Biodiversity conservation and natural resource management are integral to expanding the reach of human prosperity and connecting the world’s most vulnerable populations to resources that enable resilience. Substantial investments are made each year to address natural resource conservation and human development issues. Despite the importance of demonstrating the return on these investments, the conservation community has not had the tools and systems in place to define and effectively communicate the outcomes of program activities. This results in a lack of appreciation for the role of conservation in supporting development goals.
Measuring Impact (MI) aims to increase USAID’s capacity to design, monitor, evaluate, and improve the impact of biodiversity conservation and natural resource management programs around the world. MI works with programs to develop effective performance measures, enhance a cross-project learning environment, foster effective communication, and build capacity for adaptive management.
Indicators, evaluations, and research can be used within an adaptive management framework to improve outcomes through learning, and enable USAID’s Office of Forestry and Biodiversity to cogently articulate how biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services underpin development goals across all sectors. Increasing the capacity of USAID to practice adaptive management and communicate the outcomes of environment programs will build public and political will to invest in conservation resources.