Back-
Change Request Forms
-
Finance Guidance and Claims Templates
-
Workshops and Webinars
-
Report and Review Templates
-
Risk Management
-
Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning
-
Gender Equality and Social Inclusion
-
Safeguarding
-
Terms and Conditions
-
Information Notes
-
Project Publicity
-
Advisory Group Resources
-
Frequently Asked Questions
Information Notes
Introduction
The Biodiversity Challenge Funds have produced a range of reviews and information notes from evaluations of projects and themes that could be useful for future or ongoing projects.
Information notes are the new name for short publications, which provide information to the IWT Challenge Fund community and beyond.
Information Notes
- Project Reporting Information Note
- Illegal Wildlife Trade and Poverty Information Note
- Logical Frameworks Information Note
Building and Applying Evidence Study Reports
These reports are a result of studies and reviews carried out by a range of specialists and consultants on the Biodiversity Challenge Funds (BCFs) including the Darwin Initiative, Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund, and Darwin Plus. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the fund administrator NIRAS, in consultation with wider stakeholders as relevant, are considering all findings and recommendations emerging from these reports in how they manage the BCFs.
- BCFs - Scaling biodiversity conservation projects
- BCFs - Connecting project teams with impact evaluation specialists
- BCFs - Scoping Report on the use of Value for Money Assessment in the BCFs
- IWT Challenge Fund - Poverty Reduction Strategies Phase 1 Report
- IWT Challenge Fund - Poverty Reduction Strategies Phase 2 Report
- IWT Challenge Fund - Transboundary IWT Projects
- BCFs - Application scores vs project performance
- BCFs - Review of the BCFs MEL systems: Standard Indicators and reporting
- BCFs - Gender Equity and Social Inclusion
- BCFs - Evidence use and generation
- BCFs - Evaluation of livelihoods programming
Methodologies
The methodologies presented here have been developed to support effective monitoring and evaluation across the Biodiversity Challenge Funds. They provide clear, accessible guidance for grantees and stakeholders on how to collect, report, and use data for key indicators. These approaches are designed to be practical and proportionate, drawing on established best practices while recognising the diverse capacities of participating organisations. By standardising methods for both project and fund-level reporting, we aim to ensure robust, consistent evidence that informs decision-making, strengthens project outcomes, and maximises the positive impact of the funds on biodiversity and livelihoods.
Fund level evaluations
In September 2020, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), commissioned Ecorys to undertake an evaluation of the three Biodiversity Challenge Funds - Darwin Initiative, Darwin Plus and Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, henceforth collectively referred to as ‘the scheme’.
The scope of this evaluation included all projects since the beginning of the scheme across all countries of operation. The evaluation had the following key objectives: assess the impact of the scheme; identify gaps in logic and draw out key lessons to understand how the scheme could be improved; facilitate clearer communication of the scheme’s key achievements; and make suggestions for establishing effective monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems. The results of this evaluation enabled Defra to improve the quality of the scheme going into the future, as well as showcasing Defra’s contributions to global biodiversity and environmental protection ahead of international conferences.
Reports and deliverables from the evaluation: