Disengaging from Darwin Initiative Funding FSC Experience James Hindson Head of Field Studies Council Environmental Education Unit.

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

James HindsonHead of Field Studies Council Environmental Education Unit

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

1. What is this presentation about..?

• Sustainability • Exit Strategy

FSC Darwin Initiative Projects

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

2. And the context of the is…

• The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment• “This Report is essentially an audit of nature’s

economy and the audit shows that we have driven most of the accounts into the red”Jonathan Lash WRI

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

3. So..who are we?

• Field Studies Council• Bringing Environmental Understanding to All• Manage Seventeen Education Centres in the UK• Runs courses for over 75000 students each year• Run specific biodiversity related courses in the

UK• Produce Biodiversity publications – BES

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

4. And.. why do we do Darwin Projects?

• One of the five FSC Strategic Objectives is -“To reach a Global Community”

• We have a solution - The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment - What can we do about it? “Influence individual behaviour including provide public education and give access to information”

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

6. Our Darwin projects • Practical Training in the production of user friendly

keys for non specialists from tropical Asia countries - Third Round

• Setting up a Fresh Water Monitoring Programme for assessment of improved water quality in Vietnam – Fifth Round

• Training NGOs to introduce biodiversity education into projects with local communities in NE India - Fifth Round – with Centre for Environment Education India

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

• Coral Reef Biodiversity in the Caribbean – schools and resources project – Sixth Round

• Schools and Community Monitoring and Protecting Biodiversity in Slovakia – Eighth Round – with the Slovak Agency for Nature Protection (SAZP)

• School Green Land – Community Biodiversity Awareness in Kyrgyzstan – Tenth Round

• Supporting the Development of Nature Conservation Education in Bulgaria – Eleventh Round.

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

7. FSC Darwin projects characteristics

• Biodiversity Education – Education to Conservation• Training of Trainers and those delivering education

to teachers, NGOs, communities• Production of training and learning resources• Include a practical component to demonstrate that

the learning has worked.• Create systems to ensure continuation and ongoing

application of learning

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

8. What do we mean by Sustainability?

• Continuation of Outputs - for example – education materials continue to be used

• Continuation of Outcomes - for example – new materials are written using skills developed during the Darwin project

• Continued enhancement of biodiversity• Demonstrating sustainability through the project

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

9. Questions?

• Do we have evidence for Sustainability?

• How can we get evidence of Sustainability?

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

10. India• Training NGOs to introduce biodiversity education

into projects with local communities in NE India• Outputs – 10 people trained, a Train the Trainers

Package, 1000 people involved in 50 small scale biodiversity protection projects, raised awareness through the media

• Outcomes – continued delivery of biodiversity training by CEE, The development of further packages for different groups by CEE, The continued integration of biodiversity protection into NGO projects in NE India

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

11. India - some details• Continued delivery of biodiversity training by

CEE, For example, CEE now manages to the UNDP SGS on Biodiversity Conservation - with a training component, was a lead Agency for the development of India's Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

• The development of further packages for different groups by CEE, For example CEE NE has produced Nature Guide on Biodiversity and Environment, CEE Central have produced a Biodiversity manual in Hindi

• The continued integration of biodiversity protection into NGO projects in NE India – "All NGO partners still exist" for example Environment Society of Nagaland have created a 70 square km forest reserve near the village of Khonoma

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

12. Slovakia• Outputs – 1000 sets biodiversity monitoring kits,

a national data base of 10 indicator species, 100 small scale projects, team of 10 trainers, trained teachers in 500 schools, training materials, international dissemination workshop, funds raised

• Outcomes – continued use of materials by schools, commitment to repeat the national survey within five years, continued use of team capacity within SAZP, continuation of small scale projects within Village Renewal Project.

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

13. Slovakia – some more details• Keys are now in a third edition• The Ziva Priroda project is now an programme in

Slovak Agency for Nature Protection (SAZP)• There are plans to repeat the national schools

biodiversity survey• The ZP project inspired the creation of a web

portal for biodiversity• 50% schools continuing the smalls scale projects• All the team continuing training work

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

14. Sustainability• What has been sustained well?

Continued use of resources produced – especially by teachersContinued use of enhanced capacity by both trainers and teachers in current work and in new projects."Attachment" to Darwin Initiative

• What has been sustained but perhaps not so well?Application of new process and systems

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

15. And what are the Key factors - why has sustainability happened?

• Are the partners in country doing the project for the same reasons as you?Sometimes a difference of emphasis of outputs and outcomes and occasionally fundamental philosophy

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

• Are the partners willing to change the way they do things to ensure sustainability?Sometimes projects are seen as adding to what is done already rather than changing what is done.

• Are the partners willing to fund any changes to processes and systems?But understandably difficult to get any guarantees – especially before a project can demonstrate success.

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

• Are we working with the right people to ensure sustainability?Are the right stakeholders involved in the project right from the start?

• Do the partners really have the capacity to ensure sustainability?Are we placing too much reliance on formal training and not enough on coaching, mentoring and longer term partnerships.

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

16. Successful Exit Strategies ?• Start at the very beginning• Don’t bite off more than your partners can chew• Appropriate training methods and process• Reduce the input and support• Monitoring to ensure a successful exit is

possible• Trust the commitment• Build the ownership• Long term partnerships

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

16. How can the FSC improve?• Plan the project face to face• Through this process check for understanding,

commitment and sustainability• Get financial agreements!• Work with the right people.

Disengaging from Darwin Initiative FundingFSC Experience

James [email protected]