title: Reconceptualizing 'effectiveness' in environmental projects: can we measure values-related achievements?
abstract: There have been recent calls for a shift to an evidence-based paradigm in environmental management, grounded in systematic monitoring and evaluation, but achieving this will be complex and difficult. Evaluating the educational components of environmental initiatives presents particular challenges, because these programs often have multiple concurrent goals and may value 'human outcomes', such as value change, which are intangible and difficult to quantify. This paper describes a fresh approach based on co-creating an entirely new values-based assessment framework with expert practitioners worldwide. We first discuss the development of a generic framework of 'Proto-Indicators' (reference criteria constituting prototypes for measurable indicators), and then demonstrate its application within a reforestation project in Mexico where indicators and assessment tools were localized to enhance context-relevance. Rigorously derived using unitary validity, with an emphasis on relevance, practicability and logical consistency from user perspectives, this framework represents a step-wise advance in the evaluation of non-formal EE/ESD programs. This article also highlights three important principles with broader implications for evaluation, valuation and assessment processes within environmental management: namely peer-elicitation, localizability, and an explicit focus on ethical values. We discuss these principles in relation to the development of sustainability indicators at local and global levels, especially in relation to post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Fudan University, 220 Handan Road, Shanghai 200433, China; Sustainable Development Coordination Unit, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK. Electronic address: M.K.Harder@brighton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Marie K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Harder
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Development Coordination Unit, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK. Electronic address: ismael@adorafoundation.org.
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Velasco
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Development Coordination Unit, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK. Electronic address: G.L.Burford@brighton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Burford
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Development Coordination Unit, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK. Electronic address: dimity@barasaconsult.com.
authors.forename: Dimity
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Podger
authors.affiliation: Charles University Environment Center, José Martího 2/407, 16200 Prague 6, Czech Republic. Electronic address: svatava.janouskova@czp.cuni.cz.
authors.forename: Svatava
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Janoušková
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Development Coordination Unit, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK. Electronic address: georgiapiggot@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Piggot
authors.affiliation: Sustainable Development Coordination Unit, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Brighton, Cockcroft Building, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ, UK. Electronic address: e.hoover@brighton.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Elona
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hoover
mesh_terms: D000124:Achievement; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D004493:Education; D065928:Forests; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico
keywords: Assessment; Education for sustainable development; Environmental education; Evaluation; Indicators; Values