On 23 January 2018, UNU-IAS organized an international workshop on Methods for Monitoring and Evaluation of the Conservation and Utilization of Agricultural Heritage Systems in East Asia – Report on Monitoring and Evaluation Method for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use through Multi-stakeholders Governance Project (2015-2018), supported by the Minabe-Tanabe Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Promotion Association in Minabe-cho, Wakayama Prefecture.
Conducted as part of the UNU-IAS Monitoring and Evaluation Method for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use through Multi-stakeholders Governance (BME) project, the workshop focused on research findings thus far, in particular the need for results-based management of action plan implementation and developing a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system that effectively captures the outcomes and impacts. For this purpose, UNU-IAS advised that careful target setting, factors and indicators selection, role distribution amongst multi-stakeholders and effective utilization of M&E results are pivotal to the success of action plan implementation.
The workshop also invited leading experts on GIAHS conservation and research from China and the Republic of Korea to share the implementation status of monitoring and evaluation of GIAHS in their respective countries, especially from the viewpoint of utilizing biodiversity conservation activities in agriculture. Updates on their latest developments include China’s introduction of a centralized online platform for hosting of monitoring data so as to reduce paperwork and increase efficiency for local stakeholders, while Korea has implemented M&E under a holistic framework of evaluating the “operalization, conservation and utilization” status of GIAHS.
Workshop outcomes are currently being compiled and will be published in the final report of the BME research project, with plans to develop a guidance manual for Monitoring and Evaluation Method for Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use.
