SLIDE 1
Embedding Evaluation into the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation’s Conservation Initiatives
Christina Kakoyannis, Evaluation Officer Matt Birnbaum, Evaluation Officer Anthony Chatwin, Director of Marine & Coastal Conservation Tim Male, Director of Wildlife & Habitat Conservation
June 8, 2008
SLIDE 2 The National Fish & Wildlife Foundation
- Congressionally chartered in 1983
- Mission: Conserve & restore nation’s wildlife &
habitats
- Match public with private dollars
- 10,000 grants to ~3,500 grantees
- $635 million invested in projects nationwide &
> 50 countries
SLIDE 3 Traditional Role of NFWF Evaluation
- Retrospective assessment of existing programs
- 12 evaluations; ~1/3 of NFWF programs
- Data limitations
SLIDE 4
NFWF’s New Strategic Direction
SLIDE 5 NFWF ability to make a difference/“move the needle”
Measured as percent change toward population goals for indicator species
Preferred time frame 5– 10 years
Cost-effectiveness INITIATIVES
Species of conservation concern SPECIES Places of greatest national ecological importance PLACES Issues driving declines in species of concern ISSUES
Shift in Selection of Conservation Initiatives
HUMAN CONSIDERATIONS
SLIDE 6
Wildlife & Habitat Initiatives
Water flow/alpine wetlands Wildlife Corridors Grizzlies Path of the Pronghorn Sky Islands
Grasslands
Prairie Coteau
Early Successional
Bog Turtle New England Cottontail
SLIDE 7
Shift in Initiative Design & Implementation
Plan Act Check Adjust
SLIDE 8
- Convene partners
- ID & prioritize key
threats
targets
Initiative Design & Implementation
SLIDE 9
Sky Islands Grasslands
SLIDE 10
River Herring Rangeland & Ranchland Mgmt Practices Subdivision & Development Fences Chytrid fungus Poaching Invasive aquatic species Predator & Varmint control Mining Fire suppression Ag practices Land conversion for farming
SLIDE 11
- Convene partners
- ID & prioritize key
threats
targets
Sky Islands Grasslands Initiative Conservation Targets
SLIDE 12
geographies
- ID priority strategies
- Assess risk
- ID priority metrics
Initiative Design & Implementation
SLIDE 13
NFWF Involved Current Trend
SLIDE 14
geographies
- ID priority strategies
- Assess risk
- ID priority metrics
SLIDE 15
SLIDE 16
$24.5 million in Mitigation
SLIDE 17
SLIDE 18
- Define goals
- ID priority geographies
- ID priority strategies
- Assess risk
- ID priority metrics
SLIDE 19
Mapping the Logic—Klamath Initiative
SLIDE 20 Risk Assessment
- Risk: An uncertain event or condition which (if it occurs) has a
negative effect on the ability to meet the initiative goal.
- Categories of Risk:
- Regulatory
- Financial
- Environmental
- Scientific
- Social
- Economic
- Institutional
- Project Management
“We’ve considered every potential risk except the risk of avoiding all risks”
- Define goals
- ID priority geographies
- ID priority strategies
- Assess risk
- ID priority metrics
SLIDE 21
Risk in the Klamath Basin Initiative
Economic Risk: Lack of economic incentives
SLIDE 22 Metrics
- Identifying and selecting key metrics:
- Scale up from project-level monitoring of
- utputs to initiative goals/species change
- Scientifically valid
- Feasible considering available resources
- Data needed to answer evaluation questions
- Monitoring:
- Protocols, Baseline,
Comparison groups
- Define goals
- ID priority geographies
- ID priority strategies
- Assess risk
- ID priority metrics
SLIDE 23 Klamath Basin Initiative—Metrics
# or % of landowners along priority sites participating in projects Decreased amount
the project scale Amount and timing
(cfs) into Klamath lake and by reach Fish abundance & age/size/ class in selected reaches
SLIDE 24
business plans
Initiative Design & Implementation
SLIDE 25 Challenges to Address
- Scale & Responsibilities:
- Project/Grantee Initiative/Foundation
- Uncertainty of estimations
- Selective implementation of adaptive mgmt
principles recognizing resource constraints & planning fatigue
SLIDE 26
NFWF Conservation Directors’ Perspectives
