Guidelines for monitoring and evaluation for biodiversity projects

Abstract

Biodiversity projects are designed on the assumption that project interventions will lead to conservation of key biological resources. Monitoring and evaluation are the primary mechanisms to assess whether a project is meeting its targets and objectives. These guidelines are intended primarily to assist World Bank task teams and consultants in the design and implementation of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) plans for biodiversity conservation projects or projects with biodiversity components. It is hoped that they may also serve as useful reference materials for government agencies, non-governmental organizations and others involved in the design, implementation or evaluation of biodiversity projects. M&E plans are mandatory for all Bank projects. They must be developed as integral elements of projects to provide information on whether project interventions are successful in achieving project objectives and on how social, economic, political and institutional factors are affecting project performance. Monitoring and evaluation for biodiversity projects involves two kinds of indicators: implementation performance indicators (project inputs and outputs) and project impact indicators (project impact on biodiversity). These guidelines focus primarily on the latter (impact indicators).