Evaluation des impacts du programme ECOFAC sur les aires protégées au cours des 30 dernière années

This assignment aimed to evaluate the impacts of the program for the preservation of biodiversity and fragile ecosystems in protected areas of Central Africa (ECOFAC) over the past 30 years. The impacts measured are classified into two categories, each of which is divided into four subcategories. Direct impacts are related to (i) species, (ii) ecosystems and habitats, (iii) the socioeconomic dimension and (iv) the institutional dimension. Indirect impacts are related to (i) science and research, (ii) institutional outreach, (iii) climate change resilience and (iv) environmental diplomacy. The ECOFAC program, which began in 1992, has been the European Union''''''''s flagship regional program for nature conservation in Central Africa since 1992. In total, the program has been active in eight Central African countries: Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Gabon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Sao Tome and Principe and Equatorial Guinea. This evaluation coincided with the completion of the sixth and final phase of the ECOFAC program and therefore provided an opportunity to capitalize on the program''''''''s achievements and successes, its limitations, and to draw lessons for conclusions and recommendations. By 2024, the European Union will launch a new program for better biodiversity protection in sub-Saharan Africa, NaturAfrica. Compared to ECOFAC, this new EU initiative will emphasize sustainable development and greening of protected areas in addition to biodiversity protection and conservation. The methodology was based on a mixed-methods approach using multiple data sources and mixing different quantitative and qualitative data collection tools. The information collected was triangulated to provide nuanced and reasoned responses. Quantitative data collected in a database through various sources (secondary data, satellite data, remote survey) were analyzed to estimate the direct and indirect impacts of the program. The data collected came from a variety of information sources. Most were collected by the ADE team (in-depth interviews, global survey of experts, case studies), some were secondary data (literature review, satellite images). Two case studies or "deep dives" were used to understand the mechanisms that explain the different impacts of the ECOFAC program, to identify the key actors and environments and to question the sustainability and replicability of these results in other contexts. A first case study was conducted in Gabon in the Lopé National Park. A second case study was conducted in Cameroon in the Dja Wildlife Reserve. ? Online Kick-off meeting ? Documentary review ? Online interviews ? Scoping of the Evaluation dimensions ? Methodological design ? Global remote survey ? Secondary and satellite data analysis ? Data collection field missions (site visits, KIIs) ? Drafting of the reports (Case studies, Global report, Executive summary) ? Preliminary findings restitution ? Final restitution


Project Details
Country CENTRAL AFRICA
Start date 2022.05.06
End date 2022.09.30
Client CIFOR
Sector EVALUATION
Sub-sector Project/Program
Ref. ADE A639-001