Measuring the success of the Management Capacity Building Program for Marine Protected Areas in the Gulf of California

Knowledge management and monitoring are important for conservation work. Because resources for conservation are limited, it is important to identify conservation approaches that are most likely to succeed. This case study describes our methodology to link field conservation impact with the implementation of a capacity building program to increase management effectiveness in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Gulf of California. The program uses results chains to link program components to desired outcomes and expected conservation impact. Selected indicators are used to measure short- and medium-term results, while monitoring longer-term impacts relies on measuring and monitoring overall MPA management effectiveness as a predictor of success and an indication of expected conservation impacts. The results chain combined with indicators and the predictor of success has allowed an effective engagement with key stakeholders around a ‘theory of change’, as well as providing the program with a manageable set of indicators that reflects the interests of multiple stakeholders, helping us measure program progress and guiding the effective investment of resources to optimize conservation impact.