Step 1: Planning
Planning involves the tasks needed to prepare for the evaluation. Planning for an evaluation should clearly and concisely answer nine questions:
To answer these questions, it is suggested to carry out the following 11 tasks:
This step is particularly important for selecting and testing the tools and resources that will be used or adapted for steps 2 and 3.
Although the tasks are shown as if they occur one after another, in practice this may not be the case. It may be necessary to repeat a task, to allow for testing and adaptation. It is useful to maintain a record of the tools and resources used for each task and to carefully document any adaptations made and what they were used for. This helps to build institutional memory and capacity.
The 5 core tasks
Key steps and tasks for a simplified co-management evaluation
The steps, tasks and activities described above may seem complicated. This is because they are presented in some detail. The detail is necessary because it helps the users of the Guidebook to gain a full understanding of how to plan for and undertake the co-management evaluation. However, at the centre of the evaluation are five tasks that are essential for conducting an evaluation of fisheries co-management effectiveness. These five tasks are:
1. Identify (i) key criteria to use as the basis of the evaluation of the co-management system, and (ii) the fisheries co-management plan and its goals and objectives (Task 1.8);
2. Select the indicators (Task 1.10);
3. Measure the indicators (Task 3.2);
4. Analyse the results (Task 3.4); and
5. Communicate the results (Task 3.6).
While these five tasks are central to conducting an evaluation, it is highly recommended that the Guidebook user reviews all the steps, tasks and activities so that they fully understand how to plan, conduct and use the results of a fisheries co-management effectiveness evaluation.