USAID/Indonesia sustainable ecosystems advanced (SEA) project : mid-term performance evaluation (MTPE) : final MTPE report

Funded by USAID/Indonesia at a cost of US$31.9 million, the project operates at the national level (principally with the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries [MMAF]), Fisheries Management Area (FMA) 715 level, and provincial/site levels (in North Maluku, Maluku, and West Papua provinces). The USAID SEA Project consists of five strategic approaches (SAs) or components, namely: (i) SA1: create demand for marine and fisheries resources management and marine conservation through awareness raising and advocacy; (ii) SA2: improve ecosystem management of FMA 715 and marine protected areas (MPAs); (iii) SA3: increase incentives for marine stewardship; (iv) SA4: advance the development of marine and fisheries policies and regulations; and (v) SA5: institutionalize training and capacity building. A Mid-term Performance Evaluation (MTPE) was commissioned to an independent third party (Pacific Rim Innovation and Management Exponents, Inc. [PRIMEX]) to provide USAID/Indonesia and GOI with an assessment of project achievements at mid-term in relation to selected SAs, including factors, conditions, and challenges that enhanced or diminished the achievement of project results. The MTPE was conducted during the period, October 2019–July 2020 and assessed project performance over the period, 21 March 2016–30 September 2019. The MTPE utilized three data collection methods, namely: (i) desk review of available project documents; (ii) key informant interviews (KIIs); and (iii) focus group discussions (FGDs). The project’s mid-term performance was assessed based on progress indicators reported in its Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Plan (supported by project reports/documents) and validated using the KII and FGD outputs. The MTPE concluded that, overall, the project has satisfactorily achieved its planned activities and targets and is largely on track in attaining its life of project (LOP) targets, as of mid-term. Of its 11 MEL performance indicators directly relevant to the MTPE, three have been substantially exceeded, six are on track, and two need improvement to achieve the set LOP targets. The MTPE found that the project has been largely responsive to challenges encountered in project implementation, as of mid-term. Facilitating and hindering factors impacting project performance and recommendations to improve implementation effectiveness in selected project SAs are outlined in this report. The MTPE proposed the following recommendations on thematic areas requiring strengthening or expansion: (i) explicit incorporation of SA4 in the project’s Theory of Change (TOC) results chain for SA3 and SA5; (ii) strengthening and streamlining of the policy development process to facilitate adoption of enabling legal instruments; (iii) provision of incentives and greater visibility for model marine stewardship efforts for wider replication; (iv) improved communication, coordination, and collaboration among implementing partners in various elements comprising the EAFM approach; (v) incorporation of ecosystem approaches in research studies; (vi) addressing gender empowerment; and (vii) improving the sharing of best practices. It also recommends that the project concentrate on ongoing and unfinished activities (and the thematic improvements noted above), rather than expand its geographic coverage, in order to maintain the focus on achieving sustainable impacts in its target areas/sites within the remaining project life. Finally, the MTPE report provides recommendations for the consideration of USAID/Indonesia when designing similar projects in the future.