Evaluating Environment in International Development

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
List of figures
List of tables
Foreword
Preface
List of contributors
Part I: Introduction and conceptual background
	Chapter 1: Evaluating environment in international development: An introduction
		Introduction
		The potential of evaluation
		Sustainable development and the environment
		Valuing natural capital
		Evaluating the environment beyond projects
		Themes
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 2: A global public goods perspective on environment and poverty
		Redefining international cooperation
		Defining public goods
		Public action on public goods
		Ending poverty: a global public good?
		Ensuring environmental services: a global public good
		Linkages between poverty and the environment
		Local, national, regional and global public goods
		From trade-offs to win–win options
		Conclusions for evaluators
		From ex ante to ex post “relevance”
		From impact as relationship to impact as final goal
		From sustainability to adaptability
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 3: Evaluation at the nexus: Evaluating sustainable development in the 2020s
		Sustainability-ready evaluation
			Theory of Change for sustainability-ready evaluation
			Is evaluation ready for sustainability?
			Some implications of ignoring sustainability and the natural system
		Key elements of evaluation at the nexus
			Value the natural system
			Value is multi-dimensional: Economic, social, cultural, spiritual, traditional and above all political
			Attend to core technical differences
				Scales and units of account
				Connect to natural and broader human systems
				Emphasise use
		Summary
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 4: Poverty, climate change and disaster risk reduction: Too complex to evaluate?
		Climate change and poverty
		Background
		Poverty–climate interactions
		Responding to climate change
		Disaster risk reduction
			Disaster risk reduction and the SDGs
			The Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction 2015–2030
		Climate change and disaster risk reduction across regions
			Disasters in the Asia-Pacific region
			South Asia
			The Caribbean region
			Overview of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction
		Evaluation challenges of interventions in overlapping areas
			The evaluation repertoire
			Evaluation among international agencies
			Can evaluation adequately address the increasing complexity posed by climate change and disasters?
			Refining theory-based approaches
		Notes
		References
		Websites
Part II: Approaches and challenges in evaluating environment and sustainable development
	Chapter 5: Using big data and geospatial approaches in evaluating environmental interventions
		Introduction and background
		Applications of geospatial analysis in environmental evaluation
			Case 1. Geospatial analysis to assess the relevance of GEF support to protected areas
			Case 2. Geospatial analysis to assess socio-economic co-benefits of GEF-supported interventions
			Case 3. Geospatial analysis in measuring the sustainability of environmental outcomes in the Ba Be protected area
			Case 4. Geospatial analysis in ecological forecasting in Kenya
		GEF supported protected areas in Kenya
		Conclusion
		Acknowledgments
		Note
		References
	Chapter 6: Multiple actors and confounding factors: Evaluating impact in complex social-ecological systems
		The GEF and its support in the South China Sea 1
		Assessing direct impact
			Determining the extent of change
			Establishing a chain of causality
			Discounting rival hypotheses
			Assessing progress towards impact
		Conclusion
		Postscript, 2020
			From evaluating static long-term goals to evaluating development trajectories
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 7: Assessing progress towards impacts in environmental programmes using the field Review of Outcomes to Impacts methodology
		Impacts in the context of environmental programmes and projects
		The elements of a Theory of Change for environmental interventions
		The field Review of Outcomes to Impacts methodology
			Desk research
			Key informants
				Step 1: Validating project logic
				Step 2: Assessing Intermediate States
				Step 3: Assessing the impact delivery process
			Field investigations
		Reporting of the assessment findings
			Not achieved – (0)
			Poorly achieved – (1)
			Partially achieved – (2)
			Fully achieved – (3)
		Background: the Seychelles Marine Ecosystem Management Project
		The impacts towards which the SEYMEMP would contribute
		Outlining the outcomes–impacts Theory of Change for SEYMEMP
			Evaluating progress against the Theory of Change
		Assessment of progress towards Intermediate State 3: implementation and mainstreaming of enabling marine policies at national and regional levels
			Theory of Change overview
			Theory of Change assessment
				Outcomes
				Impact drivers/external assumptions
			Overview of progress towards Intermediate State 3
		Assessment of progress towards Intermediate State 1: coping mechanisms addressing major threats to marine ecosystems are rolled out nationally 11
			Theory of Change overview
			Overview of progress towards achieving Intermediate State 1
		Assessment of progress towards Intermediate State 2: marine protected area network is being managed effectively to achieve conservation goals
			Theory of Change overview
		Current status of progress towards the intended impacts
		Overall conclusions on progress towards impacts of the SEYMEMP
		Overall conclusions on assessing progress towards impacts in environmental programmes using the field Review of Outcomes to Impacts (ROtI) methodology
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 8: Meta-analysis of climate mitigation evaluations
		Introduction
		Some persistent climate mitigation evaluation questions
		Objective and methodology of the meta-analysis
		Programme logic for climate change mitigation: the Theory of No Change
		The evaluation framework of Tokle and Uitto (2009)
			Evaluation framework
		An abstract description of the potential barrier types
		The stakeholder–barrier matrix
		A mapping tool for barriers and interventions
			The barrier circle
			The intervention circle
			Putting the two together
		Summary and outlook
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 9: A programme theory approach to evaluating normative environmental interventions
		Introduction
		The nature of normative environmental work
		Evaluation approaches
			Discussion of evaluation methods
		Theory-based approaches: causal pathways – theory of change
		Does the linear nature of Theory of Change constrain its validity and application?
