2A. Develop a Formal Action Plan: Results Chains Conservation Coaches Network Workshop Presentation
Dec 17, 2015
Adaptive Management Workshop Presentations
1A-1B. Team, Scope, Vision1B. Conservation Targets1B. Viability Assessment
2A-1. Strategy Selection2A-2. Results Chains2A-3. Goals and Objectives
2B. Monitoring Plan
1C. Threat Rating
1D. Conceptual Models
This Presentation
• What is a Results Chain• How to Develop Results Chains• Examples• How Project Teams Have Used Results Chains
Results Chains
What is a Results Chain?
A tool for documenting a team’s “theory of change,” describing how a strategy will lead to conservation success
Results Chains
What is a Results Chain?
A diagram of a series of “if…then” causal statements that:
• Defines how a project team thinks a strategy will contribute to reducing a threat or restoring a target
• Focuses on the achievement of results – not the execution of activities
• Is composed of assumptions that can be tested
Results Chains
What is a Results Chain?
Strategy
Impact on Target
Goal
The Basic Components of a Results Chain:
Results Chains
What is a Results Chain?
Result(Direct Threat)
Result
Strategy
Objective Objective
Impact on Target
Goal
The Basic Components of a Results Chain:
Impact of actions
achieved/ Viability
maintained
DirectThreat
ObjectiveAchieved
Contributing factor
addressed or opportunityachieved
Strategic action
implemented
Results Chains
Why Results Chains?
• Document assumptions • Define how activities will contribute
to achieving results• Formulate measures of success
Results Chains
Situation Analysis vs. Results Chains
Situation Analyses:– Shows the situation today helps us to
illuminate points of intervention and identify strategies
Results Chains:– Starts with selected strategies and helps to
illuminate the assumptions leading to the desired results
Results Chains
Achieving Success
Accurate Results Chain
Well executed project
Desired resultsused todesign
leads to
Accurate Results Chain
Poorly executed project
Desired resultsdoes not lead to
Inaccurate Results Chain
Well executed project
Desired resultsdoes not lead to
Inaccurate Results Chain
Poorly executed project
Desired resultsdoes not lead to
SUCCESS!
THEORY FAILURE
PROGRAM FAILURE
TOTAL FAILURE!!!
used todesign
used todesign
used todesign
Results Chains
What Happens When We Make False Assumptions?
Training Fly Fishing Guides in Bocas del Toro, Panama
Results Chains
Underlying Project Assumptions
The project team assumed:• If we train local fishermen as fly fishing guides and we give them fly
fishing gear, then they will have the skills and gear to be guides
• If they have the skills and gear, then they will work as fly fishing guides
• If they are able to work as fly fishing guides, then they will increase their income
• If they have increased income, they will not need to fish so much and there will be less unsustainable fishing practices
• If there are less unsustainable fishing practices, then the coral reef ecosystem will be more conserved.
Unsustainable Fishing
Reduced
Increased income
Local Fishermen Work as Guides
Local Fishermen Have Skills & Gear to Be
Guides
Train Local Fishermen as
Fly Fishing Guides
Coral Reef EcosystemX
Results Chains
Underlying Project Assumptions
What else did the fishermen need to become fly fishing guides?
• Clients – tourists and tourism operators needed to know about the fly fishing guides
• English speaking skills
• Etc.
Unsustainable Fishing
Reduced
Increased income
Local Fishermen Work as Guides
Local Fishermen Have Skills & Gear to Be
Guides
Train Local Fishermen as
Fly Fishing Guides
Coral Reef Ecosystem
Tourists hire guides
Tourists & tour operators
know about guides
X
Results Chains
This Presentation
• What is a Results Chain• How to Develop Results Chains• Examples• How Project Teams Have Used Results Chains
Results Chains
One Way to Develop a Results Chain
1. Construct an initial results chain
2. Complete the links in the results chain
3. Verify that your results chain meets criteria of a good results chain
4. Add activities to show how your specific actions (activities) will contribute to achieving your results
Results Chains
Our Example – Swan Coastal Plain Wetlands
Adapted from WWF Australia’s WeltlandsWatch Project
Results Chains
A Chain From the Model Allows You to…
Results Chains
In Miradi, select the direct threat, right-click & select “Create Results Chain”
3. Review the Criteria for Good Results Chains
• Results oriented: Boxes contain desired results (e.g., reduction of hunting), and not activities (e.g., conduct a study).
