Measures Measures Matter!

Key Points to Introduce This Step Measures Matter! –Often seen as last step or too challenging, so neglected –Provide transparency and accountability –Enable adapting and learning Strategy Effectiveness vs. Status –Adaptive Management vs. Early Warning

Key Points to Introduce This Step Measures are embedded in your CAP –Look to your objectives, KEA’s and threats Well developed objectives will lead to good indicators The measure of our effectiveness ultimately will be seen as a change in threat ranks and enhanced viability

Key Points to Introduce This Step Evaluating our progress doesn’t always need to be complicated or costly The complexity of our monitoring methods should depend upon the complexity, uncertainty and risk of our strategies Monitoring data must be analyzed and results used to inform next iteration

Critical Questions Has at least one indicator and monitoring protocol been identified for each threat abatement and restoration objective? Do the indicators provide any link to the actions taken? Can the monitoring plan be feasibly implemented?

Common Issues & Recommendations What is the appropriate level of investment between taking action, assessing status, measuring effectiveness? –No easy answers. Consider: Presence of known, serious threats Level of understanding of targets, threats, and their linkage Degree of certainty in effectiveness Risks of action – ecological, economic, reputational, etc. Available resources

Common Issues & Recommendations Often changes in biodiversity health and threat status can lag well behind the time we take action. –Developing a “theory of change” (i.e. results chain model) can help us to find measures that will help us to evaluate whether things are likely to be going in the right direction –Setting up smaller experimental trials may help us get an indication of how the larger system will perform in advance of full investment in a restoration strategy

Common Issues & Recommendations Completing the adaptive management cycle –Establish explicit mechanism for analyzing monitoring data, communicating results, and adapting and learning –Keep it as simple as possible –Introduce teams to the CAP self assessment tools for at least a first pass –Even a once a year – After Action Review can be helpful

Common Issues & Recommendations Status vs. effectiveness – Consider the targets where you will definitely be taking action and establish effectiveness measures for these first. Effectiveness: Target vs. threat monitoring – As first cut, monitor indicators that directly reflect objectives Helpful Hints…

Project: Cookson Hills Objective: Secure legal protection on 18,000 acres by 2015 Indicator: Acres in legal protection (addresses critical threat) Clearly stated objectives spell out priority measures needs Helpful Hints…

Indicators: Acres of native ecological system burned. Number of hours between reporting and containment of fire event. Methods: Map location and extent of wildfire Notice and record events and times. Target: Montane wet forest, south slope mesic forest Threat: Wildfires Objective: By 2009, reduce the amount of burned native ecological system to zero. Follow the trail from targets to objectives - Molokai Example Helpful Hints….

Common Issues & Recommendations Develop a first cut at your objectives and brainstorm indicators with the whole team. Refining indicators and developing monitoring protocol is a specific area of expertise that differs with different systems and life forms. Get the experts involved in the nitty-gritty of monitoring protocol design. Often tons of information is already collected by government and university partners – always consider these sources before investing in new data collection. Helpful Hints….

Common Issues & Recommendations Results chain models – Help us to determine what indicators are likely to tell us the most about whether our strategic actions are or are not having an impact –Help us to understand important benchmarks along the way towards success (“interim objectives”) Helpful Hints…

Objective: Decrease the average amount of surface water diverted from the XYX River in the Upper Watershed section in August to less than X gallons/day by –Strategic Action: Lobby for government incentives to motivate farmers to switch to low water need crops Effectiveness example change reduced restored

1. Numbers of salmon redds or # of adults returning to spawn 1 2. Water flow measurements 2 3. Volume of water withdrawn for agricultural purposes 3 4. Hectares of farm land converted from water-intensive crops to low- water need crops 4 5. Strategic Actions and Action Steps implemented 6. Resources Spent (Staff & $$$) 56 +Socioeconomic indicators? Possible indicators

Status (2) How is the biodiversity we care about doing? (3) How are threats to biodiversity changing? (4) Is the capacity to improve conservation changing? Effectiveness (1) Are our conservation actions having their intended impact? Effectiveness vs. status monitoring