Bush Heritage Australia, with their Yourka Reserve – A Unique Tropical Savanna Ecosystem came third in the 2018 Case Study Competition. Key lessons gleaned in this case study were: Don’t let lack of knowledge impede action – focus initially on threat mitigation until better information is gathered about target health As information becomes better known, use the adaptive management process to update targets, threats, objectives, and threat ratings Use volunteers to help fill resource gaps The judges saw this case study: As a good example of full cycle adaptive management – adaptation of targets, goals, threats, objectives over time as more…

Using an Adaptive Management Approach to Expand Efforts to Save Cotton-top Tamarins in Northwest Colombia, by Proycto Titi won second place in the 2018 Case Study Competition. Key lessons arising from the case study were: Good adaptive management was shown by seizing a chance to expand work thanks to a post-conflict era in Colombia Demonstrates value of methodical approach to replication of lessons learned Shows how to maximize buy-in by involving multiple team members and key stakeholders Judges thought that the team seized the opportunity presented by a newfound peace in Colombia to expand its work to new locations, using…

This document briefly describes the challenge of promoting change in cause-driven organizations.  It is written for practitioners who are working on broader adoption and institutionalization of the Open Standards in their organizations.  The document introduces interesting concepts and ideas but seems more like a draft than a finished product. Here is the link to the document, which is part of a comprehensive set of documents penned by Annette Stewart as part of her 2016 Fullbright Scholarship.. Full citation Stewart (2016) Promoting Change in Cause-Driven Organizations. Fulbright Scholarship, Melbourne Australia.

This is an excellent document that aims to show how the Open Standards supports improved performance in conservation organizations.  It describes the Performance Imperative and other frameworks designed to help non-profit organizations measure and improve their performance and it shows how the Open Standards supports business performance reporting.  It is targeted at practitioners who are working towards broader adoption and institutionalization of the Open Standards within their organizations. Here is the link to the document, which is part of a comprehensive set of documents penned by Annette Stewart as part of her 2016 Fullbright Scholarship.  These can be accessed via…

This is a good high-level reference document that helps staff in different roles (including management and support) determine where they can find more information to help them promote and/or understand the potential behind the Open Standards. It identifies several barriers to adoption and ways to address them, directing the reader to more detailed reference materials. Here is the link to the document, which is part of a comprehensive set of documents penned by Annette Stewart as part of her 2016 Fullbright Scholarship.. Full citation Stewart (2016) Study of Practices: Summary of Key Findings from Fulbright Scholarship. Fulbright Scholarship, Melbourne Australia.

This is a great resource for fundraisers who are looking to identify funds for specific projects. It helps them understand the key characteristics of projects developed with the Open Standards so that they can judge and then pitch the quality of the project design, implementation, and planned monitoring to potential donors. Here is the link to the document, which is part of a comprehensive set of documents penned by Annette Stewart as part of her 2016 Fullbright Scholarship. See below for the Roadmap which the complete set of report can be accessed. Full citation Stewart (2018) Fundraiser’s Guide to the…

The Conservation Capability Maturity model provides a very useful framework for assessing institutional capacity and effectiveness, especially regarding the key processes involved in the practice and management of conservation work. The model provides a scorecard format for identifying where an organization is on key processes (e.g., strategic planning, information management, learning and sharing) and what it would need to do to move to the next level (if relevant). The model draws heavily from the business sector – there is much to learn from this sector, but conservation practitioners should carefully consider their organizational context when applying some of the approaches…