Constructing Conservation Impact: Understanding Monitoring and Evaluation in Conservation NGOs

Wahlén, Catherine Benson

doi:10.4103/0972-4923.132133

Cited by 21 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…Monitoring and feedback loops between them will improve the effectiveness of integration and quality of delivery, abating future project risks, and increasing economic viability [68,69]. For breakthrough projects, such as circular economy buildings and products, decision-making also needs to include lateral stakeholders, especially users, to decrease adoption risks [70][71][72][73].…”

Section: Rapid Evidence Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

University Contributions to the Circular Economy: Professing the Hidden Curriculum

et al. 2018

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In a world dominated by linear economic systems, the road to improving resource use is multi-faceted. Whilst public and private organisations are making progress in introducing sustainable practices, we ask ourselves the extent to which education providers are contributing to the circular economy. As engines for skills and knowledge, universities play a primary role in propelling circular economy approaches into reality and, as such, hold the potential for raising the bar on sustainable performance. A rapid evidence assessment (REA) was therefore undertaken to examine the interactions between university estate management and the circular economy. This assessment identified six pertinent themes: campus sustainability, the hidden curriculum, environmental governance, local impact, university material flows, and the role of universities as catalysts for business and examined 70 publications. A second part of the study reviewed the environmental activities of 50 universities ranked highly in terms of their environmental credentials or their environmental science courses. The results are presented and then discussed in terms of how universities can affect material flows, promote sustainability outside of the formal curriculum, and act as catalysts with business. The economic significance of universities provides an appreciable demand for circular products and services. Universities should develop “hidden curriculum” plans to promote improved environmental behaviours of staff and students. Universities can also catalyse a circular economy by working with business to improve eco-effectiveness as well as eco-efficiency. For example, projects should extend the focus from decreasing carbon footprint to achieving carbon positivity, from improving water efficiency to treating wastewater, and from recycling to reverse logistics for repurposing. Pilot projects arising from such work could provide valuable research bases and consultancy opportunities.

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Section: Rapid Evidence Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

University Contributions to the Circular Economy: Professing the Hidden Curriculum

et al. 2018

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“…These factors may include donor trust (Torres-Moraga et al 2010), donor evaluation focus (Chen 2016), or sectoral reputation (Schloderer et al 2014). Moreover, the links between donors and outcomes reveal that researchers have also paid attention to strategies donors can use to evaluate funding projects (Wahlén 2014). Researchers have made recommendations for how to determine which evaluation strategy is most appropriate for which circumstances (Howes 1992).…”

Section: Salient Topic Trendsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unveiling Research Trends for Organizational Reputation in the Nonprofit Sector

2019

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Public scrutiny and the need for funds in a more competitive environment are pressuring nonprofits to be more consciously aware of their reputation. This study used automated analysis with text mining and topic modeling of 177 articles directly linked to nonprofits' reputation and published up to 2016. After identifying the most salient topics and conducting an in-depth, critical review of the most significant articles within each topic, four theoretical and managerial implications were identified. First, managers need to develop skills to deal with risk, the Internet, and social networks. Second, risk management is an emergent, still tentative, but important topic waiting for more contributions. Third, researchers can apply lexicons developed and validated by experts to uncover knowledge relevant to the entire nonprofit sector's organizations. Last, the trends and topics highlighted can help scholars and practitioners make better decisions in research or responses to management challenges.

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“…Approaches assuming direct, linear pathways are less likely to be appropriate than approaches that acknowledge the importance of context, interactions, and partnership building. As in other areas of conservation, boundary organizations grapple with mismatched time frames between donor reporting requirements and the lengthy time needed to achieve conservation objectives (Wahlén ). The long and complex pathways through which boundary organizations have an impact on policy and practice are also problematic for providing rapid feedback to support internal program improvement (Bednarek et al.…”

Section: The Challenge Of Evaluation For Conservation Boundary Organimentioning

confidence: 99%

Wrestling with the complexity of evaluation for organizations at the boundary of science, policy, and practice

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Wyborn

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et al. 2018

Conservation Biology

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Boundary organizations are situated between science, policy, and practice and have a goal of supporting communication and collaboration among these sectors. They have been promoted as a way to improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts by building stronger relationships between scientists, policy makers, industry, and practitioners (Cook et al. 2013). Although their promise has been discussed in theory, the work of and expectations for boundary organizations are less defined in practice. Biodiversity conservation is characterized by complexity, uncertainty, dissent, and tight budgets, so boundary organizations face the challenging task of demonstrating their value to diverse stakeholders. We examined the challenges boundary organizations face when seeking to evaluate their work and thus aimed to encourage more productive conversations about evaluation of boundary organizations and their projects. Although no off-the-shelf solution is available for a given boundary organization, we identified 4 principles that will support effective evaluation for boundary organizations: engage diverse stakeholders, support learning and reflection, assess contribution to change, and align evaluation with assumption and values.

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Constructing Conservation Impact: Understanding Monitoring and Evaluation in Conservation NGOs

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

University Contributions to the Circular Economy: Professing the Hidden Curriculum

University Contributions to the Circular Economy: Professing the Hidden Curriculum

Unveiling Research Trends for Organizational Reputation in the Nonprofit Sector

Wrestling with the complexity of evaluation for organizations at the boundary of science, policy, and practice

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