WWF will be sponsoring a workshop in San Pedro in May that will be focused on helping the San Pedro community set up a systematic framework to monitor impact of conservation and climate adaptation interventions in order to better inform their learning process. The workshop will be strongly focused on learning and structured to build capacity of target communities to institutionalize the process of adaptation planning and conservation management . Participants will be better equipped to monitor and evaluate interventions through a systematic framework/tool that considers:



1.) Measurement of outcome-level changes (what has changed) and process of change (how and why change has or has not happened) in terms of community-level vulnerability and resilience to climate change.



2.) Lesson-learning multiple levels (communities, local and national governments and partners).



3.) Systematic tracking of the progress of interventions and outputs.



Ultimately, community members will be able to reflect on and analyze the impacts and effectiveness of their work.



Attached kindly find a copy of the preliminary invitation for your participation. Through this medium, I am also here kindly requesting your assistance in sharing this invitation with others so that we could get a good representation from the community. Many thanks in advance.


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Developing community-based monitoring systems: A workshop for sustained participatory learning and action on conservation and climate adaptation interventions at community level

May 2010

Target Communities:
Belize - San Pedro, Ambergris Caye and Placencia
Honduras - Sandy Bay and Punta Gorda

Background
World Wildlife Fund (WWF), through it climate change adaptation project for the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR), has been supporting efforts of communities within Belize and Honduras in mapping their vulnerability to climate threats and setting up community based adaptation mechanisms to reduce risks and increase resilience to climate threat drivers. These mechanisms vary from mangrove restoration (for shoreline stabilization) to trying to influence local development plans, among others, and were linked to participatory vulnerability assessment studies. The project aims to assist local communities in addressing climate hazards, and to monitor impacts from their climate adaptation interventions (to increase coping potential) and resource conservation efforts. Through this proposed workshop, the project aims to assist communities in reflecting on their progress and effectiveness to date, to determine what activities or initiatives needs revising or adopted, and to set-up a framework for a community-led long-term monitoring system for learning from conservation and climate adaptation interventions.

Workshop overview
WWF hopes to help communities set up a system whereby they would be able to monitoring the impact of their conservation and adaptation interventions to better inform their learning and adaptation process. The workshop will be strongly focused on learning and structured to build capacity of target communities to institutionalize the process of adaptation planning. Given this approach, communities will be better equipped to monitor and evaluate their interventions for the long-term through a systematic framework/tool that considers:

1.) Measurement of outcome-level changes in terms of community-level vulnerability and resilience to climate change.

2.) Lesson-learning multiple levels (communities, local and national governments and partners).

3.) Systematic tracking of the progress of interventions and outputs.

Ultimately, the system will enable measuring of progress in terms of outcome-level changes (what has changed) and to understand the processes of change involved (how and why change has or has not happened). Communities will be able to reflect on and analyze the impacts and effectiveness of their work.

Proposed dates for workshop:
Belize: San Pedro (May 20th, 2010) and Placencia (May 21st, 2010)
Honduras: Sandy Bay (May 25th, 2010) and Punta Gorda (May 27th, 2010)

More information will be forthcoming but we do look forward to your participation!