1. 1D. Using a Conceptual Model to Document Your Situation Analysis
Conservation Coaches Network Workshop Presentation
1D. Using a Conceptual Model to Document Your Situation Analysis

2. Adaptive Management Workshop Presentations
1A-1B. Team, Scope, Vision
1B. Conservation Targets
1B. Viability Assessment
2A-1. Strategy Selection
2A-2. Results Chains
2A-3. Goals and Objectives
1C. Threat Rating
1D. Conceptual Models
2B. Monitoring Plan

3. Conceptualize
Situation Analysis

4. This Presentation Situation Analysis
What Are Situation Analysis and Conceptual Models
How to Develop Conceptual Models
Adding Human Wellbeing Targets (optional)
Examples

5. What is Situation Analysis?
A process that will help your project team create together a common understanding of your project’s context – including the biological, environment and the social, economic, political, and institutional systems that affect the conservation targets you want to conserve.
Can be in-depth, formal assessment or less formal description based on available information and/or knowledge of key informants.

6. What is a Conceptual Model?
Situation Analysis
A tool for documenting a situation analysis.
A diagram that portrays what is happening within a project. It shows the major forces (threats and opportunities) that are influencing biodiversity and lays out the causal relationships among those forces.
A good conceptual model…
Conceptual model is a tool for documenting your situation analysis

7. A Good Conceptual Model:
Situation Analysis
Presents a picture of your situation
Shows assumed relationships between factors
Shows major direct threats and indirect threats and opportunities
Presents only relevant factors
Based on sound data and information
Results from a team effort

8. 1. Presents a picture of the situation at the project
Situation Analysis
Coral reefs and intertidal systems are targets
Unsustainable logging is the threat – siltation is the stress

9. 2. Shows assumed linkages between factors
Situation Analysis

10. 3. Shows major direct threats and indirect threats & opportunities
Situation Analysis
Indirect Threats & Opportunities (Root Causes): Factors that contribute (positively or negatively) to direct threats
It should include your:

11. 4. Presents only relevant factors
Situation Analysis
4. Presents only relevant factors
Not enough to make this leap in logic. Need to make the links inbetween.

12. 4. Presents only relevant factors
Situation Analysis
4. Presents only relevant factors
High demand leads to high price.
Siltation is a stress.

13. 4. Presents only relevant factors
Situation Analysis
4. Presents only relevant factors
But, how relevant are these other factors to what you can do within your project?

14. 4. Presents only relevant factors
Situation Analysis
4. Presents only relevant factors
But, how relevant are these other factors to what you can do within your project?

15. 4. Presents only relevant factors
Situation Analysis
4. Presents only relevant factors
But, how relevant are these other factors to what you can do within your project

16. 4. Presents only relevant factors
Situation Analysis
4. Presents only relevant factors
But, how relevant are these other factors to what you can do at your project site? ? If you continue any situation diagram far enough, global human population and other factors outside the scope of your project will appear. In the course of creating the situation analysis, you might not want to stop the process, but it is important to eventually prune your diagram back to the relevant factors. Or at least be clear about what you can actually affect.

17. 4. Presents only relevant factors
Situation Analysis
4. Presents only relevant factors
You can always continue to take things further and further back, but at some point the factors are not really relevant for your project. The bottom chain is a real example of part of a conceptual model developed by a team in the Western Pacific. Beyond “international demand for mahogany,” the other factors are examples of taking things too far back. The “emergence of new sex symbols” is not relevant for this project!
A good conceptual model is not too cluttered, but on the other hand, a good conceptual model shows that the team understands the whole situation. Some factors that are beyond the CONTROL of the team, such as corruption (that you cannot change) are still RELEVANT to include if they are having a significant effect on resource use in the site.

18. 5. Is based on sound data & information Situation Analysis
Existing Information
Primary Information
Use the best information that you have, of course, and note gaps in information. When you have gaps in information, you may need to gather primary data/information to fill those gaps.
Existing Information: Data that have already been collected for some other purpose than designing and monitoring your project
Primary Information: Data that you specifically collect while designing and monitoring your project

19. 6. Results from a team effort
Situation Analysis
A small team can build a good conceptual model, but it is important to have different perspectives. Ideally, it is good to have people with different backgrounds, fields of study (biologists, economists, political scientists) and/or life experiences (local people, people from outside of the site).

20. This Presentation Situation Analysis
What Are Situation Analysis and Conceptual Models
How to Develop Conceptual Models
Adding Human Wellbeing Targets (optional)
Examples

21. Our Example – Swan Coastal Plain Wetlands
Situation Analysis
Throughout our presentations, we use example outputs from the Wetland Watch project from WWF Australia that we have modified slightly to reflect the structure and products of the CMP Open Standards. The intent is to give a real-world example of how the Standards have been applied.
Adapted from WWF Australia’s WeltlandsWatch Project

22. Place Your Project Scope, Targets and Direct Threats
Place your project scope, targets, direct threat, and stresses (if you’ve included stresses in your conceptual model).

23. Limited awareness of sustainable land management
Add Contributing Factors
Limited awareness of sustainable land management
Weak law enforcement
Add Contributing Factors (Indirect Threats and Opportunities) – With Emphasis on Causes of Higher Threats

24. Ineffective policies for wetland management

25. A growing population that is putting increased pressure on food, water, and land resources

26. Economic disincentives for organic farming
Make sure to pursue opportunities – by putting the + sign you highlight the opportunities
Opportunities
Showing uncertainty in relationships (with a ?)
Economic disincentives for organic farming
Social acceptance of grazing in wetlands

27. Don’t Forget to Include Opportunities!
Make sure to pursue opportunities – by putting the + sign you highlight the opportunities
Opportunities
Showing uncertainty in relationships (with a ?)
Start them with a “+”.