• Connected in a “causal” manner: There are clear connections of “if…then” between each pair of successive boxes.
Results Chains
3. Review the Criteria for Good Results Chains
• Demonstrates change: Each box describes how you hope the relevant factor will change (e.g., improve, increase, or decrease).
Results Chains
3. Review the Criteria for Good Results Chains
• Relatively complete: There are sufficient boxes to construct logical connections but not so many that the chain becomes overly complex.
• Simple: There is only one result per box.
Results Chains
4. Add Activities
Activity: A specific action or set of tasks undertaken by project staff and/or partners to reach one or more objectives.
Define activities to accomplish your strategy and add them onto the results chain
Results Chains
Activities in Miradi
Select this to show main activities on the results chain
If you have a lot of activities, don’t clutter the results chain with all of them. Keep some hidden.
Results Chains
Other Ways to Develop a Results Chain
Promote development of
legal instruments for grassland
protection
No new agricultural
expansion in grasslands
Desert Grassland
ecosystems maintained
Steps:1)Place strategy, target and threat reduction result2)Build the chain, either:
• Right to left, defining what needs to be done to reduce the threat
• Left to right, defining desired results of the strategy
• Brainstorming results and then linking them (as in this example)
Results Chains
Promote development of
legal instruments for grassland
protection
No new agricultural
expansion in grasslands
Land use change petitions in critical
grasslands refused
New water concessions in
grasslands refused
Desert Grassland
ecosystems maintained
Other Ways to Develop a Results Chain
Results Chains
Government recognizes
importance of grasslands & need for revising regulations
Promote development of
legal instruments for grassland
protection
No new agricultural
expansion in grasslands
Land use change petitions in critical
grasslands refusedStricter criteria
developed for grassland mgmt
& protection New water concessions in
grasslands refused
Desert Grassland
ecosystems maintained
Other Ways to Develop a Results Chain
Results Chains
Government recognizes
importance of grasslands & need for revising regulations
Promote development of
legal instruments for grassland
protection
No new agricultural
expansion in grasslands
Land use change petitions in critical
grasslands refused
Enforcement of refused petitions
Stricter criteria developed for
grassland mgmt & protection New water
concessions in grasslands
refused
Enforcement of refused water concessions
Desert Grassland
ecosystems maintained
Other Ways to Develop a Results Chain
Results Chains
What is NOT a Results Chain?
It is not an implementation flow diagram…
Results chains focus on
the achievement of results
not the implementation of activities
Results Chains
Your Turn: Which of the Following is NOT a Results Chain?
Community capacity building
for forest resource management
Greater indigenous knowledge about rights
More control of & vigilance over external
actors
More illegal wood
confiscated
Less illegal selective logging
in indigenous communities
Primary forest
conserved
Increased permanence of agricultural
occupation
Farmers implement sustainable
agriculture methodsMore
permanent crops
Increased yields
Promotion of sustainable agriculture
Coastal forests
conserved
Miombo woodland conserved
Lobbying of government for
stronger regulations
Jaguar populations increased
Identify key decision makers
Educate decision makers
Decision makers pass
laws
Research & develop
regulations
No wildlife trade
Less conversion of
forest to agriculture
A.
B.
C.
Results Chains
This Presentation
• What is a Results Chain• How to Develop Results Chains• Examples• How Project Teams Have Used Results Chains
Results Chains
Your Turn: Add the Missing Result
Promotion of certified timber
harvesting
Montane forest
diversity maintained
Loggers knowledgeable
about certification
Loggers view certified
market as profitable
More sustainable
harvesting of timber
?
