Evidence-based conservation: lessons from the Lower Mekong

Terry Sunderland

Tree cover transitions and investment in a multicolored economy

CIFOR, Bogor 13th March 2013

• Considerable gap between science of conservation biology and implementation of biodiversity projects

• Science is often failing to inform conservation practice which remains more “experience-based”

• Main constraint is poor reporting at ground level and thus accessibility of evidence on effectiveness of differing interventions is limited

• Evidence-based approaches modelled on systematic reviews being applied in wide range of policy arenas, including conservation

Background

• “Losing less and winning more: Building capacity to go beyond the trade-offs between conservation and development in the Lower Mekong” (funded by MacArthur Foundation, 2006-2010)

• Project goal: “To enable organisations working on the ground in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam to achieve better biodiversity and human well-being outcomes of their projects”

• Evolved into more comprehensive systematic review of landscape-scale integrated conservation and development projects (ICDPs) in Lower Mekong

A response

THINKING beyond the canopy

Study region

• The Lower Mekong – biodiversity hotspot of global significance

• Major threats: habitat loss, infrastructure development, land grabbing, wildlife trade

• Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam (15 sites):

• Forested landscapes (> 10,000 ha)

• History of conservation intervention in previous 7-10 years

• Difficulty justifying protectionist approaches alone

• Inclusion of poverty alleviation strategies

• Integrated Conservation and Development Project (ICDP) approach introduced in the 1980s

• Integrated approaches focus on PA’s but in the context of the wider landscape (buffer zone)

• Previous studies of these missed the “landscape” context

• Very little critical analysis of ICDPs in the Lower Mekong

• What strategies have contributed to the achievements of landscape scale integrated conservation and development projects in the countries of the Lower Mekong?

Context

Research

• Landscape trends and threats analysis

• ICDP comparison (multi-variate analysis, qualitative assessment of outcomes) = analysis of organisational strategies

• Governance and policy review

• Land cover change

• Potential for rewards mechanisms (PES, REDD+)

• “Best practice” for integrating conservation and development

Threats analysis

ICDP Comparison: what do projects actually do?

Governance and policy review

• Plethora of global, regional and national conventions, laws, regulations

• On paper, extremely comprehensive

• In practice, effectiveness limited by low capacity, low budgets and competing land claims

Land cover change

• Surprisingly, majority of protected areas experiencing low levels of deforestation and tree cover loss

• HOWEVER, significant degradation outside of PA’s

Potential for reward mechanisms (PES, REDD+)

• PES is seen as a “win-win” for conservation and development

• Strong legislative framework for PES (e.g. Vietnam)

• Implementation is complex and beneficiaries often unclear

• None of the sites surveyed have established PES schemes

• Thus potential for REDD+ is uncertain

• Much to learn from the past (e.g. ICDPs), especially conditionality

Project implementation “best practice”

THINKING beyond the canopy

The evidence base

• Projects are very sensitive to perceived evaluation

• Tendency for projects to over-report success

• Very little or no actual monitoring of any sort

• Trade-offs rather than win-win scenarios are more commonly experienced

• The term “ICDP” has been applied far less; landscapes are now point of reference

• Much to learn from ICDP-type initiatives for PES/REDD+, e.g. community engagement, policy processes

• Shared learning very important to avoid repeated failures

THINKING beyond the canopy

Recommendations

• Projects with clear and plausible goals and objectives from the start have better outcomes

• Stakeholder participation and partnerships are critical

• Projects must be implemented with a full understanding of policy processes

• Provide alternative livelihoods and understand linkages

• Greater integration at landscape scale

• Longer-term time scales = better outcomes

THINKING beyond the canopy

Read more…

Sunderland, T., J. Sayer & H. Minh-Ha. 2013. Evidence-based conservation: lessons from the Lower Mekong. Earthscan from Routledge, London

Evidence-based Conservation Lessons from the Lower Mekong

Edited by Terry C.H. Sunderland, Jeffrey Sayer and Hoang Minh-Ha

About the book

There is a considerable gap between the science of conservation biology and

the design and execution of biodiversity conservation projects in the field.

Science is often failing to inform the practice of conservation, which remains

largely experience-based. The main reason is the poor accessibility of

evidence on the effectiveness of different interventions. This is the basis for

this book adopting an 'evidence-based approach', modeled on the

systematic reviews used in health sciences and now being applied to many

policy arenas.

The book brings together a series of case studies, written by field

practitioners, that provides the evidence-base for evaluating how effective

conservation and poverty alleviation strategies can be better implemented.

A series of systematic reviews uses experiences and data from fifteen

integrated conservation and development projects conducted in the Lower

Mekong region, specifically in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. They provide

wide-ranging overviews of the effectiveness of protected areas and how

innovative tools and methods for monitoring and evaluation can be utilised

for more effective outcomes. Results are in the form of management and

policy recommendations, based on the quality of evidence and the cost-utility of the intervention. By bridging the gap

between field practice and conservation, the analysis should lead to more effective integrated conservation and

development interventions. The book represents one of the first attempts to apply the evidence-based approach to

conservation and development.

About the authors

Terry Sunderland is a Senior Scientist in the Livelihoods Programme at the Centre for International Forestry Research

(CIFOR), Indonesia.

Jeffrey Sayer is Professor of Development Practice at James Cook University, Cairns, Australia.

Hoang Minh-Ha is a Senior Scientist with the World Agroforestry Centre, based in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Table of contents

Section 1: Introduction 1. Introduction: Evidence-Based Conservation from the Lower Mekong Section 2: Experiences from the Field: Lessons Learned in the Implementation of Integrated Conservation and Development Projects 2.Cat Tien National Park 3. Song Thanh Nature Reserve 4. Bach Ma National Park 5. Tam Dao National Park 6. Van Ban Nature Reserve Laos 7. Nam Et-Phou Louey National Protected Area 8. Nam Kading National Protected Area 9. Nakai-Nam Theun National Protected Area 10. Dong Hoa Sao Biodiversity Corridor Cambodia 11. Mondulkiri Protected Forest 12. Seima Biodiversity Conservation Area 13. Central Cardamoms Protected Forest 14. Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary 15. Virchey National Park Section 3: Analysis of Conservation and Development Initiatives in the Lower Mekong 16. Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs): Design and Best Practice 17. Organisational Strategies for More Effective Conservation 18. Policy and Governance Analysis in the Lower Mekong 19. Navigating Trade-offs Between Conservation and Development 20. Land-cover Change in the Lower Mekong and an Assessment of Protected Area Effectiveness 21. Threats and Conservation Actions in the Lower Mekong 22. Alternative Conservation Approaches and Reward Mechanisms: Opportunities for Payments for Environmental Services 23. Pro-poor PES: a Case Study from Vietnam 24. Getting REDD to Work Locally: Lessons Learned from Integrated Conservation and Development Projects Section 4: Conclusions and Recommendations 25. Lessons learned: Integrated Conservation and Development in the Lower Mekong

May 2012|288 pages| Hardback 978-1-84971-394-8| £60.00 £48.00

20% LAUNCH DISCOUNT – enter code AF20 online at www.routledge.com