BCN Program Highlights - 1995
|
| BCN Program Highlights - 1995 |
The BCN Program has five distinct modules as shown in (Program Overview).A. Develop Program Concept and Structure
The first program module involves developing the BCN concept and establishing effective institutional structures and administrative systems. Most of the conceptual development work was completed in the first two years of the BCN program. In FY95, BCN continued to refine its administrative systems and its ability to manage grants. Highlights include:
- Conceptual model developed: While working with grantees to develop monitoring procedures, the BCN staff developed a process of conceptualizing projects. To "practice what we preach," the BCN staff have used this process to create a formal conceptual model for the overall BCN program that explicitly describes the process that we have been implicitly using all along. This model is presented in the BCN 1996 Workplan.
- BCN presence in Asia/Pacific region expanded: Over the past year, the BCN hired a senior social scientist based in Manila, transferred a program officer from Washington to Jakarta, and hired a Biodiversity Advisor based in New Delhi to coordinate the activities of grantees in South Asia. This decentralized structure gives BCN staff the opportunity to work closely with grantees in these countries and to be better informed about important local issues. In the future, BCN will continue to expand its staff presence in Manila and other relevant countries while reducing staff in Washington.
- Financial management capacity of grantee's improved: One finding stemming from the Planning Grants is that a few BCN grantees required assistance in developing strong financial management systems. To this end, the BCN staff, particularly the field based staff, spent considerable time working with these groups to improve their financial management skills, and to help ensure that they comply with all applicable U.S. Government regulations.
B. Select Portfolio of Projects
The second module of BCN activities involves working with groups to develop high quality projects and proposals, selecting a portfolio of projects, and monitoring grants to ensure continuing quality. In FY95, the BCN completed the Planning Grant process, and selected most of the Implementation Grants. Highlights include:
- High quality projects and proposals developed: Throughout the proposal development and review process, the BCN staff worked closely with grantees to improve the quality of their project designs. The major activity in this regard was the awarding of 34 Planning Grants which enabled grantees to develop project ideas and lay out specific implementation plans. In addition, the BCN staff provided feedback to applicants on their proposals, regardless of whether or not the project was funded so as to enable proponents to enhance their project design capabilities.
- 20 total Implementation Grants selected: Through the end of FY95, BCN has reviewed over 400 proposals and concept papers. From this group, 20 projects have been selected to receive Implementation Grants. The competitive nature of this award process is reflected in the high quality of the projects that were selected. The task of selecting projects was facilitated by the development of an extensive review process. BCN would like to acknowledge the significant work put into the review process by the Peer Review Committee. This Committee was composed of 10 senior level practitioners in fields relevant to the BCN program drawn from organizations based or actively working in the Asia/Pacific Region. In the coming months, the BCN hopes to draw upon the knowledge that this Committee developed about the BCN-funded projects and continue to involve its members in the continuing evolution of the BCN program.
- Small grants program developed: In addition to the major project Planning and Implementation Grants, the BCN also has limited money available to fund small grants. These grants are designed to complement and inform Implementation Grant activities. During FY 1995, the BCN also awarded a few grants to address gaps in its overall portfolio of projects. The BCN developed criteria for the award of small grants that include: building the capacity of grantees to implement successful projects, supporting "sub-sector" studies to understand the market size, structure, and "value-addition" dynamics of commodities and services that are of common interest to several grantees, and strengthening the capacity of local "intermediary" institutions to provide technical assistance to and policy analysis and/or advocacy for BCN grantees.
- Grants periodically monitored and reviewed to ensure quality: The BCN periodically reviews its portfolio of grants to ensure that quality is being maintained. One of the most difficult tasks that BCN staff undertook in FY95 was to phase out funding for two projects that were performing significantly below expectations. The history and nature of these two particular projects (which did not benefit from receiving Planning Grants) were unique and it is unlikely that such drastic steps will need to be taken in the future.
C. Assist in Implementing Projects (Enterprises and Monitoring)
The third module of BCN activities involves helping groups to implement their projects including, especially, their core enterprises and monitoring plans. The information that grantees collect will hopefully be used by proponents to modify and improve project implementation and also enable BCN to evaluate its core hypothesis. In FY95, BCN staff spent substantial time working toward these objectives. Highlights include:
- Monitoring protocol developed: From the onset, BCN staff realized that the broad range of biological habitats, enterprise types, and socioeconomic conditions that exist across the portfolio of projects precluded the development of prescriptive "cookbook" formulas for monitoring project impacts. Instead, BCN/BSP staff members developed a systematic protocol for designing and implementing monitoring plans in the context of the project cycle through which it could assist projects in meeting their specific needs. The protocol involves developing 3 parts: I) a conceptual model of the overall project, II) a project plan that includes measurable goals, objectives, and activities, and III) a monitoring workplan that details which indicators will be used, how they will be measured, where, when, and by whom data will be collected, and how results will be used.