Results Chains
Your Turn: Add the Missing Result
Promotion of certified timber
harvesting
Montane forest
diversity maintained
Loggers knowledgeable
about certification
Loggers view certified
market as profitable
More sustainable
harvesting of timber
Loggers use certified
harvesting methods
Your Turn: Create a Results Chain Using the Following Results
StrategyTarget Impact
(Result 4)
Result 1a
Result 1b
Result 2Direct Threat
Result (3)
Citizens eradicate invasive plants
Healthy native wetland vegetation
Citizens have skills to eradicate invasive plants
Train citizens to eradicate invasive plants
Citizens knowledgeable of local invasive plants
Invasive plants decreased
Results Chains
Your Turn: Create a Results Chain Using the Following Results
Train citizens to eradicate
invasive plants
Target Impact
(Result 4)
Result 1a
Result 1b
Result 2Direct Threat
Result (3)
Citizens eradicate invasive plants
Healthy native wetland vegetation
Citizens have skills to eradicate invasive plants
Citizens knowledgeable of local invasive plants
Invasive plants decreased
Results Chains
Your Turn: Create a Results Chain Using the Following Results
Train citizens to eradicate
invasive plants
Target Impact
(Result 4)
Citizens knowledgeable of local invasive
plants
Citizens have skills to
eradicate invasive plants
Result 2Direct Threat
Result (3)
Citizens eradicate invasive plants
Healthy native wetland vegetation
Invasive plants decreased
Results Chains
Your Turn: Create a Results Chain Using the Following Results
Train citizens to eradicate
invasive plants
Target Impact
(Result 4)
Citizens knowledgeable of local invasive
plants
Citizens have skills to
eradicate invasive plants
Citizens eradicate invasive plants
Direct Threat Result (3)
Healthy native wetland vegetation
Invasive plants decreased
Results Chains
Your Turn: Create a Results Chain Using the Following Results
Train citizens to eradicate
invasive plants
Healthy native
wetland vegetation
Citizens knowledgeable of local invasive
plants
Citizens have skills to
eradicate invasive plants
Citizens eradicate invasive plants
Invasive plants
decreased
Results Chains
This Presentation
• What is a Results Chain• How to Develop Results Chains• Examples• How Project Teams Have Used Results
Chains
Results Chains
How Teams Have Used Results Chains
• To discuss and refine their theories of change• To be realistic about the time required to achieve
results• To recognize when NOT to implement a strategy
Results Chains
Refine Theories of Change
Less conversion of forest to ag
Higher quality brazil nut
Higher income
?
Brazil nut mgmt plan
Mgmt plans implemented
Brazil nut forest
conserved
Adapted from WWF Southwest Amazon Ecoregion (SWA)
Results Chains
Refine Theories of Change
Less conversion of forest to ag
Higher quality brazil nut
Higher income
Local people committed to forest mgmt
Brazil nut mgmt plan
Mgmt plans implemented
Brazil nut forest
conserved
Adapted from WWF Southwest Amazon Ecoregion (SWA)
Results Chains
Refine Theories of Change
Greater recognition of
forest’s economic value
Less conversion of forest to ag
Higher quality brazil nut
Higher income
Local people committed to forest mgmt
Higher quality of life
Brazil nut mgmt plan
Mgmt plans implemented
Brazil nut forest
conserved
Adapted from WWF Southwest Amazon Ecoregion (SWA)
Results Chains
Refine Theories of Change
Higher quality brazil nut
Higher income
Brazil nut mgmt plan
More people buy cattle (as
savings)
More conversion of
forest to pasture
Mgmt plans implemented
Less Brazil Nut Forest
Adapted from WWF Southwest Amazon Ecoregion (SWA)
Results Chains
Refine Theories of Change
Greater recognition of
forest’s economic value
Less conversion of forest to ag
Higher quality brazil nut
Higher income
Local people committed to forest mgmt
Higher quality of life
Brazil nut mgmt plan
More people buy cattle (as
savings)
More conversion of
forest to pasture
Mgmt plans implemented
Brazil nut forest
conserved
Less Brazil Nut Forest
Adapted from WWF Southwest Amazon Ecoregion (SWA)
Results Chains
Be Realistic About Time Required to Achieve Results
Greater recognition of
forest’s economic value
Less conversion of forest to ag
Higher quality brazil nut
Higher income
Local people committed to forest mgmt
Higher quality of life
Brazil nut mgmt plan
Mgmt plans implemented
Brazil nut forest
conserved
Objective 2010
Objective 2012
Objective 2007
Goal 2014Objective 2012
Adapted from WWF Southwest Amazon Ecoregion (SWA)
Results Chains
Recognizing When NOT To Implement a Strategy
Less Conversion of Forest to Agriculture
Promote marketable cash
crops
Increased permanence
of agric occupation
Increased income
Model widely implemented
by gov’tMore
permanent crops
Increased yields
Farmer will not convert more land
Pilot model of sustainable agriculture Coastal
Forests
Miombo Woodland
Should we invest in sustainable agriculture?
Adapted from Eastern African Coastal Forests Ecoregion (EACFE)
Results Chains