Latin American Leadership Network for Collective Learning

Establishing a Baseline for Participating Programs Using Outcome Mapping Tools

The members of the EcoCostas-CRC network (funded by the Avina Foundation) applied analytical tools developed by CRC and EcoCostas. An example of one such tool is the Project Cycle and Outcome Analysis, which is used to compare progress and results in the respective initiatives being carried out by network members. The resulting baselines established the characteristics of the programs and projects in the locations where they operate. They also helped to clarify the expectations that each initiative sought to meet, as well as clearly set out the strategies employed to generate the expected results. The analytical tools were essential for permitting each initiative to characterize their evolving situation, and document the progress being made throughout the project implementation. These tools were developed and refined by CRC and its associates during the evaluation of projects funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) in Patagonia, Cuba, Belize and the Dominican Republic,as well as by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB)in the Ecuador Coastal Management Program and Mexico. The members of the EcoCostas-CRC network engaged in a sustained process of learning that was enriched by many other efforts in the region.