ARE WE HAVING AN IMPACT?
Teams that appropriately use evidence to adaptively manage their projects, achieve greater conservation outcomes.
Teams that invest in long-term projects have a greater conservation impact.
Compare the number of critical objectives that have been achieved against those not achieved. Consider the timeframe and include only those objectives that were predicted to have been achieved within the planned time period.
Proportion of goals achieved (generally, this refers to the improved status of conservation targets, and by association, human wellbeing targets). However, for some thematic projects, where it is not possible to assess impact on the target-level (e.g. high-level policy projects) teams may need to adapt their ultimate outcomes to a measure of threat reduction or the achievement of an ultimate objective.
Measure of the expected achievement based on the current observed trends towards project success
If it is too early in the project's lifespan to assess actual impact, use a tool, such as the Conservation Standards Scorecard or a RAG Assessment (see image on the right) to assess the expected outcomes and impact of a project. If the team has used a theory of change, it should show what the expected outcomes and impact are with intermediate results that build to these. If the "trend" shows activities are delivering the necessary outputs from the team, then the early assumptions are holding true and expected outcomes are likely to be achieved.
Proportion of planned intermediate results achieved
Compare the number of critical results that have been achieved against those not achieved. Consider the timeframe and include only those results that were predicted to have been achieved within the planned time period.
Proportion of objectives achieved
Compare the number of objectives that have been achieved against those not achieved. Consider the timeframe and include only those results that were predicted to have been achieved within the planned time period.
Proportion of ultimate outcomes achieved
Proportion of goals achieved (generally, this refers to the improved status of conservation targets, and by association, human wellbeing targets). However, for some thematic projects, where it is not possible to assess impact on the target-level (e.g. high-level policy projects) teams may need to adapt their ultimate outcomes to a measure of threat reduction or the achievement of an ultimate objective.
IUCN Red List Threatened Status
Use the national or global species red list status to assess the the health of target species. For long-term conservation projects, assess the change in Red List Status over time.
IUCN Green Status of Species Recovery
Use the national or global green status for measuring species recovery and assessing conservation impact. For long-term conservation projects, assess the change in IUCN Green Status over time.
Sustainability performance
Assess performance and track trends against critical landscape sustainability indicators which can be tailored to your landscape and stakeholder needs, using a tool such as Landscale. LandScale is a user-friendly assessment tool developed by the Rainforest Alliance, Verra, and Conservation International that generates landscape-level insights that help organizations deliver and credibly communicate sustainability at scale.
Sustainability mechanisms included in strategic plan
Binary (yes/no) indicator describing whether the team has included sustainability mechanisms in their strategic plan to ensure that project outcomes are maintained over the long-term.
Measure of ecosystem health, and the system's ability to provide ecosystem services
Measure of the value or status of ecosystem services over time. Use tools such as the LemuIndex [currently under development by Lemu] or those defined in IUCN's Tools for measuring, modelling, and valuing ecosystem services to assess the change in the value of ecosystems over time.
Area of habitat with improved management
Calculate the area (e.g. # of ha) of land where management practices have improved for the benefit of biodiversity and/or climate resilience as a result of direct project impact.
Area of habitat formally protected
Calculate the area (e.g. # of ha) of land that has been declared under formal protection. Disaggregate by protection category - see IUCN Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories
Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area
Land degradation can be calculated using a range of methods, such as remote sensing and GIS (e.g. NDVI), modelling (e.g CORINE, PESERA erosion models etc.), field monitoring and measuring, estimates of land productivity, and surveys of expert / landuser opinion. Disaggregate by the degree or type of degradation.
Mountain Green Cover Index
The Green Cover Index is meant to measure the changes of the green vegetation in mountain areas - i.e. forest, shrubs, trees, pasture land, crop land, etc. – in order to monitor progress on the SDG mountain target (15.4.2). The index, will provide information on the changes in the vegetation cover and, as such, will provide an indication of the status of the conservation of mountain environments.
The purpose of this tool is to allow teams to easily track not only whether they have all the elements of a good strategic plan, but also elements of implementation efficiency, project support, and the delivery of outcomes and impact.
The IUCN Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity.
LandScale is a user-friendly assessment tool developed by the Rainforest Alliance, Verra, and Conservation International that generates landscape-level insights that help organizations deliver and credibly communicate sustainability at scale.
Scientists at Lemu are currently working on a spatial conservation prioritization method that assigns values to each region for ecological contributions, fresh water, food, medicine, pollination, and even tourism. The Lemu algorithm will then assign a non-monetary value to each ecosystem, a LemuIndex, which can be used as a metric for environmental impact.
Selecting an appropriate tool for measuring and modelling ecosystem services can be challenging. This document provides guidance for practitioners on existing tools that can be applied to measure or model ES provided by important sites for biodiversity and nature conservation
Disaggregate the area of habitat formally protected using IUCN's protected area management categories
Global Forest Watch offers the latest data, technology and tools that empower people everywhere to better protect forests.