At Wildlife Works, we’ve partnered with local communities for over 25 years to protect forests while financing their own development and conservation plans. Our approach is based on the belief that successful conservation begins by putting communities at the center of decision-making. Because each community is unique, we use the Theory of Change framework (cause-and-effect modeling) as the main tool for co-designing their projects. This ensures that true community ownership is developed within their specific culture context and governance structure, increasing the chances of long-term success and sustainability.
Carbon projects can bring valuable income and jobs to communities but may also raise concerns about potential negative impacts. To address these concerns, we conduct Social and Biodiversity Impact Assessment (SBIA) workshops to define their most pressing social issues, mitigate potential risks, and embed solutions into the project design. By applying the Theory of Change framework to SBIA workshops, communities can measure and monitor the impact of projects on climate, communities, and biodiversity.
Social and Biodiversity Impact Assessments
The SBIA process begins with assessing the project site and conducting a stakeholder analysis to identify key players and their interests. These highly participatory workshops bring together diverse stakeholders from the participating project communities. In the workshops, the community participants determine the priority social and biodiversity challenges that a REDD+ project can address. Using the Theory of Change framework, they design actions that can trigger the desired results and select indicators for evaluation. A monitoring plan follows, along with data collection, analysis, and reporting to assess the project's impact.
Conducting SBIA using the Theory of Change framework can also guide communities in creating or affirming their “Life Plan” through carbon projects. A Life Plan, common in Latin American communities, involves participatory planning to define long-term goals and priorities for sustainable development. The concept is deeply rooted in the worldview of many Indigenous groups, where life plans are seen as a way to assert autonomy over their land, resources, and future. For communities in other regions who do not yet have life plans, SBIA and the Theory of Change framework can be a useful mechanism to develop this plan.
Continuous Adaptation
Running long-term conservation projects is complex: what seems like the best solution for the community may not always turn out as desired. Change is constant, whether in regulations, governments, leadership, markets, ecosystems, climate, or community needs. Continuous adaptation is required to remain relevant and responsive to changing needs and circumstances. We conduct recurring SBIA community workshops to enable continuous FPIC engagement where communities get a chance to revisit the original goals and strategies and modify them or set new ones.
In all Wildlife Works projects, SBIA workshops and the Theory of Change framework are essential for ensuring communities own the project design and can adapt to the variables that influence their desired outcomes.
Theory of Change in Action: The Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project
As an example, the Kasigau Corridor REDD Project (KCRP) began applying the Theory of Change Framework through its first SBIA workshop in 2011. This workshop engaged the community to think about the key issues the project could address, how things would be without the project, how they may be with the project, and any potential risks and / or negative impacts.
The initial workshop identified five focal issues:
Governance: incorporating leadership and gender inclusivity
Poverty: jobs and income-generating activities
Human-wildlife conflict
Environmental degradation: including deforestation and agricultural issues
Education
For each Focal issue, a results chain diagram was produced, and this formed the basis of choosing indicators for the KCRP monitoring plan that could help track progress in achieving the desired result.
Example of a Results-Chain Diagram
Consequently, based on the Theory of Change logic, the project designed a strategy with specific actions to address the focal issues identified. These include development of water and health projects, school infrastructure improvement, bursary schemes, employment and income-generating activities, agri-business schemes among others.
Seven follow-up SBIA workshops have been held in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023, to assess the status of project implementation using household survey data to check whether there have been any major changes or emerging issues.
At every Wildlife Works Project, the Theory of Change model has proven to be a vital tool for ensuring communities take the lead in designing their projects to realize their vision of a sustainable future, thereby ensuring the long-term success of each conservation project.
