CHAPTER IV. Monitoring and Evaluation

4.1 Monitoring and evaluation

Monitoring should be carried out during the implementation of the EAFM plan. The frequency of monitoring activities will depend on the indicators. For example, some indicators must be monitored monthly, seasonally, and annually.

Monitoring allows the assessment of EAFM plan activities to determine whether objectives have been achieved and what needs to be done to make improvements (adaptive management). The indicators and benchmarks developed and the background information generated in the scoping phase is a basis for measuring progress. It gradually builds up over time.

At the most superficial level, certain objectives and indicators have been selected to cover important ecological, social, economic, and governance issues. Assessing the status of each indicator against its benchmarks should show how well management is being performed at the ecosystem level. A common mistake is collecting too much data irrelevant to the EAFM plan or never used (i.e., wastes time and resources.)

When planning monitoring, key questions are: WHAT data to collect for WHAT purpose, HOW OFTEN, and BY WHO? These responsibilities are outlined in the implementation work plan that was developed. The EAFM team (which initiates and "holds" the EAFM process) may need to form an assessment team (M&E team) made up of representatives from the key stakeholder group, or they may use the key stakeholder group, which is formed in the Start-Up A. In this M&E, the team coordinates data collection and performance management analysis. Different stakeholders must be involved in this process, and it is very important to have feedback to encourage learning and enable adaptive management. The assessment team periodically provides monitoring results feedback to the EAFM team (or other agreed overarching committee). The collected results are also communicated to a broader group of stakeholders (often as periodic evaluations).

Different stakeholders will require different types of evaluation results. There is an upward and downward flow of information between different levels, from the national to the community and across sectors.