Aviva Digby

9 months ago

In the wild team example,  I would have appointed a team leader who was able to bring in consultants and researchers in order to find a way to measure footfall in the nature reserve. I would outline expectations and how we may be able to identify the amount of human activity in the area such as monitoring provided dustbins which may be able to give an idea of how many visitors came to the area.  Setting up a simple game camera system might also be able to help estimate numbers of visitors to the park.  I would set out a time start and time end for the monitoring and opt for the summer season since more people are likely to venture out in better weather.  I might suggest a solid plan to work along the lines of from the outset and be ready to support my team to adapt to changes that may need to be made. I would try to set out guidelines on what to look for in the natural surroundings to help measure human impact on the wildlife and plants, this also might give a better idea on how to restrict or open the area to nature walkers. Fund raising is an important part of any organisation and this couples with searching for grants and networking.  Approaching companies that can help with supply of products to achieve our monitoring goal would help, so perhaps meeting with a game camera company will help by chatting about how we could help them and how they could assist us in our project. Setting out clear goals and plans keeps team members focused on what they have to do and when to do it by.  

Deaoclearancia Lorna Dax

9 months ago

In the PMWC alumni example 1 to remove invasive plant species I would conduct an implementation meeting with all stakeholders impacted by this, community, NGOs at this meeting we would setup a workplan, this would help to set targets - be it weekly, monthly. At this planning meeting, I would also suggest we split the target area into zones and assign a team to each of the zones that would in-turn give feedback to the broader project at the monthly check-ins. This would improve efficiency and keep everyone updated on progress. Involving all stakeholders from the beginning will make it possible to unlock potential funding and share costs. 

Rae Newbery

9 months ago

In the Wild Hub example, I would suggest that to effectively measure and increase visitor numbers at the upland nature reserve, a baseline should be established using something like trail counters/observational surveys, or if budget allows GPS tracker. Setting a clear objective e.g. 30% increase over 2 years, and include strategies such as guided walks, promotions and better signage in the area. Ensuring data is collected at regular intervals, with variation such as throughout summer (where footfall could be higher) would allow for more reliable results and reflection of usage.

Alex

9 months ago

In the WT example, there should have been a means to measure visitor numbers such as number of cars parked, camera traps at the start of the trails, self reporting ect. Moreover there should have been time/funds to set aside to calculate the maximum number of walkers that can be served with the current facilities. A target should then be established between the baseline and the maximum visitator numbers. Future surveys should be planned and budgeted for to see if the increased visitor numbers is continued in the long term, and if the increase has any impact on the environment (erosion, animal behaviour, litter).

Should the visitor numbers get close to exceeding maximum visitation, a plan should be in place to upgrade current facilities. For example, more car parking, public toilets, reinforcing paths, better drainage systems.

Larissa Sousa

9 months ago

In the alumni example 2 - we have similar experience working in conservation area in cases where we have frequent changes of people in the team during project execution. Where we have qualified People living the organization and not doing a proper handover which means the next person struggles at first to get a proper induction and then the project execution suffers. My suggestion would be to have clear project plans from the beginning with milestones and specific activities, ensure staff commitment to be around during project execution and have a clear plan from the start to what is the budget, the implementation plan and supervision (monitoring and evaluation) and lastly project report where we focus on the desired impact.  

Grey Fernandez

9 months ago

For Alex's example, the project should have engaged with local stakeholders to understand relevant factors or obstacles to reforestation efforts in the planned area (or before choosing a location). Engagement with local farmers by either providing education or collaborating on site selection, collaboration with locals that have an understanding of the various relevant factors, gaining legal protection for the newly planted trees, and careful selection of species to be planted would have contributed to the success of the project.

JENIFER CHEPKOECH

9 months ago

For Cal on invasive species clearing within the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve in Cape Town there was a need to plan the project in terms of the number of staff to be engaged and a small stipend to motivate them to work on the project even as volunteers. The need to also consider the time frame was of importance considering they were relying on volunteers to complete the project, hence a month was not realistic. 

I would suggest having a project plan with timelines, clear objectives, and milestones and the human resources to help in achieving such milestones considering their remunerations.

