Transcript Learning to ADAPT

LEARNING TO ADAPT:
Re-thinking Monitoring & Evaluation of
Climate Change Adaptation –
Implications For Practice
Paula Silva Villanueva
SEA Change CoP Annual Members Meeting
9th November 2011
Outline

Setting the context:
 M&E
at the interface of CCA, DRR and Development
 M&E
challenges in the context of climate change and
disasters: implications for M&E practice
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Re-thinking M&E approaches and practice for
Adaptation : the ADAPT Principles & its implications
for practice
An example: The climate smart disaster risk
management approach
M&E at the interface of
DRR, Adaptation and Development
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Increasing calls for integration of DRR and CCA in
development
Need to go beyond “business as usual” in DRR and
development practice. But what about M&E? gap in
current debates
Similarities of CCA, DRR and Development cannot only
provide useful insights for the development of M&E
frameworks for adaptation but for fostering the
integration of these three domains of work
…
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In order to foster integrated approaches, M&E
frameworks need to reflect the multi-dimensional
nature of adaptation and disaster risk reduction
and its contribution to developmental outcomes.
M&E Challenges in the context of climate change
and disasters: implications for practice
Context
Implications for M&E
Lack of conceptual clarity
LEARNING
Different types of adaptation
DIVERSE
CONTEXT SPECIFIC
Tracking “moving” targets
– success when nothing happens?, adaptive
capacity and vulnerability as dynamic variables
CONTINUOUS
Long-time frames
LONG TERM
Adaptation as a decision-making process at PROCESS based
different scales
CAPTURE DETERMINANTS of decision-making &
ACTION
PARTICIPATORY across SCALES
Avoiding maladaptation
short term vs long term, distribution of
vulnerability, trade-offs:
INTEGRATED FRAMEWORKS that reflect holistic
understanding of adaptation and DRR and the
need for strong feedback loops
Dealing with Uncertainty
Beyond climatic predictions, interdependencies –
FLEXIBLE AND DYNAMIC
“What” to measure?
M&E methodologies
Focus on
Measurement
Assumption
Input-output-outcome
evaluation
Effectiveness
Elements of adaptive
capacity/risk are predetermined and
evaluated against a
set of indicators
Increase adaptive
capacity will lead to
reduced vulnerability
Risk is probabilistically
determined and known
Efficiency
Benefits of adaptation Rational decision
is measured in terms of making
economic loss
The ability to establish
a baseline and
projected benefits and
losses
Process-based
evaluation
Evaluation of
Behavioral change
Economic evaluations
But….need to acknowledge the context
within which we work

We don’t know what we don’t know!
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Outputs are too limited, outcomes too unpredictable
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Complex dynamics and interdependencies across
sectors and scales
M&E beyond business as usual. “Technical challenges”
for M&E in a changing climate can be reduced through
a clear focus on the purpose of M&E : LEARNING
RE-THINKING M&E
APPROACHES AND PRACTICE
FOR ADAPTATION:
The ADAPT Principles
The ADAPT principles
for M&E of CCA, DRR and Development
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Adaptive learning
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Dynamic baselines. Recognizes changing conditions of adaptive
and management: recognizes experience-based
learning and need to deal with uncertainty
capacity and vulnerability and provides real-time feedback

