Final Evaluation of the - UNEP

carried out. As a result there still exists at both the national and the regional level a need to
consolidate and synthesize the volume of local knowledge and experiences that can be found
in numerous reports produced by project staff, consultants and researchers, and to verify the
value of this information for present day range resource management.
125. Because of the difficulties encountered in the development of an appropriate monitoring
methodology and the late start of the actual monitoring activities, it is too early for an
assessment of whether or not the interactions between the various communities and the
project have had a detectable positive impact on various parameters of vegetation condition
and resource health. Even if these difficulties had not emerged, it would still be very unlikely
that any clear trend could have been detected considering the project’s short lifespan. The
case of Marsabit, where interventions in natural resources management have been on-going
for several decades, clearly demonstrates that visible impact is necessary to convince
communities in arid regions that simple and localized - but sustained - interventions can have
positive environmental effects in the long run.
Component 2: Establishment of arid zones database and GIS
126. Under the previous component reference was made to the deficiencies in the collection
of information on local knowledge and to the lack of a concerted effort to synthesize that
information. Such a synthesis should have resulted in an inventory and regional overview of
local perceptions of the degradation processes found in arid regions and in an assessment of
the relevance of this (historical) local knowledge for resource management under present day
conditions. Considering its regional character, such a synthesis would have been a useful
contribution and a valuable output of this project. A scientific conference, which is currently
being organized by UNEP and the University of Oslo, will address this issue more in detail.
127. One of the project’s aims was to develop a database that would contain all relevant
information from the three participating countries on arid land degradation and biodiversity
conservation issues. Of particular interests were topics such as agro-pastoralism, rangeland
management, land tenure, and indigenous knowledge. This database was to be used by the
project and its partners to pool resources and exchange information for the purpose of
formulating effective approaches to the development of appropriate management models for
the rangeland resources in the participating three countries. With such a data system the
project intended to promote the sustainable use of dry land ecosystems, primarily by
providing up-to-date information and guidance for the formulation of appropriate dry land
policies and management strategies.
128. In 2006 the project engaged a firm to design and create such a database in collaboration
with project staff and partner organizations in all three countries. In collaboration with the
three National Project Units and their respective partners workshops have been organized to
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