Final Zagros Project
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Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Environment Facility (GEF) Conservation of Biodiversity in the Central Zagros Landscape Conservation Zone (PIMS 2278) Terminal Evaluation Report Hugo Navajas Hamid Farahani Rad December 2016 \ CONTENTS OPENING PAGE: BASIC INFORMATION 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 `1. Project summary table 5 2. Brief project description 6 3. Evaluation rating table 7 4. Summary of conclusions, lessons and recommendations 10 ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 17 1. INTRODUCTION 18 1.1 Purpose of the evaluation 18 1.2 Scope and methodology 18 1.3 Structure of the evaluation report 20 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT 22 2.1 Project Start and Duration 22 2.2 Problems the project sought to address 22 2.3 Project goals and objectives 22 2.4 Baseline indicators established 23 2.4 Main stakeholders 23 2.5 Expected results 23 3. FINDINGS 24 3.1 Project Design 24 3.1.1 Analysis of the LFA/Results Framework 25 3.1.2 Assumptions and risks 26 3.1.3 Lessons from other relevant projects 27 3.1.4 Planned Stakeholder Participation 28 3.1.5 Replication Approach 28 3.1.6 UNDP Comparative Advantage 29 3.1.7 Linkages between Projects and other Interventions within the Sector 29 3.1.8 Management Arrangements 30 3.2 Project Implementation 31 3.2.1 Adaptive Management 31 3.2.2 Partnership Arrangements 34 3.2.3 Feedback from M&E Activities used for Adaptive Management 36 3.2.4 Project finance 36 2 \ 3.2.5 Monitoring and evaluation: design at entry and implementation 41 3.2.6 UNDP and Implementing partner implementation, execution, coordination and operational Issues 42 3.3 Project results 47 3.3.1 Overall results (attainment of objective and outcomes) 47 3.3.2 Relevance 57 3.3.3 Effectiveness and efficiency 59 3.3.4 Country ownership 63 3.3.5 Mainstreaming 64 3.3.6 Sustainability 65 3.3.7 Impact 67 4. Conclusions, Recommendations and Lessons 69 4.1 Conclusions 69 4,2 Recommendations 73 4.3 Lessons 77 FIGURES: 1. Project Summary Table 5 2. Performance Indicators and Baselines for the Project Objective 24 3. Revisions to Outcome Indicators following the MTE 33 4. Planned and Actual Expenditure 2006-2015: Combined National and International Budget 38 5. Planned and Allocated International and National Project Budgets: 2006-2016 39 6. Project Co-financing – Planned and Actual: 2006- 2016 39 7. Combined budget planned and actual Expenditures (US$): 2006-2015 40 8. Planned and actual national expenditures: 2006-2015 41 9. Rated matrix of project performance 49 ANNEXES: 1. Terms of Reference 2. Evaluation Agenda, Field Visits and List of Persons Interviewed 3. Documents Reviewed 4. Matrix of Evaluation Questions 5. 2011 Mid-Term Evaluation: Summary of Findings 6. Evaluation Consultant Agreement Form 3 \ OPENING PAGE: BASIC INFORMATION Project Title and ID: “Conservation of Biodiversity in the Central Zagros Landscape Conservation Zone” PIMS 2278 Evaluation Period: June 2005 – September 2016 Date of Evaluation Report: October 2016 Countries included in the Islamic Republic of Iran Report: GEF Operational/Strategic BD2 (Biodiversity Mainstreaming into development in Programme: productive sectors and landscapes), OP4 (Mountain ecosystems)) UNDP is the designated implementing partner. The project is executed by the Department of Environment (DoE) of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The project partners were the government Plan and Budget Office (PBO), Implementing Partner and Forest, Rangelands and Watershed Organization (FRWO), other Project Partners: Ministry of Agriculture Jihad (MOAJ), Ministry of Energy (MoE), Ministry of Interior (MoI), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), the Office of Tribal Affairs, and the Iran Cultural Heritage and Tourism Organization (ICHTO). These government organizations were the principal partners at central, provincial and county/district levels. The project also implemented activities in collaboration with NGOs and community-based organizations. Hugo Navajas, international evaluator and Team Leader Evaluation Team Members: Hamid Farahani Rad, national evaluator The evaluators would like to acknowledge the excellent Acknowledgements: cooperation and logistical support that was provided by Mm. Shriin Abolghasemi, Project Manager, Mr. Ali Arvahi, Deputy Project Manager, the entire Zagros project team, and Mr Ali Nazaridoust of UNDP. We also thank the interviewed central, provincial and local government officials, community organizations, NGOs and green grant recipients for generously sharing their time and ideas. 