Evaluation Sourcebook (.pdf) - School of Natural Resources and ...

INTRODUCTIONMULTIPLE MEASURES OF PROGRESSHow do you know or how can you communicate to others that you are moving in the rightdirection?Many projects answer this question by cataloging the activities they have completed, suchas number of river clean-up days, number of meetings held per year or number of interpretive displaysdeveloped.While these provide a measure of the extent to which strategies have been implemented,they are only one way to measure progress. You may also want to know whether yourstrategies are effective. For example, how well are you reducing threats such as waterpollutants or building on assets such as supporters? To answer these questions you couldmeasure: concentration of toxic chemicals in the water or amount of funds received from donors.Ultimately, however, you want to know the outcomes of your efforts. Is forest integrity orquality of life improving? Progress at this level could be measured as changes in native speciesdiversity or the level of trust among neighbors.These examples illustrate different measures of progress, all of which are informativeespecially when they are reviewed together. That is, you can relate your activities to shortand long-term changes on the ground to help you understand and document impact.OBJECTIVES, THREATS, ASSETS & STRATEGIES OF A PROJECTObjectiveThreatWhat is it? Example Why evaluate it?A desired condition or • Viable salmonstate of something.populationsUltimately, you want toCollectively, objectives • High qualitybe able to show progressrepresent your project’s recreationaltoward goals.goal or mission.opportunitiesA circumstance orsituation that hindersprogress toward goals• The spread of invasivespecies• Lack of trust amongstakeholdersA decrease in key threatscan be a direct and oftennear-term measure of youreffectiveness.AssetAn opportunity orresource that fostersprogress toward goals• Existing protected land• A large volunteer baseIdentifying assets can helpyou ensure that you arebuilding on existingstrengths.StrategyActivities you undertaketo address threats and useassets to achieveobjectives• Acquire corridorsbetween parks• Revegetate stream bankCompleted activities arethe first sign of progress.Ecosystem Management Initiative 4