Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and

Improvement Strategy –

Caring for our Country and the

Biodiversity Fund April 2013

Contents

1 Introduction 4

2 Purpose of this strategy 6

3 MERI principles and Key Evaluation Questions 7

4 Implementing MERI — funding recipients (project level MERI) 8

5 Implementing MERI — the Australian Government (program level MERI) 13

6 MERI Toolkit 15

7 Terminology 15

1 Introduction

To help understand how investments to improve our natural resource management (NRM) and

biodiversity conservation are making a difference, information about where investments are made

and what they are achieving is needed. This information can also be used to help understand how we

can improve the design and delivery of projects and programs.

Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Improvement (MERI) are simple concepts that, when applied,

help us understand what is being achieved and help identify possible improvements, for projects

and programs. The figure below provides a simple depiction of the MERI cycle.

Figure 1: The cycle on monitoring, evaluation, reporting and improvement

Funding recipients and the Australian

Government have a role to play in ensuring that

Caring for our Country and the Biodiversity

Fund are adequately monitored, evaluated and

reported to allow identification of achievements

and integration of improvements.

Investments in NRM and biodiversity

conservation are made through a number of

different funding streams. Each of these

funding streams uses specific documentation

and processes. However, information from

each of these streams will be used to

understand progress towards the broader

Caring for our Country and Biodiversity Fund

strategic objectives. Data and information from

the following will be collected and reported as

part of this MERI Strategy:

The Biodiversity Fund1

Caring for our Country, including: Regional Delivery Sustainable Environment stream Sustainable Agriculture stream

Implementation of this MERI Strategy will be

supported by a range of other documentation

that sets specific requirements for recipients

under the relevant funding streams, including

program guidelines, funding agreements,

and planning and reporting templates

(provided as part of the MERI Toolkit

(see section 6). Further information on Caring

for our Country and the Biodiversity Fund can

be found at the Caring for our Country and

Biodiversity Fund web pages.

1 Biodiversity is one component of the broader Land Sector Package,

which also includes Regional Natural Resource Management

Planning for Climate Change Fund and the Indigenous Carbon

Farming Fund. These funds will implement separate though

complimentary MERI processes to this strategy.

This MERI Strategy differs from the previous

Caring for our Country MERI strategy in that it:

Provides a consistent and integrated

approach to monitoring evaluating,

reporting and improvement for both Caring

for our Country and the Biodiversity Fund.

Clarifies the role of funding recipients in

providing project level data, and

strengthens the processes which

enable this.

Strengthens the Australian Government

commitment to making as much

information as possible public, to help

maximise learning about how best to

invest to address the natural resource

management and biodiversity conservation

challenges that Australia faces.

2 Purpose of this strategy

This document outlines the approach needed

from funding recipients and the Australian

Government, to ensure:

Funding recipients can track and report on

project progress and achievements.

The Australian Government can track

program progress and report on program

achievements, including their impacts on

the environment, natural resource base

and community.

Information collected along the way is used

effectively, including by funding recipients

and the Australian Government to inform

ongoing and future design and delivery of

projects and programs.

Accountability of public expenditure.

To build a picture of how our NRM and

biodiversity conservation investments are

making a difference, information from a range

of sources is needed. This MERI Strategy aims to

support the collection and communication of

information at three levels, as depicted in

Figure 2.

Figure 2: Information from three sources will be used to build a comprehensive picture of program achievements

3 MERI principles and Key Evaluation Questions

The following principles should be applied

when designing and implementing MERI at

both project and program level:

Fit for purpose: Tailored to the design,

purpose and objectives of Caring for our

Country and the Biodiversity Fund projects

and programs.

Credible: Based on scientifically and

administratively defensible methods

and approaches.

Transparent: Clearly demonstrate how

public money has been spent, the resulting

outputs, and where possible outcomes.

Cost effective: The cost of MERI activities

is within allowable limits, and where

possible draws on and links with existing

processes and information.

The following Key Evaluation Questions should

help frame the broad approach to MERI at the

project and program level. Based on the general

Key Evaluation Questions below, project and

programs may develop more specific project or

program evaluation questions.

Effectiveness: Were the planned activities

performed, and to the standard required?

Impact: What is the outcome, or result of

having done the planned activities -

i.e. what changes in the condition of

environmental assets, changes in

management practices and/or changes

in institutions can be observed?

Appropriateness: Was this the best

way to have addressed the problem?

Did the activities and the way they were

undertaken align with stakeholder needs

and expectations. Were they consistent

with relevant NRM policy and priorities?

