What do you need to evaluate social & economic aspects of NRM?
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Regional NRM planning relies on understanding people and how they connect with their environment. Evaluating social and economic impacts of NRM can be challenging due to the number and complexity of factors involved. Thoughtful planning and adequate time and resources are crucial for practical and affordable evaluation.
What information do you need to help start evaluating social and economic aspects of NRM?
You can create a regional social and economic profile that describes the circumstances in which your NRM activity operates. It provides a baseline for comparing the effects of your NRM activity and allows you to identify the characteristics that are important in monitoring changes in your region.
Monitoring and evaluating are different
Monitoring is continuously observing an activity to collect information or data. Evaluating is using all the information collected during and after the monitoring phase to inform yourself about the progress that is being made toward your goals.
What is a social and economic impact evaluation?
In a social and economic impact evaluation, you identify all the groups involved, interested, or affected by NRM in your region, and you consider how your program might have impact (positive and negative). The process recognises the context (biophysical, climatic, social, institutional and political) within which the planning and activities are occurring.
There is no way to be certain whether changes are due to the NRM activity or some other outside influence. Biophysical changes may be related to social and economic changes, but may not be the direct cause. The best you can do is make predictions about how you think your activity will affect the characteristics of a region, and monitor these characteristics for changes.
How can I monitor the effects of NRM activities?
Identify the social and economic indicators that best measure the impact of the NRM activity. Indicators are characteristics that can be seen, counted, or measured. They act as a 'barometer' for the complex conditions you are monitoring. For example, farm debt-to-equity ratio may indicate the ability of a farm to undertake NRM activities.
Once you have selected the most appropriate indicators, you can predict how your activity will influence these indicators. Because indicators are based on data, you can set the level of performance that you expect to achieve.
Monitoring against the selected indicators should help you keep track of changes in the region over time. You can integrate new information into your monitoring and evaluation strategy continuously throughout the lifetime of your activity, not just at the end of the process.
What should I include in an evaluation report?
An evaluation report shows how a project has been delivered in partnership with others; it validates the project, demonstrates openness and accountability, and provides evidence to support the need for additional resources.
You can use evaluation results in communication and outreach material, and distribute it to potential or ongoing project partners to raise the profile of activities.
The report should contain detailed information about the NRM activity, including:
- aims and objectives (how and why they were chosen)
- performance criteria and justification for indicators
- targets
- a description of any processes within the NRM activity (applications, registration, etc)
- methods used to monitor and evaluate:
- what you achieved
- what you learned
- what new information you require
- a list of recommendations for future projects.
Useful resources
- Cavaye, J (2003), Integrating Economic and Social Issues in Regional Natural Resource Management Planning: A Framework for Regional NRM Bodies (PDF, 123 KB)*
- Compiling Regional Social and Economic Profiles: A practical guide for regional NRM bodies in Queensland
- Lockie, S, Lawrence, G, Dale, A and Taylor,B (2002), Capacity for change: testing a model for the inclusion of social indicators in Australia’s National Land and Water Resources Audit, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 45(6), 813-826.
- Monitoring and evaluating incentive mechanisms for NRM: a practical guide for regional NRM bodies
- Stanley, J (2006) Developing social indicators for natural resource management: a practical guide for regional NRM bodies in Queensland
- Stanley, J, Mackenzie, J and Clouston, B (2006) SMART and SPICED: Developing Social and Economic Indicators for Regional Natural Resource Management
Related topics
- Why monitor and evaluate the social and economic aspects of NRM?
- How do you choose indicators to measure social and economic changes?
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Last updated 23 April 2009