4 \ EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1. PROJECT SUMMARY TABLE Conservation of Biodiversity in the Central Zagros Landscape Conservation Zone GEF Project ID: PIMS 2278 At endorsement At completion (US$) (US$) (End of Oct. 2016) UNDP Project IRA/02/G41/A/1G/99 GEF financing: including 3,800,000 ID: Block B preparation 3,638,680 cost) 196,000 196,000 Country: Islamic Republic of IA/EA own: United 50,000 49,122 Iran Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Region: Central Zagros Government: (DoE & 5,190,000 Mountain Region pertinent GOs) 1,882,000 + 11,311,669= 13,193,669 Focal Areas: Biodiversity Other: NGOs, 380,000 206,333 P/Sec 45,000 0 tor, Block- 0 0 B Prepa rator Co- financ ing Operational (OP 4: Mountain Total co-financing: 5,615,000 13,400,002 Program: Ecosystems) Executing Department of Total Project Cost: 9,661,000 17,283,804 Agency: Environment, (including Block B Government of the preparation cost) Islamic Republic of Iran (DoE/GOIRI) Other Partners Ministry of Jihad Prodoc Signature (date project began): 28 June 2005 involved: Agriculture, three other ministries, Provincial Governments of Isfahan, Far, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari and 5 \ Kohkiloyieh va Boyerahmad Operational Proposed: 28 June Actual: Closing Date: 2010 Decembe r 2016 (recently extended to June 2017) Source: Zagros Project 2. BRIEF PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Central Zagros Mountains contain globally significant biodiversity. Topographical relief and climatic conditions have led to diverse ecosystems and habitats in the area. This has created a home for a vast range of species, which include over 2,000 species of higher plants and several endangered and endemic mammal species. However, in recent decades, biodiversity has been declining and is increasingly threatened by incompatible land uses. This trend is driven by increased immigration and urbanization, extractive activities such as mining and logging, expanding road networks, and the loss of traditional management and land-use practices. 2. The project goal and objective have aimed to conserve the biodiversity of the Central Zagros Mountain (CZM) region through the “mainstreaming” of biodiversity conservation with sector development plans and programs at the central, provincial and district government levels. Mainstreaming is intended to enable the agencies that govern the main economic and natural resource-based sectors – agricultural, water management, forestry, rangeland management, tourism, energy and infrastructure development – to incorporate conservation and ecological sustainability measures into their own policies, programs and sectoral practices. 3. The project’s key task was to facilitate the full engagement of stakeholders across multiple sectors and agencies, in devising, piloting and demonstrating new integrated mechanisms for conservation. The implementation strategy included the establishment of Inter- sectoral committees to drive this process; to this end, the project has promoted the creation of Catchment Management Area Committees (CMACs) within the four provinces. Sustainable livelihoods and natural resource management were demonstrated in pilot villages and pilot catchment management areas under a small grants modality. The combined impact of the various project initiatives were expected to create enabling institutional and policy conditions for the up scaling of biodiversity conservation under a larger-scale initiative; this has led to the formulation of the Conservation and Sustainable Development (C+SD) program that is presently under consideration. 6 \ 3. EVALUATION RATING TABLE 4. The evaluators have rated the project according to the evaluation criteria that is presented in the Terms of Reference. The ratings are presented below: Figure 1 Project Evaluation Rating Table EVALUATION CRITERIA RATING COMMENTS Monitoring & Evaluation M&E design at entry Satisfactory (S) A Monitoring Plan is included and budgeted in the project document. M&E Plan Implementation Unsatisfactory The Monitoring Plan was not implemented as designed for the (U) most part: Pilot area-specific baseline data was not collected for several indicators project and outcomes. (Sec. 2.E). Stakeholders were not involved in the collection and review of data and full dissemination of the monitoring results (Sec. 2.F). The evaluators did not see evidence of “complete monitoring frameworks” covering environmental, social and economiic trends within village level natural resource use plans (Sec. 2B) Overall quality of M&E Moderately Monitoring has not been systematic. A Mid-Term Evaluation Unsatisfactory was held at a late stage, yet had significant influence on project (MU) design and strategy. The UNDP CO has monitored the project and participated in occasional visits. UNDP’s RBAP Regional Office in Bangkok organized several monitoring visits. Provincial project officers performed ad hoc internal monitoring. Stakeholder involvement in project monitoring and adaptive management was lacking. More consistent and in-depth monitoring – and greater