local
community will also better comprehend how certain factors relate to the project
and their expected results throughout the project." The basic idea behind conceptual model is
to give some sense of project direction and how each project factor relates to
another.
In addition, the conceptual model is, in a way, important
for the people of Hatohobei to understand how different activities of the
project relate to the whole picture. "It should be integrated as a part of
the training of local project personnel to be able to draw scenarios of their
own and carry them out to prove if they work or not. One important part of any management/monitoring plan is
cohesiveness (team work), and a conceptual model will assist in this area to
bring about organized and focused team work.”
If the data collection of the project is to be systematic then I think
conceptual model is an important part of the process. Any model used for Helen
must be modified to fit the present marine life situation and context at the
place. Other workable models suitable
for Helen's short and future long-term plans are recommended. I belief that a conceptual model is usable for the Helen Reef project and it is
worth trying. However, it is only
through trial and error that we will be certain of its usage and usefulness.
EXAMPLE OF
HOW A CONCEPTUAL MODEL MAY BE CREATED:
To begin the conceptual modeling process, I suggest the
following:
As an group exercise, members of the community look
at and work through diagrams in the book to help people see relationships
between various issues of concern. This
will help clearly explain the problems that face Tobi State in the management
and protection of Helen Reef. It will
also show how Hatohobei State has already started to address these issues
through many different activities on its own and with CCN. It will also lead to the demonstration of
how funds and resources are being used, opportunities that they have potential
to open up, and where they can applied in the future.
To do this we:
1. List
our concerns
2. List
issues or things that affect the “Target Condition” of Helen Reef (these may be
some of the things we are concerned about)
3. List
Resources that can help HSG/community reach an improvement in the target
condition.
4. List
Activities we think can help solve or lessen the problem.
5. Draw
lines to represent important relationships
NEXT STEP BASED ON THIS
CHAPTER:
Community members, State officials, and project staff have
begun to practice on elements of conceptual model design with the assistance of
the Community Conservation Network.
Small group conceptual models have been produced and summarized from a
recent community planning meeting concerning Helen Reef September 2000
(Appendix 3); these models should be made available to the community and others
involved in the project so they can be further adapted. An example of conceptual modeling were
recently produced by Governor Sakarias in preparation for a community-managed
marine reserve conference held during August 2000 in Fiji and is shown in
Appendix 4. Additional conceptual
models of the Helen Reef ecosystem were developed during this conference as
well and will be maintained on a conference related web site at www.fosonline.org in the near future. As there are many ways of conceptually
modeling a situation, this aspect of the project will remains ongoing and open
to community suggestion and modification until a practical consensus on a final
model by project partners is achieved.
CHAPTER
4: DEVELOPING A MANAGEMENT PLAN: GOALS, OBJECTIVES, ACTIVITIES
CHAPTER
SUMMARY:
This chapter demonstrates how the Hatohobei
community and State Government can come up with goals, objectives, and specific
activities for the Helen Reef Management program. These are steps that are formed, designed, and developed
following: 1) the principals in the mission statement 2) the desires of the
community, 3) knowledge or assessment available resources for the project, 4)
specifics contained within the conceptual model outlined above, and 5) any
other relevant information. This way,
the goals and objectives for the Helen Reef project should reflect the interest
of the people of Hatohobei, and be practical as well. There might have to be some compromise in these goals and objects
to include interests from the national government, non-government organizations,
and the international communities if the Hatohobei community would like to
receive the assistance or help from other organizations. This is where investigating and describing
how different groups interests are shared and overlap is useful (see diagram in
book). Thinking carefully about goals
provides a means for understanding of common goals and ways to proceed with
cooperative action among parties. This
is useful and it allows for collaboration between interest groups and the state
government that respects the interests and rights of the people of Hatohobei,
for now and for future generations.
Furthermore, the adaptive nature of this management strategy is evident
when the authors suggest that: "It
is resourceful to revisit from time to time to gain better ideas to develop
goals, objectives, and finally activities throughout the life span of
project."
