Year of publication 2006

Management effectiveness evaluation is defined as the assessment of how well protected areas are being managed – primarily the extent to which management is protecting values and achieving goals and objectives. The term management effectiveness reflects three main ‘themes’ in protected area management: design issues relating to both individual sites and protected area systems; adequacy and appropriateness of management systems and processes; delivery of protected area objectives including conservation of values. This Best Practice Guideline is not intended as a "howto" manual and does not contain a detailed methodology, but explains (Chapter 4) the steps in designing and conducting an assessment, through the phases of: 1. defining assessment objectives, scope and resourcing; 2. choosing and developing a methodology, including establishing an assessment team and defining indicators; 3. implementing the assessment in the field and office; and 4. interpreting, communicating and using results.