How to Use Guidelines

Broadening Participation in Biological Monitoring:
Guidelines for Scientists and Managers
David Pilz, Heidi L. Ballard, Eric T. Jones
©2005 Institute for Culture and Ecology

Project Homepage - Printer Version

Design—These guidelines are designed for ease of use; that is, as a “How-to” manual for starting or supporting a participatory monitoring project.  They are divided into two parts, a set of resource guidelines and a documentation workbook. 

The guidelines were designed as a comprehensive resource for use by managers and scientists new to participatory processes as well as for advanced users who would benefit from having a reference tool.  Thus, the way in which the manual is used will in part depend on the prior experience managers or scientists have with participatory monitoring.  Ideally, users will have participated in a workshop using the training curriculum.   The curriculum was specifically developed as a companion product to assist trainers with introducing users to the guidelines and workbook, and to help them get started on designing a participatory project.

Getting Started—The guidelines are organized according to the broad stages of a monitoring project: Planning, Implementation, and Follow-through.  Within each section are modules focused on particular topics that will be most useful to consider during that stage.  Please see the Modules Overview section for a quick synopsis of the content of the guidelines, including the concepts covered in each module and how they interrelate.  Stakeholders might be advantageously engaged at any stage of a monitoring project, and any relevant modules can be consulted in any sequence.  Most importantly, the Modules Overview will help users quickly decide if a participatory approach for a given project is appropriate.  The Modules Overview can be skipped as more detailed information is presented in the actual modules. 

Documentation—Integral to the use of these guidelines is documenting decisions, events, resources, protocols, and plans relevant to each topic by addressing checklist items. Doing so collaboratively is an excellent exercise in building trust, transparency, effective communication, and clear agreements.  Sharing such documentation as it accrues can provide all participants with a continual record of the project.  Shared information can be useful for avoiding or resolving conflicts and disagreements.  Such documentation also demonstrates a thoughtful and systematic approach to data quality.  The project record also can be used to evaluate progress and determine needed improvements.  Portions of the project plan, such as sampling protocols or field emergency procedures, can be copied and carried for use in the field.

Modules—Although we arranged the subject matter into stages of a monitoring project and topical modules, each module can be used in any sequence.  We suggest the user peruse all the modules before beginning to use the guidelines and workbook.  Aspects of the various topics inevitably overlap each other and browsing through our arrangement of topics will provide the user with a better understanding of how to customize the guidelines’ for their specific project.

Discussions—We begin each module with a brief introduction to the topic.  Managers inexperienced in participatory monitoring or related fields will benefit from these explanations and descriptions in each module.  We also include brief examples, suggestions, and recommendations based on lessons learned from organizations with experience in implementing participatory projects, both public and private.  The organizations we mention in our discussions are listed in Appendix 1. The purpose of the module discussions is to provide the user with a concise synthesis of key points from other resources available on these topics.

Checklists—Following the discussion, we present a concise checklist of relevant considerations for that topic.  Our intent is to help the user verify that no potentially important issues are accidentally overlooked.  We encourage users to address and document each checklist item that is germane to their project.  Blank forms in the appended workbook section provide the means for documenting decisions, events, resources, protocols, and plans relevant to each pertinent checklist item in each module.  Because we are unable to anticipate all relevant considerations and issues, especially those specific to a given project, the workbook forms also allow users to create and document customized checklist items.

References—After each module’s overview, we list relevant references.  Mutual learning is an excellent trust-building exercise in its own right and we encourage stakeholders to collaborate in detailed study of the topics that interest them.  More citations are provided for topics on which managers are likely to be less familiar than on those of greater familiarity.  In the website version of this document each citation is hyperlinked to the reference in the Literature Cited section so that the usefulness of the reference can be quickly appraised.

Annotated literature—All of the references in the Literature Cited section are annotated with information describing the nature of the document and the topics it covers.  Our intent is to help the user decide whether a particular document is worth the effort, time, or expense to acquire.  We focused our literature search on readily-available literature from national organizations in the United States, although we made exceptions for particularly useful or representative international documents.  Whenever possible we provide web links for downloading documents directly. There is a large volume of information from international rural development programs that we did not include because it is outside the scope of these guidelines. If the user is interested, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), The European Tropical Forestry Network (ETFRN), and the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) are good starting points for searching this body of information.

Organizations—In Appendix 1 “Organizations”, we provide contact information and web site addresses, for organizations we found to have extensive experience with conducting collaborative or participatory projects or programs, and from whom we obtained many of our references and feedback on development of the guidelines. Again, we focused on nation-wide programs in the United States, but included a few local, state, and international organizations we considered relevant.  Most of these organizations have additional pertinent information (that we did not cite) available on their web sites.

Case study links—In Appendix 2, “Case Studies of Collaboration and Partnerships”, we provide a few web sites that have extensive links to examples of specific collaborative or participatory ventures.  These provide opportunities to network with individuals involved in similar or nearby projects.

Workbook—Appendix 3, “Workbook Documentation Forms”, is a workbook of checklists from each module. The checklists serve as an outline of key items in a participatory monitoring project and individual sheets can be carried in the field or elsewhere.  The blank sheets can be reproduced and customized to create your project plan, along with other relevant appended documents.  When an explanation of an item in the workbook is needed, the user can re-consult the guidelines. These guidelines are of greatest value to all concerned stakeholders if it is actually put to use to create a project plan using the workbook.  We suggest creating a separate workbook for each participatory monitoring project if multiple projects are part of a larger monitoring program.  Project plans (workbooks) can be kept in electronic format, filed in three-ring binders and photocopied, or in any other desired filing system.  Importantly though, the documentation format and filing system should be easily accessible to all collaborators to enhance the sense of inclusion, participation, ownership, and trust.

©2005 Institute for Culture and Ecology