Efficiency: Did the project / program

achieve the desired results within budget?

To what extent did the project / program

attain the highest value from available

resources – could the same outcomes be

achieved more simply and for less cost

next time?

Legacy: Will the project / program

continue to have an impact after

its completion?

4 Implementing MERI – funding recipients (project level MERI)

Funding recipients can allocate a portion of

their total project budget to MERI activities,

in accordance with the relevant funding

stream guidelines.

In general, Caring for our Country and

Biodiversity Fund funding recipients will

be required to:

1. Develop a Project MERI Plan (see 4.1 below).

2. Undertake monitoring and evaluation

activities to collect information as evidence

of project progress and achievements

(see 4.2 below).

3. Provide progress reports throughout the life

of the project, and a final report upon

completion of the project (see 4.3 below).

MERI requirements differ for the Biodiversity

Fund and Caring for our Country. Biodiversity

Fund projects are relatively similar and so

monitoring and evaluation activities are largely

predetermined. Caring for our Country will

invest in a wide range of projects and so

individual MERI approaches will need to

be developed.

NOTE: Not all Caring for our Country funding

programs refer to ‘Project MERI Plans’

specifically -specific MERI related requirements

are detailed in relevant funding stream

specific documentation, including guidelines,

funding agreements and templates.

4.1 Project (MERI) Plans

Caring for our Country and Biodiversity Fund

recipients may be required to develop a plan

(using the funding stream specific templates),

at the commencement of their project, which in

general aims to:

Document the detail and structure of the

project. This helps identify which aspects

or stages of the project should be

monitored (some project templates will call

for the development of a program logic —

see text box on page 9)

Monitor and evaluate progress and collect

evidence of achievements (see 4.2)

Provide detail of communication activities.

Communication of project activities,

experiences, and achievements amongst

funding recipients, the community and

the broader public is an important aspect

of MERI.

The type and complexity of monitoring and

evaluation required for Caring for our Country

funded projects will depend on the type and

size of the project. This is reflected in relevant

templates, with smaller grant recipients

required to develop a simple project MERI

plan, while larger projects will be required

to develop a more comprehensive plan.

Further information on the MERI requirements

for Caring for our Country is described in

section 4.2.

What is program logic?

Program logic is an approach to project or program planning that illustrates simply, the logic behind

how activities lead to outcomes. Program logic is usually represented as a diagram or matrix,

which shows a series of expected consequences eventually resulting in the final outcome.

This structure helps identify where monitoring activities should be integrated throughout the

project, to show whether the project is progressing as planned and demonstrate achievements.

The diagram below illustrates the types of ‘outcomes’ that occur at the different stages of a project

or program. Example program logics are provided in the MERI Toolkit (see section 6).

Figure 3: Basic structure of a NRM program logic

4.2 Project monitoring and evaluation

Funding recipients are responsible for

collecting and reporting project level data that

demonstrates progress and achievement of

project outcomes. The type of information that

is collected will vary depending on the type and

size of the project. It will also depend on the

particular outcomes that are being monitored

or evaluated. Generally speaking, funding

recipients have less control and influence on

longer term outcomes (see Figure 3, above) and

so these outcomes can be harder and more

costly to monitor and evaluate.

This section of the strategy provides an outline

for funding recipients of both Caring for our

Country and the Biodiversity Fund to guide

monitoring and evaluation activities.

4.2.1 Caring for our Country

The way monitoring and evaluation is

undertaken at the project level will vary

across the broad variety of Caring for our

Country projects.

When thinking about the type and purpose of

monitoring and evaluation at the project level,

funding recipients should consider:

The type of monitoring and evaluation

activities that are feasible given the

available MERI budget (set out in the

funding agreement) and project

team capacity.

Key elements (activities or outcomes) of

the project that should be monitored and

evaluated to provide evidence of progress

and /or achievements — what is key in

understanding the progress and success of

the project?

Program outcomes and the types of

monitoring at the project level that would

help demonstrate the project’s contribution

to the program outcomes.

Existing monitoring and evaluation

approaches that can be used to ensure

consistency across projects, within regions,

across the program etc.

As part of its commitment to MERI,

the Australian Government will advise on

possible monitoring and evaluation

approaches (including standard indicators)

to promote a consistent approach to

collecting and assessing project level data.

This advice will be made available on the

Caring for our Country website.

To fulfil monitoring and evaluation activities

funding recipients can use their MERI budget

to purchase third party specialised services.

For example a project may choose to engage a

third party to provide specialised monitoring,

or to assess monitored data and information

and provide an evaluation of their project.

