Threat Reduction Assessment (TRA) is a practical, low-cost alternative to more cost- and time-intensive approaches for measuring the impact of environmental conservation projects. TRA is based on data that are collected through simple techniques, directly related to project interventions, and readily interpreted by project staff; it is sensitive to changes over short periods of time and throughout a project site; it allows comparisons of performance among projects at different sites; and it can be used either as a completely independent measurement of project success or as a complement to other methods. This publication begins by discussing traditional, biological indicators of conservation project impact — habitat integrity and quality, ecological processes — and then presents TRA and its principal tool, the TRA Index, which provides summary indicators of the degree to which a project has succeeded in reducing the threats to conservation at a particular site. The core section of the document presents, and illustrates via their use in the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Papua New Guinea, the 10 steps involved in developing the TRA Index: (1) define the project area in space and time; (2) develop a list of all direct threats; (3) define the threats and what 100% reduction means for each; (4) rank each threat for the area; (5) rank each threat for intensity; (6) rank each threat for urgency; (7) add up the ranking scores; (8) determine the degree to which each threat has been reduced; (9) calculate raw scores; and (10) calculate the TRA Index. A shorter example of the use of the TRA Index in Lore Lindu National Park in Sulawesi, Indonesia, is also provided. The advantages of the TRA over the traditional biological indicator approach are discussed in conclusion. Includes a TRA worksheet, references, and an e-mail address for providing feedback.