Active understanding. Recognizes differing values and interests

Participatory – recognizes adaptation as a context-specific process
and the need for triangulation of information and decision-making
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Thorough – avoiding maladaptation, evaluating trade-offs.
Recognizes multiple stressors and processes across scales
Implications of The ADAPT principles in
practice:
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1. Re-thinking the purpose and role of M&E
2. Strengthening feedback loops in
Programme/policy management cycles
3. Integrating a boarder set of indicators
4. Methodologies that account for uncertainty,
trade-offs and potential maladaptation
1. Role and Purpose of M&E
 M&E
as an iterative approach that emphasizes learning,
flexibility, enhances capacity to deal with uncertainty
and provides spaces for discussion and negotiation
 Where
the purpose of M&E is to promote and support
learning, knowledge promotion, inform decisionmaking/management and support innovation.
2. Beyond “what to measure” – towards why &
how
Process-based indicators
Outcome-based indicators
To support
To identify
Robust and flexible planning
Synergies and trade-offs
To understand / learn
To measure
factors that enable or
constraint action
Progress towards integration in practice
It is not about quantity of indicators but quality of indicators used.
Indicators must reflect multiple interacting processes, stressors and dimensions of decision making
beyond programme/project deadlines and “target” areas.
3. Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation as cyclical
events – strengthening feedback loops and learning by doing
Self-assessment
& planning
Evaluation
Monitoring
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It is impossible to plan for all eventualities. A successful program is one
that assesses and adapts to changing situations, based on thoughtful
reflection. Planning is done based on the best knowledge available,
and the program uses monitoring and evaluation as reflective tools to
assess change and choose appropriate actions.
AN EXAMPLE
Planning, Monitoring And Evaluation Of Climate
Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management And
Development Integration Processes
THE CLIMATE SMART DISASTER RISK
MANAGEMNT APPROACH
Background: The Strengthening Climate Resilience programme
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Initiative Funded by DFID and lead by IDS, PLAN and Christian Aid 20092011
Iterative development & Co-creation of an integrated approach of
disaster risk management, climate change adaptation and development:
 Total of 14 consultations in 12 countries
 Over 500 disaster, climate and development policy makers and
practitioners involved from over 100 organisations
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Live editing sessions

Ideas based on sharing good practices
Validation in complex environments:
Three detailed case studies looking at applying the ideas in practice – Sri
Lanka, Orissa, Mekong River Commission
The CSDRM approach
and methodology
CHARACTERISTICS
 specifically designed to
support policy and
programme planners to
assess progress towards
the integration of climate
change adaptation,
disaster risk reduction and
development work

integrated set of outcome
and process based
indicators that consider
environmental, disaster,
climate change and
developmental domains of
decision-making.
CHARACTERISTICS….
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PM&E process to:
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Support self-assessment
and, programme/policy
planning and ex-ante
decision making
Identification of entry
points and integration
pathways
Monitor and evaluate
synergies, co-benefits and
trade-offs
PM&E cycle:
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Where are we now?
Where to we need to be?
Are we moving towards
integration?
What has change, how
and why?
Monitoring is the continuous assessment of the integration pathways chosen and its environment. The
monitoring process aims at understanding synergies and trade-offs of integration efforts; and to
closely monitor climate variability and changes in baseline information.
Actors/Power
dynamics
Taking into account context
and scale
Economicpolitical
PM&E is dynamic in nature, the relationship between those sub-elements is neither fixed
context/policies
nor linear - Central focus of on-going analysis.
Socio-cultural
perspectives
and
perceptions
Mandates
Capacity
Structures
Resources
Beyond indicators – monitoring guiding questions
Power Dynamics : How has the external context - the historical, cultural, political and
institutional environment, and the constraints and opportunities they create - influenced
the implementation of CSDRM? How have outsiders/power dynamics influenced the
process of change?
Stakeholders – (cognitive/behavioural factors): What has been the influence of
stakeholders such as beneficiaries, suppliers and supporters, and their different interests,
expectations, modes of behaviour, cultural beliefs, resources, interrelationships and
intensity of involvement?
Internal features and key resources: What are the patterns of internal features such as
formal and informal roles, structures, resources, culture, strategies and values, and what
influence have they had at both the organizational and multi-organizational levels?
Emerging Lessons & Final Thoughts
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Implementing the CSDRM process can prove a more intensive and complex
assessment than traditional planning processes – are we ready?
Tool overload within organizations – but it does it translate to an overarching
approach?
Scale matters. Different type of interest, agendas translates into different types
of information required at different levels. M&E has the potential to open
spaces for discussion and negotiation across scales
Embracing complexity an uncertainty vs guidance and simplification – where to
compromise??
At the heart of the CSDRM and the ADAPT principles lies organizational change.
‘They are not a quick fix, but a longer-term vision. PM&E a potential entry point
to foster organizational change
THANK YOU!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
VISIT: WWW.CSDRM.ORG
Paula Silva Villanueva
[email protected]