		Application of the Theory of Change approach to evaluating normative environmental projects and programmes
			The ‘Synergies Decisions’ of the Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam conventions
			The Global Environment Facility joint geothermal imaging project
		Forest certification: normative work leading to quantified benefits through a regulatory framework
		Programme theory and results-based monitoring and evaluation
		Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of normative work
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 10: From evaluation of joint programmes to joint evaluation of SDGs-ready interventions: Lessons from the Joint GEF-UNDP Evaluation of the Small Grants Programme
		Introduction
		Overview of joint evaluations
		SDGs and joint evaluation
		The joint GEF-UNDP evaluation of the Small Grants Programme
		Lessons from the joint evaluation of the SGP
			#1 Deciding on a joint evaluation
			#2 Partnership arrangements
			#3 Timing
			#4 Management structure
			#5 Scope
			#6 Multidimensional analysis
			#7 Methods and tools
			#8 Reducing multiple messages while multiplying use
		Conclusions
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 11: Evaluating the poverty–environment nexus in Africa
		Background
		Why might poverty and environment be linked in Africa?
		Why evaluate the poverty–environment nexus?
		Scope and method of the poverty–environment nexus evaluation
		Relevance
		Effectiveness
		Efficiency
		Sustainability
		Challenges and limitations
		Findings: country case studies
			Mali
			Morocco
			Rwanda
			The United Republic of Tanzania
		Overall findings: the retrospective
		1. UNDP ’ s focus area structure promotes a ‘silo effect ’ that makes cooperation across sectors difficult.
		2. UNDP ’ s dependence on external funding, especially for environmental activities, reinforces the institutional focus on area-specific work and makes it more difficult to articulate the connections among UNDP priorities.
		3. A systemic impediment to effective integration of poverty and environment in UNDP’s work is the absence of monitoring processes and indicators, which affects both the initiation and the design of programmes and projects and the determination of their
		4. UNDP ’ s efforts to highlight the importance and potential of poverty–environment linkages have been mixed, with significant achievements but considerable variation in direction and priority.
		5. UNDP ’ s cooperation with other institutions on the poverty–environment nexus varies based on opportunities and on the level of interaction between organizations in a particular context.
		6. Country studies and interviews have shown that when nexus issues are recognized as critical to achieving sustainable development, there is strong support to address them in programmes and projects.
		7. There is evidence that positive results at country level can be replicated.
		8. Country-specific circumstances regarding the nexus play a major role in how poverty–environment linkages are understood and addressed.
		Conclusion: the prospect
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 12: Small grants, big impacts: Aggregation challenges
		Introduction
		GEF small grants programme
			SGP structure 2
				Global-level management
				Country-level management
			SGP operational challenges
				Challenge to coordinate country programmes for coherent global objectives
				Tension between community needs and global environmental mandate
		SGP evaluations
		Aggregation challenges: measuring local actions through global lenses
			Focal area-based environmental indicators versus inclusive community development
			Project-based evaluation versus programming approach
			Unit of analysis: community project versus country programme
			Non-environmental impacts of SGP
			Baseline and scale of measurement
			Decentralized operation of SGP versus global aggregation
			Standardization versus diversification
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 13: Green economy performance of environmental initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean
		Introduction
		Methodological framework for assessing green economy performance of environmental initiatives in developing countries
			Evidence-based criteria
			Ecosystem protection
			Economic growth
			Social equity
			Grade system to assess green performance
		Environmental initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean
			Forest: national forestry financing fund in Costa Rica
				Background
				The initiative
				Functioning
			Freshwater: water protection fund, Quito, Ecuador
				Background
				The initiative
				Functioning
			Renewable energy: solar water heaters in Barbados
				Background
				The initiative
			Cities: sustainable urban planning in Curitiba, Brazil
				Background
				The initiative
				Functioning
		Assessment of the initiatives
			Major themes: enabling conditions and financing
				Enabling conditions
				Financing
				Green economy performance
				National forestry financing fund, Costa Rica
				Water protection fund, Quito, Ecuador
				Solar water heaters in Barbados
				Sustainable urban development in Curitiba, Brazil
		Lessons learned and opportunities for improvement
			Strengths
			Weaknesses
			Challenges
			Opportunities
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 14: Evaluating international support for transboundary aquifer management programmes
		Introduction
		Significance of transboundary aquifers
		International community engagement
			International law and conventions
				Official financial flows and international support for water and sanitation
			UN and multilateral agency attention to groundwater and aquifer management
			The global environment facility
		Evaluating GEF transboundary aquifer projects
			Iullemeden aquifer system
			Northwest Sahara
				Guaraní aquifer
			Dinaric Karst aquifer system
			Southern African development community groundwater and drought management project
		Future considerations for transboundary aquifer projects
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 15: Disaster risk management in the SDG era
		Introduction
		Poverty, vulnerability and disaster risk
		National initiatives
		Intergovernmental response
		Approach, data and methods
		UNDP response
		Findings
		Working with national systems
		Addressing multiple and interlinking crises
			Climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction
			Promoting gender equality
			Building local-level capacities
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
	Chapter 16: The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research approach to evaluation of climate change, environment, and natural resource management
		Introduction
		CGIAR and its role in climate change, environment, and natural resource management
		Environmental, climate change, and natural resource management activities in CGIAR: development and sustainability
		Notable examples of CGIAR studies on natural resource management and environmental impacts
		CGIAR approaches to evaluation and impact assessment
			Qualitative and quantitative methods
			Baseline data
			Counterfactuals
			Valuation methods
			The rise of climate change investments and evaluation
		Global context in climate change research and policy
		Evaluation of climate change and CCAFS in the new setting of the CGIAR
		Conclusion
		Notes
		References
Index