Cooperative evaluation of the Smithsonian Institution"s activities under the USAID/Brazil global climate change program

The BDFFP aims at studying the effect of the size of forest fragments on biological diversity. Interim evaluation covers the period 9/93- 9/96. Although the original experiment with forest fragments has been overtaken by events, the SI program is now adapting to the new circumstances and is proceeding well. Specific findings are as follows: (1) With regard to partnerships, SI is aware of its relative isolation in the past and is taking steps to establish closer links with the National Institute of Amazon Research (INPA) and other institutions. The undertaking is complex and requires skills beyond those of pure scientists who know little about local realities, but the project is on the right track. (2) The project has been more oriented toward the scientific community in Brazil than to local or regional needs, but it has great potential to contribute to local institutional capacity to implement sustainable development in tropical forest areas and is moving in that direction. (3) As in the case of partnerships and capacity-building, effective use of existing mechanisms has been a problem in the past but the project management is learning how to overcome the obstacles. The general lesson that can be drawn from the SI experience is that a project can change in very significant ways as it moves from conception to implementation to maturity, and that making it appropriate and sustainable depends to a very large extent on adaptation to local needs. Such adaptation can be learned the hard way or it can be stimulated by the program. The GCC Program is contributing to adaptation of the SI project and can contribute even more.