Intentions to engage a third party evaluator

should be detailed in the Project MERI Plan.

Table 1 (below) indicates the types of monitoring approaches at different project levels and for different project capacities, and provides some example evaluation questions.

Project outcome level

Purpose of monitoring

Evidence need Monitoring approach (e.g)

Evaluation Questions (e.g)

Longer term project outcome

To help understand the NRM or biodiversity outcome (or impact) of the project.

Evidence of asset condition change (e.g. enhanced ecosystem health)

• (existing or new) scientifically robust methodology applied.

• Use (existing or new) indicators of change

• What was the impact of the project?

• Were there unintended impacts

• Were there external factors which impacted on the project.

Intermediate project outcome

To help understand whether the project (effectively) achieved the management or conservation activities it set out to.

Evidence of project deliverable (e.g. reduction in density of weeds / pests) Evidence of better practice adopted.

• Baseline and post activity pest numbers on project site

• Photo point (GPS linked) documentation

• Follow-up survey with participants

• Recognised ‘management’ actions recorded

• Did the project achieve what it set out to and to the standard expected, and within budget?

• What could have been done differently / better?

Immediate project activities and outcomes

To understand whether a specific project activity occurred and had the intended result (was appropriate) in order for the project to progress.

Evidence of revegetation activities completed Evidence of workshop attendance

• Photographic documentation • Registration of attendees

and attendee satisfaction with workshop

• Was the activity completed and did it have the intended result?

• Was the activity appropriate, or would a different approach be better?

4.2.2 Biodiversity Fund

All Biodiversity Fund projects, with the exception of Round 1 projects, with approved Funds greater than or equal to $500,000 (GST exclusive) are required to collect ecological monitoring data and report the data collected to the department. This data can be collected using one of the following recognised methods, the department may add additional methodologies to this list:

Habitat Hectares BioMetric: Terrestrial Biodiversity

Tool BioCondition TasVeg: Tasmanian Vegetation

Condition Assessment Method Bushland Condition Monitoring Native Vegetation Condition

Assessment & Monitoring for WA

If you do not intend to use one of these listed monitoring methods, you must then collect and report ecological monitoring data to the department in accordance with the department’s Biodiversity Fund Ecological Monitoring Guide.

All Biodiversity Fund funding recipients will be

required to answer the evaluations questions

provided by the Australian Government within

the relevant reporting templates. This will

require providing simple data about the project

and some observations about how the project is

progressing. This data and information will be

used to help understand how Biodiversity

Fund projects are contributing towards the

program objectives.

The reporting templates and the Biodiversity

Fund Ecological Monitoring Guide are available

at the Biodiversity Fund website.

4.3 Project reporting

Funding recipients will be required to report

periodically to the Australian Government on

the progress of their project, and provide a final

report on project completion, using the relevant

reporting templates. Information from these

reports will be used by the Australian

Government to communicate publicly the

location, objectives and other details of projects.

The Australian Government will also

consolidate project level reports to track

progress and communicate program outcomes

to stakeholders and the broader community.

Periodic and final reporting will

generally involve:

Summarising delivery of project activities

in the reporting period including a

summary of monitoring results.

Reporting progress towards project

outcomes, including using available

standard measures (provided in

reporting templates).

Identifying lessons learnt and necessary

changes to the project design or delivery

Providing any other relevant information

including maps, photos, case studies,

raw data etc.

Financial reporting.

5 Implementing MERI – the Australian Government (program level MERI)

The Australian Government is committed

to accounting for, and demonstrating

outcomes from, its NRM and biodiversity

conservation investments.

The Australian Government will be responsible

for program level MERI for Caring for our

Country and the Biodiversity Fund, including:

Providing advice and developing processes,

systems and MERI documentation to

support funding recipients undertake

their MERI responsibilities.

Collating, analysing and reporting on

consolidated project data.

Storing and making publicly available,

relevant project and program information.

Supporting program level monitoring,

research and evaluation activities across

themes, landscapes or regions.

Providing timely updates on program

progress and achievements.

Separate program level MERI plans for the

Caring for our Country Sustainable

Environment and Sustainable Agriculture

streams, and Biodiversity Fund have been

developed to outline the strategic objectives,

outcomes and investment approaches for

monitoring and evaluation at the program level.

These will be available on the Caring for

our Country and Biodiversity Fund websites.

Where applicable, Program MERI Plans will also

outline relevant project level monitoring

approaches (including standard indicators),

which align with the program monitoring

approach. These plans will be updated from

time to time, and will be available on the Caring

for our Country and Biodiversity Fund websites.

