Combating Wildlife Trafficking Learning Agenda

The CWT Learning Agenda focuses the Collaborative Learning Group's learning efforts on three related CWT theories of change.

Download the learning agenda here

 

The three CWT theories of change are defined as:

Reduce Consumer Demand through Behavior Change Methodologies: The use of social marketing and other methodologies to raise awareness and change the behaviors of target audiences, especially consumer choices and reporting of illegal products and markets.

CWT Enforcement Capacity Building: The provision of financial or technical assistance to improve the capacity of governments and agencies to enforce wildlife laws and prosecute wildlife criminals.

Increase Community Conservation Action and Support to Combat Poaching and Trafficking: Efforts to build community support and action to decrease poaching and illegal activity.

These three focal strategic approaches are frequently carried out in parallel to achieve a common set of results. To represent this, a single overarching theory of change was developed (see results chain diagram below). It is this theory of change that will be used as the primary frame for the CWT Collaborative Learning Group.

 

TOC

Figure 1: Overarching Results Chain for CWT. This shows how the three focal strategic approaches (yellow hexagons) will lead to key intermediate results (blue boxes) that together contribute to reduced wildlife crime and improvements in protected and regulated species.

Based on the theory of change, a literature review, and consultation with the Learning Group members, an initial set of learning questions were identified. These questions form the basis for the Learning Agenda (see table below), which will be investigated by the Learning Group through a variety of activities. The full Agenda can be found here. The Learning Agenda will evolve based on the needs of the group. Click on the Contact button below to let us know your thoughts and questions you have about implementing combating wildlife trafficking.

Cross-Mission Learning Agenda for Combating Wildlife Trafficking
Learning Questions Envisioned Learning Activities Proposed Learning Products Use/Value of Learning Products
Strategic Approach 1: Reduce Consumer Demand Through Behavior Change Methodologies
Guiding question: What does effective demand reduction look like?
 Group members share their experience and learn about the evidence base and best practices for demand reduction approaches

To support this activity, Measuring Impact will:

Provide direct support to missions to define MEL Plan/indicators and generate evidence

Collect information on what is working and what is not in monitoring demand reduction activities

Examine and disseminate new tools on demand reduction		 Contributions to the online repository of lessons posted on the wiki

Examples or models of behavior change indicators (case studies, brief, webinars with experts)

Compilation of demand reduction "best practice" materials (demand reduction toolkit website, case studies on the Learning Group website)

Webinars or in-person presentations of new information and evidence to the Learning Group and others

Webinars and/or in-person presentations of the results to the Learning Group and others

Discussions via the Google email group		 The learning activities and products will help USAID:

Design and implement more effective demand reduction strategic approaches

Identify appropriate indicators to track project progress and effectiveness
What is the effect of reducing supply of illegal wildlife products as a consumer demand reduction strategy?
What are the most appropriate metrics and methodologies for monitoring demand reduction activities, especially the link between attitudes and behavior change?
Are certain messaging strategies more effective than others (i.e., positive messaging, messaging with enforcement information, etc.)?
Strategic Approach 2: Build Capacity for Effective Enforcement and Prosecution
Guiding question: What are the characteristics of effective law enforcement capacity building?
 Group members share their experience and learn about the evidence base and best practices for capacity building for CWT

To support this activity, MI will:

Organize a case study collection (open to interagency and USAID) and a learning event for socialization

Comparison of Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing, timber, and CWT interagency activities (common threats, drivers, barriers, and approaches) to harvest potential new approaches and methodologies		 Contributions to the online repository of lessons posted on the wiki

Case study briefs from entries (from case study collection)

Summary brief on best practices in law enforcement capacity building, including measuring outcomes (derived from case studies and learning event)

Diagnostic tool to identify barriers and approaches to implementing desired actions

Collection of training resources (who is doing what, where, and when)

Webinars or in-person presentations of new information and evidence to the Learning Group and others

Discussions via the Google email group		 The learning activities and products will help USAID:

Apply tools and evidence to design and implement more effective capacity building approaches

Identify potential barriers and challenges to the sustainability of capacity building efforts

Measure progress of and effectiveness of different approaches
How do institutional arrangements, especially dedicated units and embed programs, impact the uptake of skills and knowledge?
What are good examples of systems, particularly judicial systems, which have made improvements in CWT enforcement?
What factors are necessary for effective cooperation and processes among national, sub-national, and local authorities, especially for Wildlife Enforcement Networks?
What are some successful examples of partnerships used to deliver competency-building activities and what made them work?
For specific audiences: Which competency-building methods and content works best, especially for maintaining skills and retaining staff?
Strategic Approach 7: Increase Community Conservation Action & Support to Combat Poaching & Trafficking
Guiding question: What is best practice for community engagement on wildlife crime?
 Group members share experiences and learn about the evidence base for increasing community conservation action and support to combat poaching and trafficking

To support this activity, MI will:

Disseminate Wilkie, et al. (Rewards and Risks Associated with Community Engagement in Anti-Poaching and Anti-Trafficking) through webinars, newsletter, google discussion group, etc.

Synthesize available information on the conditions under which community members are more likely to work with enforcement agencies (What is the tipping point? What are the economics underlying the tipping point?)		 Contributions to the online repository of lessons posted on the wiki

Webinars or in-person presentations of new information and evidence to the Learning Group and others

Discussions via the Google email group		 The learning activities and products will help USAID:

Identify the enabling conditions that may be important for community management of wildlife

Design effective approaches to enable community-government collaboration in combating wildlife trafficking
When are certain community incentive structures (economic, governance, security, others) more important relative to others?
What are successful examples of community-government collaboration that have resulted in increased support for combating wildlife trafficking?
 

 

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