Final Evaluation of the Holistic Forest Conservation Project (HFCP) Madagascar

Context of the service

At the beginning of 2008, when the REDD+ mechanism was nascent, Air France was betting on developing a REDD+ program on more than 500,000 ha of Malagasy forests, both humid (eastern facade of Madagascar) and dry (western facade): the Holistic Forest Conservation Project (PHCF).
This three-year project, implemented by WWF Madagascar and Good Planet, mobilized more than 50 field agents and was articulated in four strategic axes: (i) creation of new protected areas (NAP), (ii) support for income-generating activities (IGAs), (iii) transfer of natural resource management (TGRN) to village communities, (iv) implementation of energy-based reforestation.
The aim of the project was to "reduce the rate of forest loss in Madagascar due to the growth of slash-and-burn crops through conservation and management transfers, and implement carbon sequestration actions through forest landscape restoration".
In the 1st quarter of 2012, this project came to an end and Air France wanted (i) have an independent analysis of the execution of Phase 1 and (ii) benefit from recommendations for the implementation of a 2nd phase.

Services provided

The mission was therefore to make the most complete evaluation possible of the results of this project, in a very short time given its size, by conducting interviews with the Malagasy public authorities (central and local services), project managers and agents, village communities, and then triangulating these interviews by making targeted field visits.
Following the usual logical evaluation approach, strategic and organizational analyses were carried out on the following elements: logical framework, result indicators, activity monitoring system, inclusion in the national REDD+ strategy, management of project agents, public awareness.
Techno-economic analyses were then carried out in order to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, resilience and sustainability of the project's actions, namely: creation of NAPs, promotion of IGAs, TGRN and energy reforestation, but also restoration of natural forests and implementation of a REDD+ project.
Finally, specific recommendations were made concerning PHCF2: 1/Redesign of the monitoring system, 2/Inclusion in the national REDD+ strategy, 3/Structuring of grassroots communities, 4/Support for State/civil society dialogue, 5/Validation of a REDD+ project.

Summary of the service

Final evaluation of the Holistic Forest Conservation Project (PHCF), implemented over 4 years in 500,000 ha of forests by the Good Planet Association and WWF Madagascar: Interviews with stakeholders; Strategic and organizational analyses; Evaluation according to OECD-DAC criteria; Recommendations for PHCF2.