Paul chinyama

9 months ago

PMWC alumni example 2. These issues highlighted are common pitfalls in donor-funded projects. When there's poor project planning or frequent changes in staff and officials, the continuity and effectiveness of the project can suffer significantly. This can lead to wasted resources and minimal impact on the ground. I have a similar experience working in a conservation funded project where changing of staff is frequently happening and poor project planning. my suggestion on this. Creating a comprehensive project plan that outlines objectives, timelines, resource allocation, and key performance indicators. This plan should be a living document, regularly reviewed, and updated as needed.Engaging all relevant stakeholders, including the community, government agencies, and donors, from the very beginning. Continuous engagement helps in maintaining support and addressing any emerging issues promptly. Last but not the least, develop a succession plan to ensure smooth transitions when there are changes in project staff. This includes documenting key processes and having a clear handover protocol.

Gabriella Lorincz

9 months ago

Reflecting on the Wild Team Example. I suggest we set up a system in the nature reserve to measure the number of visitors. I agree with many of you that cameras are great for counting visitors. I expect engagement with visitors, particularly from the nature reserve ranger, whose role is crucial in enhancing the visitor experience. I would also promote the area with programmes for well-being and fun educational days on school holidays for families or guided walks for the public. I ensure there are facilities at the reserve's entry, such as a rubbish collection area, toilet, light refreshments, and car park. It will offer more attraction for visitors. If these facilities are unavailable, we could develop them after winning some donor support or funding. Also, the project plan should calculate the running cost of the facilities, cameras, and the ranger fee. There is always a possibility of attracting volunteers who help keep the area clean, safe, and well-run or even do some random day headcount on a regular day or a day with an event running. 

Dagmar Sawistowsky

9 months ago

For the Wild team example: The project struggled bcoz there were no clear target in terms of people visiting this area and perhaps the area was also not know to people. So promotion and advertising this new recreation opportunity were lacking.  If the budget allows I would set up a motion detector which is able to track and count entering people. I would set increasing targets on a time scale since it takes some time to establish new habits like using the area. I would encourage the municipality to promote this area, promote it with schools and sports clubs.

NKOITOI ERIC

8 months ago

In WT example, first, My suggestion would be to have clear project plans from the beginning with specific activities like; setting up of rules & and regulations joining hands with people surrounding and drivers/ guides in order to make and have a clean and a conducive reserve for the guests. Putting up of dustbins after every 5 KM in the reserve and also Setting up of camera traps for two things; speed monitoring and capturing those littering the reserve. I would also set out consecutive times on higher season and lower seasons to have personnel who would be picking up the Litters for proper disposal. To approach other local NGO's and other companies that can help in driving the same goal and lend support of equipments like cloves picking sticks etc.which will help us in our project.

Munalula Akayombokwa

8 months ago

The Alien Invasive Species Clearing Project at the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve faced challenges due to inadequate financial planning, as it relied on student volunteers who struggled with transportation costs, leading to delays and an incomplete project. To prevent such issues in the future, projects should include a detailed budget that accounts for transportation and stipends, with funding secured through grants or sponsorships from environmental organizations. Additionally, involving local community members or conservation groups as a more reliable workforce, possibly with small incentives, could enhance participation and ensure project completion within the set timeline.

Summer LaRose

8 months ago

In @Deaoclearancia Lorna Dax's example in the project spreadsheet, she discussed a project set up to support reading skills for children located within the rhino landscape. She mentioned implementing monitoring and evaluation for the reading could help understand whether the reading program is effective, but that assessing rhino/conservation appreciation is more difficult. It may be possible to implement a before/after evaluation for the children in the program to determine their conservation values before and after the reading program and examine whether they improved along with the reading skills. Depending on their reading and writing skill level prior to the project implementation, the evaluations may need to be interview-style. The group could also collaborate with a conservation education expert to develop reading curriculum for relevant age groups that specifically focuses on conservation and cultural connections to local nature.