COMMENTARY:
I believe that the Hatohobei leadership and CCN
staff may have some clear
understandings of the goals and objectives for the Helen Reef project, at least
the goals in their respective organizations.
However, many of the community may not know, understand, or even agree
with the objectives or specific activities, which the State and CCN may
plan. There is a need for greater involvement
of community members in the project and better communication of project so that
the people know what the project is all about and what its intentions are (its
goals, objectives, and activities).
Many people in the community were unsure, or even suspicious of the new
project and CCN’s involvement when it first started. Suspicions, such as these, may be natural when outside groups all
of a sudden approach the community with a great interest in our resources. However, these feelings can be overcome as
we learn more about our own and other groups intentions when it comes to Helen
Reef and its management.
While these goals and objectives of the project
have been stated in previous meetings as to "protect", "better
manage", and/or "conserve" the marine resources of Helen Reef
through resource studies (monitoring), plan formulation, and implementation of
the management plan, there is little,
so far, input from the community on the selection of which paths to take given
an overall goal. We also have very
little understanding of the assumptions behind peoples preferences or desired
strategies to achieve certain goals or objectives. This would be very important to learn more about. I believe that the goals, objectives, and
activities should work together with the conceptual model stated in Chapter 3
to help plan success for the project and a better future for the people of
Hatohobei and Helen Reef. Together,
they provide a clear sense of organization, direction, and expected results of
the project.
EXAMPLES OR NEXT STEP BASED ON THIS
CHAPTER:
This aspect of planning is still being approached by the
project, and in time should be finalized by the community and the local
leadership in the near future. Other local and international stakeholders need
to be included in this plan and process, if they are going to know what their
roles are and participate in designing their strategies. This is an ongoing
project process which may take some
time, but it is one of the best ways to ensure a sustainable successful
project.
I do not wish to give specific suggestions of goals,
objectives, or activities here because I do not want to speak for specific
groups that might be involved (that is up for the particular groups to
decide). However, I will suggest a process
for the Hatohobei community to follow.
- We
should come up with specific goals within our own community, and encourage
other groups (or collaborative agencies and partners) to do the same.
- Come
together as a group to discuss all of our goals and create a diagram that
shows the overlap of the interests of all the groups involved.
- Begin
to list some specific objectives that might address some of our concerns
and the impacts contained within our group conceptual model.
- Develop
a list of with strategies and activities that we think might work to
address our problems and concerns.
- With
our strategies and activities, we should keep in mind that we are making
certain assumptions (or unstated guesses) about how they will work, or
affect our concerns. These need to
be explored by the group and documented as well.
CHAPTER
5: DEVELOP A MONITORING PLAN
CHAPTER
SUMMARY:
This chapter explains the importance of
monitoring the success (and failures) of the project for many reasons. Monitoring is just another word for
gathering information about a topic and checking over time on a regular basis
to look for change. Some of the listed
reasons for having a monitoring program include: 1) so that we know the status
of our resources at Helen Reef (what’s there and how much of it is there), 2)
so that we know when certain events at Helen Reef occur (like a bleaching event
or foreign poachers show up), 3) so that we can keep track of the effectiveness
of our actions and how we are doing, and 4) to learn when and how activities
can be adjusted to better meet the overall goals and specific objectives of the
project. A clear understanding of how
the natural systems work at Helen Reef (the coral, the fish, the birds) -- and
the activities that we can do to manage them for the future -- may be helpful
in the development of a good monitoring program. A clearer understanding can be facilitated by a good conceptual
model, developed in the activities described in Chapter 3. The information in this chapter is somewhat
specific in content and might be important later as reference source in the
development of a monitoring plan. This chapter is clear on the important things
for planners and perhaps specialized field workers to understand. For example in collecting data, it is
important to decide which method is workable and which sites or where data be
first collected, and so forth. It
states certain important facts of data collection that are essential to the
project; these are: accuracy and reliability, cost-effectiveness, feasibility,
and appropriateness. It may be that
local counterparts should be advised and directed by an experienced researcher
to ensure that the data collected is usable.
