Salafsky web enabled wildlife action plans

Some Keys to Web-EnablingState Wildlife Action Plans

Business Processesand Technical Tools

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Overview of this Presentation

1. CMP Open Standards & Adaptive Management2. Applying the Open Standards to CA SWAP Revision3. Biz Processes and IT Tools Required to Web Enable

SWAP Revisions

About Foundations of Success

Our Structure• Non-profit organizationOur Mission• To improve the practice of conservationOur Strategy• Work with practitioners of all kinds to improve the

design, management, monitoring, and learning from conservation projects and programs

We don’t implement conservation projects, we make our partners’ conservation projects better!

CMP The Conservation Measures Partnership:Leading Conservation Organizations

CMP Wildlife & Habitat ConservationProjects Come In All Shapes and Sizes

1. Managing a wildlife refuge2. A State Wildlife Grant (SWG)-funded action3. A range-wide management plan for the Reddish Egret4. Revisions to a State Wildlife Action Plan

CMP Research On Over 220 MeasuresSystems in Different Fields

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Business &Mngmt

Education &Soc Serv

InternationalDvlpmt

Public Health& Pop

Envt &Conservation

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CMP Business & ManagementFamily Tree

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EFFECTI VENESSACCOUNTI NG & CERTI FICATION

Balanced Scorecard

Cost Accounting

Activity Based Costing

Double-EntryBookkeeping

Engineering Standards

Auditing by Accountants

Process Certification

Scientific Mngmt

Total Quality Mngmt Managing for

Results

Six Sigma

Process Reengineering

Performance Benchmarking

Learning Organization

Community of Practice

Outcome Evaluation

Operations Research

Reflective Practice

Social Learning

STATUS ASSESSMENT

Stock Market Index

Economic Production

Econ Welfare Indicators Outcome

Evaluation

Accounting Standards

BenchmarkingChaordic Systems

CMP

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EFFECTI VENESSACCOUNTI NG & CERTI FICATION

STATUS ASSESSMENT

External Summative Evaluations

Participatory Formative

Evaluations

Project Cycle Based

Monitoring

Need to Integrate Measuring Effectivenessinto an Iterative Project Cycle

CMP Status Question:How are Species and Ecosystems Doing?

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CMP Effectiveness Question:Are Our Actions Leading to Desired Results?

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CMP Similar Concepts, Different Words

CMP AWF CI TNC WCS WWFBiodiv Targets

Focal Targets

Conserv Outcomes

Focal Conserv Targets

Landscape Species

Long-Term Goals

Threats Threats Pressures Threats Threats Threats

Objectives Milestones Objectives Targets Project Targets

CMP Conservation Measures Partnership’s Open Standards

• Developed by leading orgs & agencies

• Draws on many fields• Open source &

common language• Used around the world

• Lakes Ontario & Huron• State Wildlife Agencies• Swedish National Parks• Donor Funding Programs• Academic Training

CMP The Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation


1. CMP Open Standards & Adaptive Management2. Applying the Open Standards to CA SWAP Revision

California DFW Using Open Standards toRevise State Wildlife Action Plan

Define Project Scope:A Focus on Key Planning Units

• ~30 Terrestrial Ecoregions• ~20 HUC 4s for Freshwater• ~5 Marine Study Regions

Step 1

Step 1Define Who is OnYour Project Team

SWAP Management Team

Technical Team

Terrestrial/Aquatic/Marine Teams (with outside stakeholders)

Public Review

Step 1Develop Conceptual ModelOf Your System






Step 1Need to Ensure Standard“Roll-Upable” Terms Across Units

Step 2Plan Actions and Monitoring

Step 3Implement Actions & Monitoring

Step 4Analyze, Use, Adapt:Think About Key Questions

Examples of Key Questions that CDFW Folks Have Identified:Search and Query- All projects that have mountain lion as a targetProgress Reports- All projects that are behind schedule for monitoringFrequency Analyses- Logging is a high rated threat in 12 out of 20 ecoregions (60%)Descriptive & Comparative Stats- The average mountain lion pop is 30 ± 7 individualsSummative Analyses- See summary of objectives example