For my own response in the Projects 1 tab, I discussed the difficulty Biocultural Conservation Institute has faced in fundraising effectively to support our community projects. Our next step should be to examine all projects we have previously funded, our goals for the upcoming year, and our mission statement, then develop workstreams and packages that organize our work cohesively. For each work package, we can start to put together impact targets and associated tasks. These steps would help us tell a clearer story to potential donors and to our community partners. 

Brenda Kamara

8 months ago

In the example above, the project struggled due to lack of setting key indicators of when the smaller goals have or have not been met, since the overal goal has been set,  and what measures will be used when the goals are not being met. Possible solutions can be establishing both online and physical ticket booth to take care of the number of visitors in the recreational facility,having clear, SMART objectives to measure each outcomes of the goals, having set clear time frames within which a particular goal/objective will be marked as either successful or not 

Beatriz Alves

8 months ago

In Maria's example, the project suffered due to an initial misidentification of the subject plant. This could have been avoided by consulting a professional with the right qualifications (botanist) to inform the project. Since it was a volunteer project, I assume financial constraints were an issue. However, by reaching out to different individuals (task) it may have been possible to find someone who would be willing to help voluntarily (minor milestone) and who could have provided the correct identification of the plant and the development of a clear action plan (major milestone). 

Solène Williams

8 months ago

I am responding to Alex's challenge in Chiapas, Mexico, where millions of saplings were planted in a deforested area but the local environmental conditions or land use practices were not considered in the planning stages of the project, causing a large loss of saplings. 

It seems that the project was not very successful due to lack of local engagement and long term management of trees. The project would have been more successful if locals were involved, consulted, and educated to help them feel more connected to the project and understand its value. This may have also highlighted certain areas in the landscape that were of lower priority for farmers and would not have been disturbed. Better consideration of local environmental conditions could have perhaps resulted in selecting more tolerant sapling species requiring less maintenance, or implementing some kind of treatment to the landscape to facilitate sapling growth such as mechanical tilling of the soil. At the very least, outlining a schedule of maintenance would have been beneficial to ensure sapling success. 

Lauren Larsen

8 months ago

In the WT example regarding increasing recreational use of the reserve, I would start with obtaining a basic understanding of the current recreational use of the land whether that's from previous studies or having a researcher/volunteer collect data over a period of time (few days- few weeks). Once a baseline is established I would set a goal for what I would like the outcome of the project to be (I.e. 25% increase in use daily). I would also think about what is currently hindering the use of the space, are there trails available? Proper signage? Is the community aware of the ability to use the reserve? I would think about those factors and try to improve upon them individually to see what is helping or hindering attendance. The success of the project would be established once the goal is hit consistently for a period of time, such as 1 month or several weeks. We cannot rely on one day of better attendance to determine success of the project. I like others ideas of adding in nature programming, guided walks, clean up days. 

GALINI Samlidou

8 months ago

In my example above, the project struggled due to limited human resourses and the lack of trained volunteers. To tackle this problems in the future, 1) you could set a minimum target of trained volunteers per season and invest more time on volunteers training to increase your future candidate pool for field leaders roles (also this keeps volunteers more motivated as they feel more involved and included, - and at the end of the day also rewarded when project ends successfully) 2) start recruitment earlier and contact your pool of trained volunteers/field leaders too, 3) create an attractive benefit package for field leaders in these locations that recruitment is harder. 

Andrea Segovia

7 months ago

From Alex's example on a reforestation Project in Chiapas, Mexico that struggled: 

Problems:

-Lack of consideration of stakeholders interests and actions during planning

-Lack of proper measures to monitor and maintain the newly planted trees

-Not enough effort to engage local stakeholders and farmers in the reforestation project

Possible solutions:

- Make researching local farmland needs and farming practices an initial step in the planning of the project

- Dedicate a portion of the timeframe to reach out to the local communities and educate them on how reforestation of the area benefits them by increasing the quality of the soil thus increasing the productivity of their farmland.

- Educate local farmers on more sustainable alternate farming practices.

- Engage local stakeholders in the reforestation project by making the planting of the trees a community wide activity and designating youths as "tree monitoring brigades" for the first 5 years after the young trees are planted.

- Have clear parameters to come back and monitor the development and sustainability of the planted trees.