ESPA Projects Building, Capturing and Communicating Impact

www.espa.ac.uk/impact

What is ESPA?

ESPA is an international research programme funded by DFID, NERC and ESRC. Running from 2010-2017, all ESPA research is required to be interdisciplinary and involve researchers from developing countries. ESPA’s world-class research will improve our understanding of the way ecosystems function, the services and benefits they provide to society. It aims to demonstrate how ecosystem services can reduce poverty and enhance well-being for the world’s poor, and to deliver development impact through research excellence.

www.espa.ac.uk/impact

ESPA’s Excellence with Impact

• Academic Impact: ESPA’s science is required to generate world-class research which delivers, high-quality peer-reviewed publications, new data, models and tools.

• Development Impact: ESPA’s research is expected to have the potential to improve the lives of poor people in low-income countries. Projects and the ESPA Directorate are required to undertake activities to put research into use

Generating Evidence

Reaching Out: Web Traffic

Making ESPA’s Research Accesible

Building Impact

http://www.espa.ac.uk/impact/making-impact

Changing Lives

Informing Dialogue

Examples of Impacts

East Africa

• ESPA-BEST (Biodiversity, ecosystem services, social sustainability and tipping points in African Drylands) project is working with the Government of Kenya to support biodiversity and rangeland management

• Swahili Seas is helping 3500 people in the Gazi Bay area to use carbon credits to restore mangroves and enhance local livelihoods.

Zambia

• ESPA project is working with communities to develop better uses for Jatropha seeds after the biofuel market collapsed.

• Soap production has many benefits.

(Bridging knowledge systems for pro-poor management of ecosystem services. NE/I003819/1)

Bangladesh

• Bangladesh is key country featuring in ESPA’s research.

• The ESPA Deltas project will generate evidence on how ecosystems contribute to poverty alleviation and health and sensitivity to climate and land-use change

Bolivia

• ESPA’s projects in Bolivia are supporting the development of locally appropriate systems for payments for ecosystem services.

• Water • Carbon (REDD+)

Building Impact

Some Questions:

• What do projects need to do to enhance their development impact? – Delivering your pathway to impact

• Who are your key impact partners? • How can you work with other projects and

the Directorate? • How will your project communicate the

difference your project makes?

Key stakeholders (ESPA)

• Researchers and partners • Policy-makers • Politicians • Private sector • Potential beneficiaries • Knowledge and impact intermediaries • General public • Funders

Theory Of Change

LONG-TERM, LASTING CHANGE

Complete Theory of ChangeSITUATIONAL DRIVERS

Socio-economic, political, Technological factors

Existing policies,practices, beliefs

Other actors in research, policy and practice

Capacity of targetgroups to respond

Receptiveness of context

Organizations,resources,systems, skills

MEDIUM TERM CHANGESIndirect influence – policy

shapers, knowledge networks, planners, practitioners, stakeholder groups

SHORT-TERM CHANGESWhat behaviour changes, by whom?

Direct influence – partners, collaborators,Immediate research users

Research programmeEvidence, communications,

stakeholder engagement

Engagement, involvement

Capacity to use research

Behaviours and practice for change

Long-term change or impact for people

Adapted from S. Montague, 2007

Awareness, reception of new knowledge

Cause-effect assumptions

ESPA’s Theory of Change….

IMPACT: Sustainably managed ecosystems contributing to poverty alleviation.

Outcome: To positively influence end users and decision makers through the generation of cutting edge evidence on ecosystem services, their full value, and links to sustainable development

The Timeline of a Project

Capturing and Communicating Impact

• Projects need to capture evidence of their progress towards impact throughout the period of implementation and after project closure.

• Reporting through ROS and the 6-monthly meetings with the Directorate help to capture information, but…

• You don’t need to wait for routine reporting to share examples of your impact!

Questions for ESPA Researchers

• Who will use your research? – Who are the intended ultimate beneficiaries?

• How will your research be used? – How will the lives of poor people be changed

by your research being put into use? • What will your project do to ensure that

that this happens? – What needs to be done to track the

development impact of your work?

New Initiatives

• The Directorate will appoint an Impact Manager who will work directly with projects.

• The Directorate plans to appoint Evidence Brokers in South Asia and Eastern / Southern Africa.

• There will be a small grants scheme for impact as an ESPA Regional Opportunities Fund