28. This Presentation Situation Analysis
What Are Situation Analysis and Conceptual Models
How to Develop Conceptual Models
Adding Human Wellbeing Targets (optional)
Examples

29. Recent Addition of (Optional) Human Wellbeing Targets
Situation Analysis
What people have been saying:
There is no way we can work on project/site X without addressing or recognizing human needs
We have to prove to our constituency that there is a benefit to them beyond biodiversity
Open Standards do not work in complex social situations
These are some of the reasons why human wellbeing targets have been added to the open standards

30. What is a Human Wellbeing Target?
Situation Analysis
Human wellbeing targets focus on those components of human wellbeing affected by the status of conservation targets.
*Millennium Ecosystem Assessment defines human wellbeing as including: 1) necessary material for a good life, 2) health, 3) good social relations, 4) security, and 5) freedom and choice
This is the essence of what we are proposing – when people have applied HWT without guidance, ecosystem services have been all over the place. This says that they are a service provided by a well functioning conservation target and that these services can benefit people and thus contribute to human wellbeing.

31. Categories of Human Wellbeing Targets
Situation Analysis
Necessary material for a good life: including secure and adequate livelihoods, income and assets, enough food at all times, shelter, furniture, clothing, and access to goods;
Health: including being strong, feeling well, and having a healthy physical environment;
Good social relations: including social cohesion, mutual respect, good gender and family relations, and the ability to help others and provide for children;
Security: including secure access to natural and other resources, safety of person and possessions, and living in a predictable and controllable environment with security from natural and human-made disasters; and
Freedom and choice: including having control over what happens and being able to achieve what a person values doing or being
Steps 1 and 2 are iterative and/or parallel
Source: Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
This framework is for brainstorming! Actual categories do not matter – just clarity on what a human wellbeing target is.

32. Link to Conservation Targets via Ecosystem Services
Situation Analysis
Human wellbeing – in the context of a conservation project – is achieved via ecosystem services provided by functioning conservation targets. For example:
Services that intact, functioning ecosystems, species, and habitats provide and that can benefit people
This is the essence of what we are proposing – when people have applied HWT without guidance, ecosystem services have been all over the place. This says that they are a service provided by a well functioning conservation target and that these services can benefit people and thus contribute to human wellbeing.

33. Ecosystem Services Situation Analysis
The services that intact, functioning ecosystems, species, and habitats provide and that can benefit people
Type
Definition
Examples
Provisioning
Products obtained from ecosystems
Food, fuelwood, water, minerals, pharmaceuticals, biochemicals, energy
Regulating
Benefits obtained from regulation of ecosystem processes
Carbon sequestration, climate regulation, waste decomposition, water/air purification, crop pollination, pest control
Supporting
Services necessary for production of all other ecosystem services
Nutrient dispersal & cycling, seed dispersal, soil formation
Cultural
Non-material benefits obtained from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences
Cultural diversity, spiritual & religious values, knowledge systems, educational values, inspiration

34. Relationships
Situation Analysis

35. Example
Situation Analysis

36. This Presentation Situation Analysis
What Are Situation Analysis and Conceptual Models
How to Develop Conceptual Models
Adding Human Wellbeing Targets (optional)
Examples

37. Example: Tropical Forest Site
Situation Analysis
Mention:
Opportunities
Showing uncertainty in relationships (with a ?)

38. Example: Tropical Forest Site
Situation Analysis
Mention:
Opportunities
Showing uncertainty in relationships (with a ?)

39. Example: Tropical Forest Site
Situation Analysis
Mention:
Opportunities
Showing uncertainty in relationships (with a ?)

40. Example: Tropical Forest Site
Situation Analysis
Mention:
Opportunities
Showing uncertainty in relationships (with a ?)

41. Example: Tropical Forest Site
Situation Analysis
Mention:
Opportunities
Showing uncertainty in relationships (with a ?)

42. Example: East African Coastal Forest
Situation Analysis
Here is a real non-simplified situation analysis. Can get complex.

43. Example: New Mexico, USA
Situation Analysis
Conceptual models are a tool to help determine how direct and indirect threats interact and effect the program’s targets.
This exercise is important for several reasons. First, it ensures that everyone working on the program team (including partners) has a similar concept of the situation. Second, the links in the model help to suggest opportunities and strategies for intervention (point).
Adapted from a real plan

44. Key Points to Introduce this Step
Situation Analysis
A process for analyzing and creating a common understanding of the context of a project & includes biological, social, economic, cultural, political and institutional systems that affect the conservation targets.
A conceptual model is one way to document a situation analysis. Content is more important than format. A good conceptual model will greatly facilitate strategy selection.
Probe for opportunities, not just threats.
You need the right team to develop the model (wide range of expertise) & you need to ask the right questions.

45. Key Points to Introduce this Step
Situation Analysis
Situation analysis helps you develop more robust conservation strategies by…
Evaluating factors that are driving the perceived problems
Identifying key individuals/groups (supporters as well as non-supporters)
Articulating and making explicit our understanding of the site conditions
Highlighting points of intervention