The local monitors must be trained in the field of data collection and
record keeping alleviating problems related to lose of data and bad data
collection.
COMMENTARY:
In short, I think that this chapter
is a great source of reference to gather ideas in formulation for and
implementation of the project.
Monitoring is a key part of the whole process of the project. Once the
project goals and monitoring objectives for Helen Reef are clear, then a plan can be formulated. The formulation of the monitoring plan will
accommodate the needs and interest of the local community (Hatohobei), keeping in mind that the Palauan community and
international communities may play agreeable roles in the monitoring processes.
NEXT STEPS BASED ON THIS CHAPTER:
Although not all of the project’s monitoring needs have been
fully assessed or implemented, we are working closely with CCN and outside
scientists to ensure that the monitoring of project objectivities and
activities, as well as natural resources at Helen Reef, is thoughtfully
developed. For example, two groups of
marine scientists have recently come to Palau to conduct expeditions at Helen
Reef to collect quantitative baseline information on the health and resources
of the Reef. This project was organized
by CCN and cooperating scientists from many outside universities and
organizations; and will provide the state with a record of information about
Helen Reef (See the 2000 Helen Reef Monitoring Expedition Reports). Furthermore, Hatohobei State and CCN are
working closely together to gather information and monitor the social and
economic aspects of the project as well, on our own and as part of a larger
Pacific-wide cross-project assessment of community managed marine
reserves. Much of the knowledge of how
to set up or do this type of monitoring is beyond the level (and currently,
possibly the interest) of the community.
The project will still need expert advice and assistance with the
collection of information and design, but there are many areas where the
community can help out, as well as collect information on their own. Some of these examples include community
surveys that check on the satisfaction of community members with regard to the
project, as well surveying for certain species on the reef like trochus or
fish.
CHAPTER 6:
IMPLEMENT MANAGEMENT & MONITORING PLANS
CHAPTER SUMMARY:
Much of this chapter details good principals for the actual
implementation of plans and monitoring.
It goes into some detail about the need to monitor the effects and
efficiency of the project and then modify your actions if you think you can do
it better another way. Adaptive
management is described. These are
important ideas and are basic approaches worth attention to the State and the
project. In part, many of the things
said about conservation and monitoring in this chapter are important to know,
learn and adapt.
COMMENTARY:
I do suggest that all of what is mentioned in this chapter
are essential guidelines in the implementation of the project, although we have
not reached much of this stage in our project yet. I suggest that this
chapter is very much relevant to the project (and its on-going success) and it
should be paid attention when we are ready to do some of our actions because it
is a good source of information and guidance.
I will not discuss the specific details of this chapter because they are
better left for the future and the specific actions are yet to be decided.
EXAMPLES OR NEXT STEP BASED ON THIS CHAPTER:
In part, Helen's management and monitoring plans have to be
derived from the goals and objectives of the project. Project goals should be well understood among participants and
stakeholders, otherwise confusion and later disagreement may arise about
present activities. These plans must be
unique and adapted well to the situation at Helen and people of Hatohobei. The
local and international communities are
likely to take part in these management and monitoring efforts depending upon
agreements between the national government, the state, and any international
marine research or conservation organizations.
CHAPTER 7:
ANALYZE DATA AND COMMUNICATE RESULTS
CHAPTER
SUMMARY:
In general, this chapter is resourceful in terms of ideas
related to data collection, processing, analysis, and dissemination. It is
mostly presented for those who will be analyzing and presenting data. At this point in time, not many people
within the Tobi community possess these types of skills, so it may best be left
to skilled experts to assist with these task for a while.
COMMENTARY:
This chapter is relevant to Helen project. The data collected on Helen must recorded,
checked, and analyzed to measure project success. The results can be used to demonstrate success or failure of
certain activities that the project attempts, as well as to support
applications for grants or to request financial assistance from the Palau
national government, non-profit organizations, or other donors, as they will
want to see there is someway to measure the success of their investments in
capital, operating expenses, time, and funds.