- Workshops held with representatives of all BCN funded projects: In FY95, the BCN staff held 3 major workshops with BCN grantees to share experiences regarding monitoring issues. The workshops's 5 major goals were to: 1) Enable different BCN grantee representatives to meet, get to know one another, and learn about each other's sites and projects; 2) Provide an opportunity for BCN staff to explain the program's goals, objectives, and expectations for monitoring and evaluation work; 3) Enable grantee representatives and BCN staff members to discuss monitoring in the context of the project cycle; 4) Discuss and assess various methods; and 5) Provide an opportunity for each group to refine its monitoring plans with input from other participants and BCN staff/resource persons. The frst workshop was held during May in Bangalore, India, and was attended by representatives of all BCN funded projects (Planning and Implementation Grants) in South Asia. The second and third workshops were held during September in Los Banos, the Philippines, and were attended by Implementation Grantees and finalists from Southeast Asia and the Pacif~c. Overall, the workshops were rated very favorably by participants, outside observers? and the BCN staff. Reports on the workshops are available from the BCN.
- Knowledge about project sites greatly improved: In FY95, BCN staff visited 22 grant sites in 7 countries. These visits enabled BCN to 1) interact with community members and project implementors and observe first-hand the threats to biodiversity and the conservation measures proposed for each site, 2) discuss ways in which the BCN staff can provide technical assistance to community members and project teams to improve the quality of projects.
D. Collect Data and Analyze Results
The fourth module of BCN activities involves analyzing the results in conjunction with both grantees and other groups involved in similar efforts. As most Implementation Grants are only just beginning in earnest, it has not yet been possible to undertake extensive analytical activities. Instead, BCN staff have focused on developing preliminary plans for how this analytical work will be conducted. Highlights include:
- Planning begun for information collection and analysis: Over the past year, BCN began designing the systems that will be used to collect and analyze information obtained from the various projects and began developing analytical efforts.
- Links established with other groups: In addition, BCN also began to develop links with other groups engaged in similar analyses with the hopes of being eventually able to exchange data and results so as to 1) avoid "reinventing the wheel" and 2) enhance both BCN's and the other groups' abilities to learn lessons by expanding the "sample size" of comparable projects. For example, the BCN has begun working with the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) on a project that will examine different examples of the linkages between income generation and conservation.
E. Communicate Results to Clients1
The fifth and final module of BCN activities involves communicating the results of the BCN program to various audiences. Here again, in FY95, BCN's activities primarily involved planning for the future. Highlights include:
- Primary clients identified: In FY95, BCN staff began a process of identifying the program's primary clients and their information needs. BCN clients include 1) the groups implementing projects including community members, local and international NGOs, and government agencies; 2) BCN supporters including the members of the Biodiversity Support Program (BSP) consortium (World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, and World Resources Institute), USAID and US-AEP offices in Washington and abroad, and the US Government and taxpayers, and 3) the broader conservation and development community including conservation and development NGOs, academics, businesses, and other donors.
- Long-term strategy for impacting policy developed: Through a combination of design and circumstance, the BCN grant review process has resulted in Implementation Grants being concentrated in a relatively small number of countries in the Asia/Pacific Region. In each of these countries, several grantees are addressing similar project and policy issues. For example, BCN is funding a number of projects in India related to Joint Forestry Management issues and a number of projects in the Philippines addressing indigenous community tenurial rights. As a result, the BCN staff members are seeking to identify existing national "intermediary" organizations that it can collaborate with to assist grantees and other organizations to address these issues. BCN ultimately hopes to work with grantees at their specific sites to provide information that practitioners and policy makers at local, national, and even international levels can use to improve policies that affect many other sites.
- Networking strategy implemented: In FY95, the BCN continued to develop networking opportunities in the countries in which it is working. Networking has three main goals: 1) facilitating the exchange of information among BCN grantees and other relevant organizations, 2) helping grantees to find partners to enhance their chances of fulfilling project and policy goals, and 3) enabling BCN to communicate its results. For example, in India, BCN staff and grantees met for a day with members of the Joint Forest Management Network's Ecology and Economics subgroup to discuss ways in which members of the two groups could collaborate in the future in each of these three areas.
 |
WHY BIODIVERSITY FIELD STORIES PARTICIPATE RESULTS MARKETSPACE ABOUT THE NETWORK WHAT'S NEW LEARNING MATERIALS SEARCH LINKS SITE MAP HOME |