Monitoring | PANORAMA

Implementation and Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning

Effective policy lobbying and advocacy must address the implementation of both existing and newly finalized policies to ensure they meet their intended goals. This involves continuous monitoring to track progress and assess the effectiveness of policy implementation. All partners involved in a program or policy must participate in this ongoing process to ensure alignment with objectives and adapt strategies as needed.

Regularly assess and compare the goals and objectives to evaluate progress and identify gaps. Research and analysis support this comparative review
Working through coalitions enhances policy advocacy efforts by uniting diverse voices, amplifying impact, and strengthening influence

Policy implementation is a lengthy process involving diverse stakeholders with varying priorities. Patience and persistence are crucial
Initially, we overlooked sectors like tourism that have significant stakes in natural resource management. Including all relevant sectors can reveal important interests and enhance advocacy
Engaging a wide range of stakeholders is essential. Excluding key players can hinder progress and make achieving objectives more challenging

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

Subnational

National

Monitoring & Evaluation: The Core of Sustainable Conservation

Youth engagement efforts

Nourish Africa

Youth engagement efforts

Nourish Africa

Youth engagement efforts

Nourish Africa

Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) is central to ensuring the sustainability of our tree restoration efforts. This building block allows us to track the progress of tree growth and refine our restoration strategies for better outcomes. We employ drones to capture before-and-after images, providing a clear visual comparison of the impact of our restoration work. By continuously assessing our efforts, we can make data-driven adjustments that enhance the effectiveness of our conservation initiatives.

Critical to success is the integration of robust MEL tools and systems from the start of the project. Regular reporting and analysis are essential for adapting and improving our strategies as the campaign progresses. Access to advanced technology, like drones, enhances our ability to monitor and evaluate restoration efforts, providing detailed insights that guide ongoing improvements.

We realised that incorporating MEL into our conservation efforts is vital for long-term success. New technologies, such as drones, have significantly improved our ability to track and assess the impact of our work. These tools not only provide more accurate data but also allow for more informed decision-making, ensuring that our restoration efforts are both effective and sustainable.

Monitoring

Documentation and dissemination of results

Local

Landscape Assessment for Species Success

Land assessment

Nourish Africa

Land assessment

Nourish Africa

The purpose of this building block is to conduct thorough landscape assessments on the land owned by colleges and universities. By evaluating the environmental conditions, we can determine which species are best suited to thrive in these areas. This careful selection process ensures higher success rates for planting and contributes to more sustainable conservation efforts. The landscape assessment serves as the foundation for effective planting strategies, aligning species selection with the specific ecological characteristics of the land, ultimately leading to more resilient ecosystems.

Key factors for success include having strong environmental technical expertise within the team and leveraging our partnerships with universities to access the land for assessment. These partnerships provide the necessary support and resources to conduct comprehensive evaluations, ensuring that the species selected are well-suited to the specific conditions of each site, which is critical for the long-term success of the planting efforts.

One of the primary lessons learned is that not all tree species can thrive in the same region. Conducting land assessments is essential for understanding the unique environmental conditions of each area. This knowledge allows us to select species that are more likely to succeed, improving the overall effectiveness of our planting efforts. By aligning species with their ideal habitats, we enhance the sustainability and impact of our conservation initiatives.

Identifying with the communities strategic locations for solar panel implementation

Identifying strategic locations for solar panel implementation with communities involves assessing areas with high sunlight exposure and low shading. Engaging local members ensures that sites are selected based on practical needs, accessibility, and minimal disruption. This collaborative approach optimize's energy efficiency and aligns solar installations with community priorities.

Community Involvement: Engage local members in identifying potential locations to ensure sites meet practical and cultural needs.
Site Assessments: Conduct thorough assessments of sunlight exposure, land use, and shading to determine optimal locations.
Local Knowledge: Leverage the community’s knowledge of the area for selecting suitable and accessible sites.
Technical Expertise: Involve experts in solar technology to evaluate and validate chosen locations.
Access to Resources: Ensure availability of necessary tools and technology for site evaluation and installation.
Infrastructure: Verify that selected locations have or can be developed with the required infrastructure for solar panel deployment.
Regulatory Compliance: Adhere to local regulations and obtain necessary permits for site selection and installation.

Site Assessments: Conduct detailed assessments of sunlight exposure, land use, and shading to determine optimal sites.
Utilize Local Knowledge: Leverage community expertise to identify potential sites based on local conditions and needs.
Technical Evaluation: Involve solar technology experts to validate site suitability and ensure technical feasibility.
Community Feedback: Regularly gather and incorporate feedback from the community to address any concerns and adjust plans as needed.

Planning phase

Monitoring

Local

Creating community led committees to ensure participatory approaches are implemented

Creating community-led committees ensures participatory approaches by involving local members in decision-making. These committees empower communities to actively engage in project planning, implementation, and monitoring, fostering ownership and accountability. This approach enhances relevance, cultural alignment, and sustainability, ensuring that solutions are effectively tailored to the community's specific needs and priorities. Community members would be chosen through election in their local language.

Inclusive Representation: Ensure that committees include diverse community members to reflect various perspectives and needs.
Effective Communication: Establish channels for open and transparent communication within the committee and with the broader community.
Supportive Leadership: Engage local leaders and influencers to endorse and support the committee’s efforts.
Regular Meetings and Feedback: Schedule regular meetings and feedback sessions to monitor progress and make adjustments as needed.
Clear Objectives: Define the committee's goals and roles clearly to guide effective participation and decision-making.

