Final Report - Asian Development Bank

technical capacity building, improved management processes, needed legal reforms, absence of planning
systems, and monitoring and evaluation needs. This process was further extended and indicated that (a)
bottom-up implementation will involve associations/groups and the wider Qinling Mountains
conservation community; (b) lending programs need to capitalize and build on existing programs and
visitation and empower community -based grassroots institutions, enabling them to become self-reliant.
e) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E)
112. Monitoring and evaluation will conform to both GEF and ADB guidelines for project
implementation, monitoring and evaluation. As an ADB project, it will be subject to the standard M&E
procedures, reporting and supervision arrangements. The use of the WWF/SFD monitoring framework
within a reformed set of organizations for the Project Area will play a major role in M&E as this will
create the basis for the new organizations MIS.
113. ADB’s standard monitoring procedures include financial and work progress, compliance with
environmental and social safeguards, and performance monitoring. The Government and ADB will
review the Project at least twice a year for the first three years and annually thereafter. A comprehensive
mid-term review will also be undertaken. To monitor the progress of the Project in achieving the planned
outcome and outputs, the PMO will establish and maintain a project performance management system
(PPMS), which will be designed to permit adequate flexibility to adopt remedial action regarding Project
design, schedules, activities and development impacts. The PPMS will adopt the following agreed
indicators (i) project progress, (ii) enabling framework improvements (policies legal/regulations
harmonization and clear institutional mandates), (iii) results of capacity development, (iv) progress
towards demonstration and field targets, (v) environment improvements, and (vi) related social impacts of
the Project. At Project inception, the PMO, in consultation with each sub-borrower and with the
assistance of a contracted service provider, will develop comprehensive PPMS procedures to establish
baseline values and systematically generate data on inputs and outputs of the project activities; and the
socioeconomic, agricultural, and environmental indicators to measure project impacts.
114. The PMO will refine the PPMS framework, confirm achievable targets, firm up monitoring and
recording arrangements, and establish systems and procedures no later than 6 months after Project
implementation. Baseline and progress data will be reported at the requisite time intervals by the IAs to
the PMO, including annual reporting on the environmental management plan. The PMO will be
responsible for analyzing and consolidating the reported data through its management information
system, and for reporting the outcome to ADB through the quarterly progress reports
115. The monitoring program is based on agencies monitoring their implementation of project
activities and the immediate outputs with all data transferred to the WWF supported SFD data bases
where it will be shared, analyzed and reported. Implementing agencies will be responsible for the routine
monitoring as part of their management information systems and adaptive management program,
including (i) threat assessments; (ii) problem status and changes; (iii) beneficiary assessments; (iv) input,
output and impact monitoring; (v) economic, social and environmental; (vi) resource efficiency
monitoring; and (vii) institutional monitoring.
116. The PMO will hold an annual evaluation workshop for all implementing stakeholders who
would present their progress and reasons for deviations and then the whole project would assess these for
input into the next annual plan. Baseline and impact monitoring will be contracted to suitable local
institutes for surveys and assessment in Yr 3 and Yr 5 and will be reported as part of a Project Area status
report. The mid-term surveys will inform the mid-term review which will use an adaptive management
approach by redirecting the project towards successes and away from areas that progress less than
expected. The final survey will form the basis of the completion report evaluation and the assimilation of