The results also must be presented to the people of
Hatohobei for them to understand and to know whether the project is a success
or unsuccessful. Interpretation of
analyzed data must be simplified for the lay people to understand. Too much statistical language will not help
most people of Hatohobei understand. As
I mentioned earlier, many details in this chapter may need adaptation to fit
the situation at Helen Reef and to find
the best way to communicate the results to the people and stakeholders.
EXAMPLES OR NEXT STEPS BASED ON THIS CHAPTER:
At this stage of the project, it would be very important for
the people of Hatohobei to know the results of Helen's monitoring and
management projects. Interpretation of
the data collected must be put into a lay person's format in order for the
local community to understand the impact and/or the effectiveness of the
project. Considerable effort must also
be made by external groups working with community to better understand the
importance of language when communicating or designing aspects of the project. It has been suggested that one way to
communicate with the community is to publish a Helen Reef newsletter. This is a good idea and will begin to share
a lot of information about Helen Reef and the project. However, public meetings as well as house to
house visits to inform people of the project should not be abandoned, as these
are important for face to face discussions and questions that help to build
general knowledge.
SUMMARY and CONCLUSION:
My assessment is that from chapter one to chapter seven of
this book, I think this book is good resource for the Helen Reef project, the
people of Hatohobei, and others trying to carry out similar community organized
or focused projects. I believe that this book is valuable for Hatohobei because
it is written in a simple way and presented clearly, although there might be
many things that need to be explained to the community about the manual and
things it described. Training in some
of these methods may also be needed in order to carry them out. The planners and organizers for the Helen
project should refer to this book as a source of reference. I suggest that other persons of Hatohobei
should read this book and share his/her own view. With me, I have few problems with this book because all that is
being said give the local community options or big part of the decision-making
process. In other words, this book is a
self-assessment guide that may help to empower our community. It presents different views and ideas on how
to do things (mostly from a Western planners view) and yet it is up to anyone to adjust or modify workable
scenarios appropriate for his/her own community. However, I don’t think that people or the State could
necessarily pick up the book and use it without outside assistance and guidance
– there is just too much in there that would be new to too many people. The key
ideas or approaches presented in all of the books chapters (and Appendixes) are
worth revisiting to assist in the development of a Helen Reef management plan. I highly recommend and endorse this book to
be used as guide and/or reference for the Helen Reef project by the State
program, CCN and the Hatohobei Community, when done so with outside assistance.
Appendix 1: Description of Measures of Success
Margoluis, Richard and Nick Salafsky. 1998. Measures of
Success: Designing, Managing, and Monitoring Conservation & Development
Projects, Island Press, 363 Pages.
Measures of Success is a practical, hands-on guide to
designing, managing, and measuring the impacts of community-oriented
conservation and development projects. It presents a simple, clear, logical,
and yet comprehensive approach to developing and implementing effective
programs, and can help conservation and development practitioners use
principles of adaptive management to test assumptions about their projects and
learn from the results.
The book presents a systematic approach to improving the
focus, effectiveness, and efficiency of projects with specific guidelines and
advice on:
-
designing a realistic conceptual framework based on local
site conditions
-
developing clearly defined goals, objectives, and activities
-
creating a monitoring plan that can be used to assess
whether goals and objectives are being met
-
integrating social and biological science techniques to
collect the most relevant and useful data in the most cost-effective way
-
using the information obtained through the monitoring plan
to modify the project and learn from the results
The text is developed in chapters that follow the structure
of a planning process from conception to completion, with the chapters linked
by four scenarios that serve as teaching case studies throughout the book.
Examples from these scenarios illustrate the processes and tools discussed, and
each scenario case study is presented in its entirety in an appendix to the
volume. The approach has been developed and field tested by practitioners
working in many different projects in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and
their experience and input ensure that the guide is both practical and useful.
Measures of Success is the only work of its kind currently
available, and represents an invaluable resource for field-based practitioners,
project managers, and local community leaders, as well as for international NGO
staff, college and university teachers and students, researchers, and
government officials.
Appendix 2:
Map of Palau, Hatohobei, and Helen Reef
