Story from Fernanda González (UNDP-Ecuador), Amy Greenwood (UNDP), and Juan Carlos González (PROAmazonia)
PROAmazonía is an ambitious program seeking to reduce deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions in Ecuador’s Amazon region through sustainable management and production practices. This six-year collaborative program to transform the agriculture and forestry sectors is implemented by the Government of Ecuador with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funding from the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environment Facility.
Originally, two separate frameworks were developed to meet the objectives of the two donors, but in 2017, the two were merged into PROAmazonía. In late 2018, PROAmazonia coordinators and technical staff began using the Open Standards methodology as a comprehensive strategic planning process for the program. CCNet coach Fernanda González trained Juan Carlos González and Evelyn García (PROAmazonia) and Amy Greenwood (UNDP), and together they facilitated the planning process.
Through a series of intensive Open Standards workshops, the PROAmazonia team identified direct threats and specific conservation and human wellbeing objectives and mapped out short, medium, and long-term expected results. The staff compiled this information using Miradi 4.5.0 software and established results chains. At a subsequent workshop, 50 members of the Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock contributed to each of the results chains. Since then, PROAmazonía has used the results chains and theory of change to inform their annual project planning, monitor progress, prioritize activities, and strengthen their reporting practices.
Follow PROAmazonía online on Twitter and Facebook @PROAmazonia.
PROAmazonía staff develop their theory of change and identify specific objectives, expected results, threats, and conservation targets for the program. Photo by Amy Greenwood (UNDP).
