Instructions

Overview

First, you will need to decide whether to conduct conservation audits and for which projects, based upon considerations of potential benefits, what an audit can provide, and whether the project in question is in need of a conservation audit. For help with this preliminary step, see WHETHER TO AUDIT in the Guidance section.

Once you decide to conduct an audit, using the audit tool is very straightforward and should be relatively self-explanatory, following the steps listed below. Note that the audit tool is set up to support audits of up to five conservation projects, including roll-up of results. Additionally, a worksheet guides a high-level audit of organizational design and adaptive management practice.

1. Decide WHAT TYPE OF AUDIT APPROACH you will employ, choosing among self-audit, facilitated self-audit, peer-led audit, externally-contracted audit, or an audit within an evaluation.

2. Initiate your AUDIT PROCESS, doing necessary preparatory work before proceeding to the steps below.

3. GET THE AUDIT TEMPLATE (or click on the "Get the Template" link at the top of any page to download a copy of the tool).

Once you have the Template, for each project you are auditing:

4. Complete the INFO worksheet to capture basic information on the project being audited, who is conducting the audit, who was consulted to inform the audit, and documentation and data utilized.

5. Complete the AUDIT worksheet by using best available information (documentation, data, interviews, survey, self-assessment) to assign a rating for each audit criterion, choosing from the annotated scale that ranges from 1 (does not exist/not developed) to 4 (no or minimal improvement needed). Using the dropdown menu, capture your ratings in column G. In Column H, provide a brief written justification for your rating. Column I provides an optional section to capture a brief discussion of barriers to progress or adoption of the practices defined. For supplemental information on the steps and sub-steps described in the audit tool, please refer to the Conservation Standards.

6. Review the automatically generated REPORT on the following worksheet, and on the worksheet after that, prepare a MANAGEMENT RESPONSE. Summary ratings for each audited best practice/step will be captured in the REPORT worksheet. The auditor, audit team, or audit facilitator should review the specific criterion ratings (captured in the AUDIT worksheet) as well as the summary ratings with the audited project team and then work with the team to prepare a management response.

7. Write up a REPORT. If needed/desired, the auditors should compile a report to document the approach, results, and next steps from the audit.

Note and Tips

The following notes and tips may help with conducting a smooth conservation audit:

1. Avoid being overly concerned with precise terminology. While this tool was designed following the terminology utilized in the Conservation Standards, the project being audited may have been designed/managed according to an organization-specific or other adaptive management framework that aligns to the CS, but uses different terms. In the end, as long as the intent or definition is the same, terms can be used interchangeably.

2. Focus on the spirit of the law versus the letter of the law. The audit tool provides detailed criteria for rating each sub-step. These were developed to be clear and pragmatic and not overly dogmatic. Rather than focusing overmuch on what exactly is said in the Conservation Standards, it is recommended to rate based upon the criteria provided.

3. Adapt to organization-specific frameworks or needs, but only as necessary. Various CMP member organizations and others have developed their own internal design and management standards, some cognizant of the Conservation Standards and others not. Where there is significant divergence between an organizational framework and the CS, auditors may first need to adapt the audit tool to align with organizational best practice guidelines. If you choose to revise the audit workbook, it is strongly recommended that only someone proficient in GoogleSheets or Excel edit the workbook to ensure that links among worksheets are maintained and that formulae continue to reference the correct ranges of cells.

4. If necessary, auditors may focus on specific aspects of the audit tool. In some cases, a more rapid or cursory audit process may be desired. In these cases, auditors can work with the project under review (or with organizational leadership or other "clients" requesting the audit) to select priorities within the audit framework.

5. Consult the full text of the Conservation Standards where needed. The audit tool numbers the various steps and sub-steps in accordance with the numbering found in the Conservation Standards, which are available in multiple languages (at this time, the audit tool is only available in English).

6. The audit tool can be used for thematic (i.e., non-place-based) projects, although the auditing organization may elect to make some modifications, as needed. Keep in mind that the CS allows for adaptations of processes and practices so that they are useful in different settings and for various types and scales of projects.

7. This audit tool can be used to inform organizational scale audits. The organizational audit worksheet can be a helpful complement to project-scale auditing, serving to highlight the extent to which best design and adaptive management practices are articulated, required, and supported at the organizational scale.