Any strategy within the field of conservation needs to be carefully evaluated to determine whether the desired results are being achieved or not. Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) lie at the heart of all conservation practices and help organisations such as Peace Parks, their partners, donors and other stakeholders to monitor progress and impact of ongoing projects in the field.
In Sioma Ngwezi National Park, which forms the Zambian component of the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, otherwise known as KAZA, the world’s largest transfrontier conservation area, Project Systems and Compliance team Jason and Stefan sit down with field teams to discuss and implement a new M&E system.
As Peace Parks heads into an exciting 25-year co-management agreement between the Sioma Ngwezi community and the Zambian Government in an effort to rewild this important wildlife area back to its former glory, having a solid M&E system in place will help to prioritise resources and increase performance.
Apart from resource allocation and measuring performance, Peace Parks Communications Manager, Lise-Marie Greeff-Villet, explains that an effective M&E system also plays an important role in maximising potential on the ground in terms of community development, conservation and applying donor funds where they are most needed.
Following on from an important meeting with the Sioma Ngwezi team, the Peace Parks crew heads over to meet up with Ian Middleton, the Simalaha Community Conservancy project manager. Despite an afternoon thundershower, the work here never stops as Jason and Stefan sit down for an important training session with Ian and the rest of the Simalaha team.
After the successful implementation of the new M&E system in both Simalaha and Sioma Ngwezi, Peace Parks can provide donors, stakeholders and other decision-making authorities with reliable data to measure their impact. This helps to improve transparency and accountability which assists in informing and guiding future decisions for all parties involved.
Keep watching Peace Parks TV for more daily updates from the field.
