Terminal Evaluation report of the UNDP/GEF project « Expansion and strengthening of Mali’s protected area system» (PIMS # 3926) Report prepared by Francis Staub & Ousmane Nianti Tangara February 2018 1 Contents CONTENTS ........................................................................................................................................................... 2 PROJECT SUMMARY ......................................................................................................................................... 4 PROJECT SYNOPTIC TABLE .................................................................................................................................... 5 PROJECT DESCRIPTION .......................................................................................................................................... 6 OBJECTIVE AND APPROACH OF THE EX-POST EVALUATION ..................................................................................... 6 PROJECT SCORECARD ........................................................................................................................................... 7 SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED ............................................................ 8 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS, ACRONYMS AND LEXICON........................................................................... 10 LIST OF ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................................................ 10 LEXICON ............................................................................................................................................................ 12 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 13 1.1. EVALUATION OBJECTIVE ....................................................................................................................... 13 1.2. SCOPE AND METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................. 13 Scope ............................................................................................................................................................ 13 Methodological approach.............................................................................................................................. 14 Limiting factors ............................................................................................................................................. 14 1.3. STRUCTURE OF THE EVALUATION REPORT .............................................................................................. 14 2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND DEVELOPMENT CONTEXT............................................................. 15 2.1. MALIAN CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................ 15 2.2. LAUNCH AND DURATION OF THE PROJECT .............................................................................................. 16 2.3. PROBLEMS TO SOLVE ............................................................................................................................ 18 2.4. OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................... 19 2.5. INDICATOR BASELINE AND LOGICAL FRAMEWORK .................................................................................. 20 2.6. MAIN STAKEHOLDERS ........................................................................................................................... 21 2.7. EXPECTED RESULTS .............................................................................................................................. 21 2.8. MID-TERM REVIEW ............................................................................................................................... 22 3. FINDINGS .................................................................................................................................................. 23 3.1. PROJECT DESIGN / FORMULATION .......................................................................................................... 23 Analysis of the logical framework / results framework ................................................................................... 23 Assumptions and risks related to the project .................................................................................................. 26 Lessons learned from other projects and integrated into the project ............................................................... 27 Participation expected from the stakeholders ................................................................................................. 28 Replication approach .................................................................................................................................... 28 Comparative advantage of UNDP ................................................................................................................. 28 Links between the project and other interventions in the sector .................................................................... 29 Management Arrangements of the Project ..................................................................................................... 29 3.2. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT ....................................................................................................... 29 Evolution of the management approach ......................................................................................................... 29 Partnership agreements ............................................................................................................................... 32 Feedback from the monitoring-evaluation system for the management adapted to the project ......................... 32 Finances of the project .................................................................................................................................. 33 3.3. PROJECT RESULTS ................................................................................................................................. 34 Overall results .............................................................................................................................................. 34 Relevance ..................................................................................................................................................... 46 Effectiveness ................................................................................................................................................. 47 Efficiency ...................................................................................................................................................... 48 Appropriation by the country ......................................................................................................................... 48 Taking the gender dimension into account ..................................................................................................... 49 2 Sustainability of the intervention ................................................................................................................... 49 Impact of the project ..................................................................................................................................... 51 4. CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND LESSONS LEARNED ................................................ 52 4.1. CONCLUSIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 52 Main achievements and strengths .................................................................................................................. 52 Lacunas and weaknesses of the project .......................................................................................................... 53 4.2. RECOMMENDATIONS AND LESSONS TO LEARN ........................................................................................ 54 Lessons learned for project formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation ..................................... 54 Actions to continue or strengthen the achievements of the project .................................................................. 55 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................................................... 57 LIST OF ANNEXES ............................................................................................................................................ 57 ANNEXE 1 – TERMES DE REFERENCE RELATIFS A L’EVALUATION FINALE DU PROJET ERSAP ................................. 57 ANNEXE 2 – PROGRAMME DE LA MISSION DE TERRAIN ......................................................................................... 79 ANNEXE 3 - LISTE DES PERSONNES INTERROGEES ................................................................................................ 81 ANNEXE 4 - RESUME DES VISITES SUR LE TERRAIN ............................................................................................... 82 ANNEXE 5 - LISTE DES DOCUMENTS EXAMINES ..................................................................................................