A Devolved Approach to Measuring Human Well-being Outcomes in Conservation Projects: Lessons from northern Kenya

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) approaches have often been criticized for their lack of evidence on the benefits for people who live within these communities. The success of CBNRM rests on the premise that... [ view full abstract ]

Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) approaches have often been criticized for their lack of evidence on the benefits for people who live within these communities. The success of CBNRM rests on the premise that communities derive benefits - financial (tourism revenues and wages) and non-financial (improved skills, security and social cohesion)-from conservation, which creates incentives to change resource use patterns and ultimately ensure the survival of these resources on communal lands. But, despite the proliferation of CBNRM activities at many sites in Africa and across the globe, few projects attempt to measure the extent or importance of human well-being impacts at the individual or household level.
This presentation will describe pilot application of the human well-being framework in the community conservancies of northern Kenya, where indigenous pastoralist communities aim to manage rangelands sustainably for livestock and wildlife. We describe a framework for incorporating human well-being into conservation strategies. This includes mapping conservation project activities to specific human well-being outcomes, identifying and selecting human well-being indicators, and making an informed decision on a monitoring design. We highlight key design and implementation lessons for developing a devolved conservancy social monitoring system.
Social data complements wildlife and vegetation monitoring data, and is essential to understanding whether and how an intervention meets human well-being objectives. Integrating social considerations into project activities can assist practitioners to avoid or mitigate potential social risks that can undermine the success of community conservation. In addition, taking a devolved approach that engages local community in design and implementation can result in social indicators that meet conservation objectives, are responsive to local needs, and grounded in a robust theory of change.