5.1 Program monitoring

The Caring for our Country and Biodiversity

Fund program monitoring will be underpinned

by three types of monitoring data (also see

Figure 2):

1. Project information — information

provided by funding recipients to the

Australian Government will be collated,

analysed and reported as it becomes

available. Project information will be

presented for individual projects and

also help provide snap shots on

program progress.

2. Targeted monitoring — The Australian

Government will support monitoring

activities, which complement information

provided at the project level, to enable an

understanding of how the program is

progressing towards its objectives and

impacting on NRM and biodiversity assets.

Monitoring activities may focus on particular

geographic areas (including project sites),

themes, and assets. Results from monitoring

activities will inform evaluation processes

(see 5.2).

3. Landscape scale, research and other data

— Information from existing sources will be

drawn on to provide further evidence of

changes to the natural resource base, and as

context for understanding the programs

impact. This may include remotely sensed

data (such as extent of native vegetation),

or supporting relevant scientific research.

5.2 Program evaluation

Specific theme or asset based evaluations may

be undertaken, for Caring for our Country and

the Biodiversity Fund to provide further depth

and analysis of the achievement and / or to

inform future program design and delivery.

Evaluations for Caring for our Country and the

Biodiversity Fund will aim to assess progress

towards program objectives, as well program

administration and delivery. They will take into

account input from funding recipients and other

stakeholders, and will assist with program

improvements and any future program design.

They will also focus on the achievements and

NRM and biodiversity conservation outcomes

from Caring for our Country and the

Biodiversity Fund.

5.3 Program reporting

As a way of sharing information and

demonstrating results as they occur,

the Australian Government will make

project and program information publicly

available. To date this has occurred through

annual departmental and program progress

reports. The Australian Government intends to

move towards a more detailed and interactive

reporting approach, publicly reporting project

and program level data, as it becomes available.

Information will continue to be communicated

through the following regular reports:

Annual departmental reports to demonstrate

accountability and report on progress to

Parliament and the public. For the Biodiversity

Fund, this will also include the annual reports of

the Land Sector Carbon and Biodiversity Board.

Program progress updates will provide a

platform to provide updates on program

progress, highlight particular achievements and

share information and case studies from the

project level.

Monitoring and evaluation reports generated

through the Australian Governments targeted

scientific monitoring approach will be

published and made publicly available

upon completion.

6 MERI Toolkit

The following documents will directly support

the implementation of this MERI Strategy,

and may be updated from time to time:

Available on the Caring for

our Country website

http://www.nrm.gov.au/funding/meri

Caring for our Country Project MERI Plan

template (under $80,000)

Caring for our Country Project MERI Plan

template (over $80,000)

MERI FAQ

Example Project MERI Plan for Caring for

our Country

Example Program Logic

Sustainable Environment Stream Program

MERI Plan

Sustainable Agriculture Program MERI Plan

The following are useful reference materials for

the development and implementation of MERI:

Australian Government Natural Resource

Management Monitoring Evaluation

Reporting and Improvement Framework.

Developing and Using Program Logic in

Natural Resource Management

Available on the Department of

Sustainability, Environment, Water,

Population and Communities, Land Sector

Package, Biodiversity Fund Website

http://www.environment.gov.au/

cleanenergyfuture/biodiversity-fund/meri

Biodiversity Fund Project MERI

Plan template

Biodiversity Fund Reporting Templates

Biodiversity Fund Ecological Monitoring

Guide and guidance video

Example project MERI plan for

Biodiversity Fund

7 Terminology Achievement For the purpose of this MERI Strategy ‘achievement’ is a general term

referring to the realisation of particular activities and outcomes.

Baseline The state or condition of an asset (environmental, social etc) prior to an intervention (project or program)

Evaluation A systematic process of information collation and analysis to assess the impact, appropriateness, effectiveness, efficiency or legacy of a project or program.

Monitoring The (preferably regular) collection of data / information, usually to assist timely decision making, and demonstrate changes over time.

Objective A desired result of an activity, project or program

Program level Refers to Australian Government MERI responsibilities and activities at whole of Caring for our Country program and the Biodiversity Fund program.

Program Outcome The Strategic Objectives or 5 Year outcomes of Caring for our Country.

Project Outcomes The results of project activities. These may be immediate, intermediate or longer term outcomes.

Project level Refers to funding recipient MERI responsibilities and activities

Funding recipient Person or organisation that receives funding from the Caring for our Country or Biodiversity Fund program(s).

Australian Government The Australian Government as represented by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and /or the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.