Impact Evaluation of Finland supported Environment and Natural Resources projects in Zambia

MFA Finland has been providing long term support to the environmental sector in Zambia. This impact evaluation looked at the results achieved by the last three environmental projects that MFA Finland supported before its change in country strategy towards more focus Private Sector Development. The evaluation was undertaken by a team of three experts from FCG Finland.  The projects were:

Integrated Land Use Assessment phase 2 (ILUA II) – 2010 to 2017. The main activity of ILUA II was a forest inventory and socio-economic survey at national and sub-national level, with the results to be used to promote sustainable forest management and to provide the data for the National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS) and for the REDD+ strategy and programme. The project was implemented by the Forestry Department in the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in partnership with FAO. Total budget: USD 5.1 million. 
Civil Society Environment Fund phase 2 (CSEF2) – 2015 to 2019. The project delivered a package of support for Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) nation-wide in the Environment and Natural Resource (ENRM) sector including grant funding (larger grants for innovative projects and organisational development support and smaller grants for events and research), and capacity building support. The project also sought to improve coordination, networking and information sharing amongst environmental sector CSOs through the piloting of a Civil Society Organisations Environmental Hub (CSO E-Hub). The project had a total budget of Euro 4.6 million. 
Decentralised Forest and other Natural Resources Programme (DFONRMP) – Introduction project – 2015 to 2018. This project was meant as a first phase of a longer term programme with as vision that rural communities 
having improved livelihoods through fully devolved sustainable forest and other natural resources management system by 2026. The purpose of the introduction project was to set up an enabling framework, strengthen and 
operationalize devolved integrated sustainable forest and other natural resources management system including improved livelihoods in project districts and communities. The project was implemented by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the Ministry of Local Government and Ministry of Chiefs and worked in 6 districts in two provinces: Muchinga province and North-Western Province. According to the project completion report, the total project budget was Euros 4.7 million, of this the final Finnish contribution was Euros 4,221,314 while Government contribution was Euro 464,877. 

The main objective of the evaluation, as formulated in the ToR, was: “to provide evidence if and how the projects have contributed to their intended objectives and provide  evidence  of  capacity  enhancement  impact  on  the  institutions  and  participating communities,  and  sustainable  applications  on  improvements  in  the  institutions  and community/household welfare.”