Step 5Capture & Share Learning:Start with Desired End Report

Timeline for OverallRevision Process

Timeline for OverallRevision Process

Key Lessons from CaliforniaSWAP Revision Process

Training in Open Standards Required• Find a few “power-users” to guide others

Big decisions for SWAP (and database)• Geographic units• Targets (systems-level vs SGCN)• Taxonomies (authority tables)• Level of detail

Needed to pilot test the processNeed data systems to roll-up individual Miradi files and enforce standardization across units


1. CMP Open Standards & Adaptive Management2. Applying the Open Standards to CA SWAP Revision3. Biz Processes and IT Tools Required to Web Enable

SWAP Revisions

What Processes and IT ToolsAre Needed to Web Enable SWAP Revisions?

+ Common biz processes across key units

CMP Open Standards One Exampleof a Common Biz Process

• ~30 Terrestrial Ecoregions• ~20 HUC 4s for Freshwater• ~5 Marine Study Regions

+ Common biz processes across key units+ Relevant training and outreach tools


Guidance and Training to Supportthe Open Standards

Training Courses & Coaches

Conservation Coaches Network:

270 Coaches 59 Countries

+ Common biz processes across key units+ Relevant training and outreach tools+ Standard nomenclature & indicators


We Need Standard Terms to Describe Conservation

• Cows?• Cattle?• Livestock?• Grazing?• Ranching?

DirectThreats

BiodiversityTargets

IndirectThreats

Oppor-tunities

affectdriveaffectProjectTeams employ Actions

Two Independent SystemsHave Now Been Unified

IUCN Red ListAuthority Files

CMPTaxonomies

Unified GlobalClassifications

Classifications are Now “Peer Reviewed” Global Standard

Measuring the Effectiveness of State Wildlife Grants and

Wildlife Action Plans

List of Actions

1. Land Protection2. Data Collection/Surveys3. Outreach to Key Resource Users4. Species Restoration 5. Management Planning6. Create New Habitat/Natural Processes7. Conservation Area Designation8. Training and Technical Assistance9. Land Use Planning10. Environmental Review11. Direct Management

Species RestorationDefinition of

ActionExamples

“Generic” Results Chain

Std Objectives

Std Measures

Measures Collection

CMP Final Report Available

www.fishwildlife.org

http://www.fishwildlife.org/

+ Common biz processes across key units+ Relevant training and outreach tools+ Standard nomenclature & indicators+ Software guidance & standard data collection


FOS, CMP & Benetech CreateMiradi Desktop Software

CMPThe Conservation Measures Partnership

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Adaptive Management Software for Conservation Projects

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“Turbo Tax” for Conservation

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Step-by-Step Interview

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Miradi Enables Standard Data Collection For Individual Projects

+ Common biz processes across key units+ Relevant training and outreach tools+ Standard nomenclature & indicators+ Software guidance & standard data collection+ Databases to find, analyze & roll-up project info


Definition of Conservation Project

A defined group of practitioners working to achieve agreed upon conservation goals using one or more strategies.

Direct Threats

BiodiversityTargets

Indirect Threats

Oppor-tunities

affectdriveaffectProjectTeams employ

Conservation Strategy


Definition of Conservation Program

A related group of sibling conservation projects designed to achieve overarching goals and objectives. A program is both a high level “project” in its own right and a parent to its child projects.

Direct Threats

BiodiversityTargets

Indirect Threats

Oppor-tunities




Direct Threats

BiodiversityTargets

Indirect Threats

Oppor-tunities




Direct Threats

BiodiversityTargets

Indirect Threats

Oppor-tunities




ProgramTeam

Biodiversity Targets

Program Managers define building blocks to set program framework

Project Managers use building blocks to define,

manage and monitor individual projects within

overall program

Agency/Org Leaders analyze and review combined project

data to drive adaptive mngmt Funders

regularly receive consolidated reports showing investment

results

Miradi Share

Miradi Share

Miradi Projects

Online Adaptive Management & LearningAcross Conservation Programs

Practitioners find similar projects and

learn from them

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How Can We WorkCollaboratively On a Miradi File?

