ECUADOR - Land Tenure and Property Rights Portal

1.0 PURPOSE AND SCOPE OFASSESSMENTUnder the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Lesson Learned: Property Rights and NaturalResource Management (GLT2) Task Order, ARD, Inc. developed a land tenure and property rights (LTPR)impact assessment tool. This tool was crafted to assist USAID Missions assess impact of land tenure andproperty rights (LTPR) interventions and derive important lessons that can inform future programming. Itcomprises the sixth volume in a series of LTPR tools.Following a USAID review and subsequent revision of the draft impact assessment tool,USAID/Washington and ARD sought to field test the tool and reached out to various Mission candidates.USAID/Ecuador responded by requesting a rapid impact assessment of the Conservation in Areas Managedby Indigenous Groups Project (CAIMAN, in Spanish) and the Southern Border Integration Program (PSUR).Specifically, the assessment called for an analysis of: (a) the extent to which higher order CAIMAN and PSURobjectives were met; (b) expected and unexpected outcomes of CAIMAN and PSUR interventions; (c)efficacy of project approaches for achieving a sustainable impact; and (d) lessons learned.The scope of the assessment centered upon:• CAIMAN efforts to strengthen territorial rights of the Cofán nationality—particularly within theprovince of Sucumbios; and• PSUR support to enhance territorial rights of the Shuar nationality within the province of MoronaSantiago.It is important to point out that both CAIMAN and PSUR encompassed other components in addition tosupport for territorial rights, and each covered extensive geographic areas. A comprehensive analysis of theprojects, however, was beyond the scope and resources of this assessment.Overall, this assessment seeks to guide future decision making in terms of effective and sustainable ways tosupport indigenous groups in consolidating territorial rights and protecting natural resources.INDIGENOUS TERRITORIAL RIGHTS IN ECUADOR: RAPID IMPACT ASSESSMENT 1