The USAID initiative – Learning Group Explores the Effectiveness of Enterprises as a Conservation Strategy, received an Honorable Mention in the 2018 Case Study competition. The team working within USAID developed a Conservation Enterprise Learning Agenda that defines a theory of change and a set of learning questions to explore key assumptions. The work included: synthesis of evidence from existing documentation regarding the effectiveness of conservation enterprises; retrospective assessment of conservation enterprise approaches that have been in place for 20 years; prospective to help set up monitoring, evaluation, and learning so that evidence can be generated. The team found that…

From Great Conversation to Great Conservation, the Bat Conservation International entry gained an Honorable Mention in the 2018 Case Study Competition. Key lessons learned by Bat Conservation International were that they benefited from the OS by: Providing a rapid transition from training to actual work; Improving a shared understanding of their conservation situation; Increasing staff alignment and morale among cross-organizational teams, and; Leading the way for incorporating accountability and rigor. The judges thought that the approach Was an impressive effort for the whole organization Demonstrates that the OS can be deployed across an organization with sufficient management will and adequate…

Bush Heritage Australia, with their Yourka Reserve – A Unique Tropical Savanna Ecosystem came third in the 2018 Case Study Competition. Key lessons gleaned in this case study were: Don’t let lack of knowledge impede action – focus initially on threat mitigation until better information is gathered about target health As information becomes better known, use the adaptive management process to update targets, threats, objectives, and threat ratings Use volunteers to help fill resource gaps The judges saw this case study: As a good example of full cycle adaptive management – adaptation of targets, goals, threats, objectives over time as more…

Using an Adaptive Management Approach to Expand Efforts to Save Cotton-top Tamarins in Northwest Colombia, by Proycto Titi won second place in the 2018 Case Study Competition. Key lessons arising from the case study were: Good adaptive management was shown by seizing a chance to expand work thanks to a post-conflict era in Colombia Demonstrates value of methodical approach to replication of lessons learned Shows how to maximize buy-in by involving multiple team members and key stakeholders Judges thought that the team seized the opportunity presented by a newfound peace in Colombia to expand its work to new locations, using…

This document briefly describes the challenge of promoting change in cause-driven organizations.  It is written for practitioners who are working on broader adoption and institutionalization of the Open Standards in their organizations.  The document introduces interesting concepts and ideas but seems more like a draft than a finished product. Here is the link to the document, which is part of a comprehensive set of documents penned by Annette Stewart as part of her 2016 Fullbright Scholarship.. Full citation Stewart (2016) Promoting Change in Cause-Driven Organizations. Fulbright Scholarship, Melbourne Australia.

This is an excellent document that aims to show how the Open Standards supports improved performance in conservation organizations.  It describes the Performance Imperative and other frameworks designed to help non-profit organizations measure and improve their performance and it shows how the Open Standards supports business performance reporting.  It is targeted at practitioners who are working towards broader adoption and institutionalization of the Open Standards within their organizations. Here is the link to the document, which is part of a comprehensive set of documents penned by Annette Stewart as part of her 2016 Fullbright Scholarship. You can also access a…

This is a good high-level reference document that helps staff in different roles (including management and support) determine where they can find more information to help them promote and/or understand the potential behind the Open Standards. It identifies several barriers to adoption and ways to address them, directing the reader to more detailed reference materials. Here is the link to the document, which is part of a comprehensive set of documents penned by Annette Stewart as part of her 2016 Fullbright Scholarship.. Full citation Stewart (2016) Study of Practices: Summary of Key Findings from Fulbright Scholarship. Fulbright Scholarship, Melbourne Australia.