How Do We Standardize DataAcross Projects In Our Program??

1. Manual Code Books2. Generic/Archetypal Chains3. Template “Lego Set” Miradi Fields4. Custom Authority Files/Validation Rules

How Do We AnalyzeProjects within a Program?

Search and Query- All projects that have mountain lion as a componentProgress Reports- All projects that are behind schedule for monitoringFrequency Analyses- Logging is a high rated threat in 12 out of 20 sites (60%)Descriptive & Comparative Stats- The average mountain lion pop is 30 ± 7 individualsSummative Analyses- See summary of objectives example

How Do We AnalyzeProjects within a Program?

Potential to Directly Interface with Wildlife TRACS’s Spatial Capabilities

Projects and specific factors (e.g. targets, threats, strategies)

can all have a spatial footprint to enable GIS analyses

Lower Level Project Data: Equal to 100 m Detailed View

Rolled Up Program DataEqual to 10,000 m View

Web-Enabling Info Also Bring in Potential for 2-Way Citizen Science

Check out ebird for what could be!!

http://ebird.org/content/ebird/?cat=12

http://ebird.org/content/ebird/?cat=12

If We Create a Culture of Data Sharing…

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+ Common biz processes across key units+ Relevant training and outreach tools+ Standard nomenclature & indicators+ Software guidance & standard data collection+ Databases to find, analyze & roll-up project info

= Ingredients for Web-Enabled SWAP Revisions... …and ultimately, More Effective Conservation


Straw Definition of Web-Enabling SWAPs

Using web-based tools to more efficiently develop and communicate State Wildlife Action Plans.

Key Lessons for Web Enabling SWAPs

• Start with underlying biz processes• Understand ultimate audiences and their info needs• Define both project and program scales• Invest in common structures/lexicons• Technology must ultimately follow (but can inform)

the underlying biz processes• Use / bring together existing tech platforms• Coaching, training, and management is critical• Use the web to both collect and communicate our work• This is hard – but we cannot afford not to do it!!

Straw Definition of Web-Enabling SWAPs

Definition: Using web-based tools to more efficiently develop and communicate State Wildlife Action Plans. Key Lessons• Start with underlying biz processes• Understand ultimate audiences and their info needs• Define both project and program scales• Invest in common structures/lexicons• Technology must ultimately follow (but can inform)

the underlying biz processes• Use / bring together existing tech platforms• Coaching, training, and management is critical• Use the web to both collect and communicate our work• This is hard – but we cannot afford not to do it!!

More Information

FOSonline.org

[email protected]

ConservationMeasures.org

Miradi.org

MiradiShare.org

CMP

Free TrialTM

http://www.fosonline.org/

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.conservationmeasures.org/

http://www.miradishare.org/

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Miradi Enables StrongStandard Reporting

Management Plan

CAP workbook

Annual workplans & budgets

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Communicate

Analyse, Adapt Implement

Plan

Conceptualise

Finance System

Miradi Enables StrongStandard Reporting

The “Burden of Proof” Depends on Risks,Costs, and Timeframe for Decision Making

Generally Invest More in Measures When:• Stakes are high (high cost of error or inaction)• Potential to leverage learning• Costs of measures are low relative to actions

MarislaFoundation

PackardFoundation

Conservation Needs toKeep Up With Other Priorities

ConservationWorthy Cause A Worthy Cause B

The Power of Measuring EffectivenessThe Bell Curve: Treating Cystic Fibrosis

A Surprise – The Best Get BetterIt’s the centers in the top quartile that are improving fastest….they are at risk of breaking away. What the best may have, above all, is a capacity to learn and adapt – and to do so faster than everyone else.

The Bell Curve Leads to Uncomfortable Questions Will being in the bottom half be used against doctors in lawsuits? Will we be expected to tell our patients how we score? Will our patients leave us? Will those at the bottom be paid less than those at the top? The answer to all these questions is likely yes.

PoorBelowAvg

AboveAvg Best

Distribution of CFTreatment

Center Success