Implementing the Reimaanlok Conservation Planning Process

A12 Socio-Economic Baseline Assessment and Monitoring
Plan Worksheet 4
Purpose: A socioeconomic assessment generates baseline information on the demographic,
socioeconomic conditions of the community and their relationship with the natural resources.
This information helps your team better understand different aspects of the community and identify
priorities that should be considered for adaptation and management planning. It can also highlight areas
and extent of community vulnerability to climate events and impacts, and their ability and potential to
adapt. As socioeconomic assessments are repeated over time, the baseline becomes crucial for
monitoring changes in the community as a result of coastal and natural resource management
intervention or climate change adaptation activities. Understanding these changes allow for evaluating
and improving of existing resource management or climate adaptation strategies and activities. In
climate adaptation, socioeconomic monitoring should become a part of an integrated monitoring
framework, in which data on climate, physical and biological conditions and impacts, are all taken into
consideration.
There are different indicators and variables that can be included in a socioeconomic assessment. To
make sure that you select the indicators most useful and relevant to your site, it is important that you
first develop a set of assessment objectives. Ask yourself what information do you need to better
understand your community when you do your management planning or develop climate adaptation
strategies. The assessment objectives help you to stay focused and will serve as your guide for the rest
of your assessment.
This section does not provide detail description of socio-economic assessment methodologies as there
are several guidance documents that are tailored to provide this specific information
Participants: Planning team and key community members who are interested in supporting monitoring
activities
Materials Needed: Computer or pen/paper, any biological information previously collected, assessment
and monitoring methodology resources,
Time Requirement: 2-3 hours
4 Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Climate Change Adaptation Toolkit; Tool 6: Quick Reference Guide on Methods to
Monitor Climate Impacts and Effectiveness of Adaptation Actions
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