Community engagement is vital for a project to be successful . Involving the community throughout, using a participative approach is at the core of the success and sustainability of the project.

Development of Community Governance Structures for Sustainable Land Management

Loading seedlings for transportation to planting site at South Kinangop Forest Station by CFA and KFS staff.

NACOFA

CFA members transporting seedlings to riparian restoration sites

NACOFA

This building block focuses on developing and formalizing community governance structures to support sustainable land management. By leveraging networks, we connect various ecosystem management systems across Kenya to align resource management with livelihoods and conservation efforts.

We prioritize understanding the leadership within community groups and work directly with these leaders to engage the broader community. When requested by the community, we help formalize these existing structures to ensure our programs align with the established power dynamics and effectively address community needs.

Restoration agreements serve to formalize relationships with communities, acting as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to align expectations and build trust among community members.
Government involvement is essential, requiring a direct line of communication with communities to ensure impactful ecosystem restoration.
Facilitating community elections to select leaders responsible for restoration networks empowers the community and ensures accountability.
Adhering to legal requirements in restoration policy that mandate community members to take on governance roles, thereby promoting the development of community institutions.

Building networks helps unite various community governance structures, fostering the sharing of knowledge and aligning efforts.
It is crucial to assess the community's need for governance structure facilitation while respecting existing power dynamics.
Community-driven network development creates a central power structure and formalized forum, ensuring that community concerns are taken seriously. This approach enhances visibility and influence with government stakeholders, strengthening CFAs as central institutions within the conservation framework.

Implementation

Monitoring

Local

Monitoring and research

Monitoring of planted seedlings for restoration and conservation purpose

Monitoring and research

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Monitoring and evaluation allows us to effectively keep track of how the plants are doing by regulaurly studying the microsite conditions. The purpose is to gather information that helps us understand what works and what needs improvement. Continuous rese

Resource availability: Access to tools, trained personnel, and financial support for effective monitoring is crucial to gather reliable data. A regular data collection and analysis allow us to better appreciate species performances and factors that impact seedlings establishment.

Monitoring and research are important for data sharing. Based on soil properties predominantly related to the African Black Walnut development, our findings shed light on how soil parameters contribute to species distribution at the fine scale. Thus, we found new information concerning the habitat requirements which are quite interesting and valuable for the ex-situ management and conservation of Mansonia altissima.

Monitoring

Local

National

Development of Community Governance Structures for Sustainable Land Management

Local community awareness forums

NACOFA

Restoration agreements serve to formalize relationships with communities, acting as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to align expectations and build trust among community members.
Government involvement is essential, requiring a direct line of communication with communities to ensure impactful ecosystem restoration.
Facilitating community elections to select leaders responsible for restoration networks empowers the community and ensures accountability.
Adhering to legal requirements in restoration policy that mandate community members to take on governance roles, thereby promoting the development of community institutions.

Building networks helps unite various community governance structures, fostering the sharing of knowledge and aligning efforts.
It is crucial to assess the community's need for governance structure facilitation while respecting existing power dynamics.
Community-driven network development creates a central power structure and formalized forum, ensuring that community concerns are taken seriously. This approach enhances visibility and influence with government stakeholders, strengthening CFAs as central institutions within the conservation framework.

Implementation

Monitoring

Local

Monitoring and research

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Monitoring and research

Adigla Appolinaire Wedjangnon

Monitoring and research are important for data sharing. Based on soil properties predominantly related to the African Black Walnut development our findings shed light on how soil parameters contribute to species distribution at the fine scale. Thus, we found new information concerning the habitat requirements which are quite interesting and valuable for the ex-situ management and conservation of Mansonia altissima.

Monitoring

Local

National

Capacity building to enhance TREEO App utilization

TREEO's tree-scanning training with FVW monitors

TREEO | Fairventures Digital GmbH

TREEO SaaS product enhances the skills, knowledge, and abilities of our users, enabling them to effectively utilize the app’s features for tree monitoring and carbon sequestration. We aim to ensure that users can maximize the app’s potential, leading to more accurate data collection, better project management, and ultimately, more successful reforestation projects.

It also enables user empowerment, increases project transparency, and supports the scalability and sustainability of reforestation efforts. We do this through training, tutorials, and guides that provide hands-on experience and detailed documentation. Ongoing support via a dedicated customer service team, and FAQs.

In house specialists: help to solve the daily challenges from a distance and also on-site immediately
Offline technology that supports access in remote regions: most of the planting sites are remotely located and therefore the wifi signal can be weak in those areas. Our app ensures to collect all the data even offline
Ongoing support and customer service: we provide trainings on tool implementation; how to use the technology for all the use cases (land survey, project management, reporting, exporting data, etc.); we do a detailed training and onboarding process
User-friendly interface (TREEO App) - plus in-app training: Understanding that some of our app users might be illiterate, we have designed the app to be self-explanatory and supported by training manuals and visual aids.

Offering TREEO App as a SaaS product has helped us gather user feedback which has enabled us to identify areas of improvement. Therefore, with every update we consider the user feedback to make the app more user-friendly.
We maintain clear and transparent communication with our different customers about updates, new features, and best practices. This allows them to be fully equipped on how to use the TREEO app leading to better utilization of our product offering.
Our capacity building fosters environmental stewardship and motivate local people to actively participate in climate action - a “co-benefit” of such projects
Setting up the Customer Success team to conduct both remote and on-site training on-demand.
To ensure complete understanding, our training team uses the local languages of the area in their sessions with farmers.

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