This toolkit focuses on improving the quality of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of projects when planning to evaluate outcomes and impacts. Whilst its stated focus is on small and medium sized projects, it could equally be applied to large projects. Similarly, it can be used when planning, implementing or analyzing and adapting projects. The document clearly highlights the main considerations in doing an evaluation (and even whether you should evaluate), and further identifies a range of M&E tools useful for a variety of different conservation strategies. Its three sections: outlines some of the key concepts relating to evaluation of outcomes…

I am unable to attach a file in the related documents below so I hope you will be able to access the following Google Doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G84s8L7PXb4E81LfqqJlzf0CJLadKVlhCuItBXyRYwU/edit?usp=sharing. Thanks! Charles

Description: This presentations are a “harmonized” set of presentations for Steps 1 and 2 of the Open Standards developed by staff from Foundations of Success, The Nature Conservancy, and WWF. They have been vetted overall as excellent, but generally still need learning objectives made more explicit, and with more comprehensive notes to guide presenters. The treatment of human wellbeing targets and climate change needs attention, as these are not always covered. Citation: Conservation Coaches Network (2012) Harmonized Open Standards Presentations.

This is a very good example of a plan developed to provide a framework for conservation of a species with a broad geographic range. The Reddish Egret is found along the coasts of the United States, Mexico and several countries in the Caribbean and Central America. The plan has inspired greater international collaboration for the species and the development of a more detailed plan for Mexico. Parts of the plan that could be strengthened include the viability assessment (which is purely descriptive) and the monitoring plan.  

This is an excellent example of a large, multi country strategic plan in the Central Asian landscape, very effectively using the Open Standards. Altai-Sayan ecoregion in Central Asia is a vast wild region covering the region where Mongolia, Russia, China, and Kazakhstan converge, comprising mountain, steppe, and forest habitats of snow leopards, argali sheep, and ibex. WWF, led by its Mongolia and Russian offices, developed the plan in 2012 for its ecoregional efforts in the four countries. Given four different management regimes and conservation situations, the plan does a good job of presenting complicated viability and threat ratings, and does…

This plan set up the framework for a subsequent Management Plan for the then recently proclaimed Axios Delta National Park, the marine outfall of four rivers near Thessaloniki in Greece. Led by Ike Tilders (Foundations of Success), the plan was developed using Steps 1 and 2 of the Open Standards. As such, it was left to the subsequent Management Plan to define the operational detail of how to implement the plan.

Penned in 2011, the Painted Dog Conservation Strategic Plan uses the Open Standards to achieve species conservation in almost flawless detail. The document steps through targets, viability, threats and situation analysis to set the plan up. Goals and indicators are defined, then results chain developed for each of the chosen strategies, followed by a operations plan and monitoring plan. Although quite a ‘dry’ document, it is an excellent example of the power of the Open Standards. Subsequently, the organisation has carried out much of the work, which can be viewed on their website. This work is proving successful, with the…