Using limiting factors analysis to overcome the problem of long time horizons

In recent years, donors to biodiversity conservation projects have sought greater accountability, using professional evaluators to help assess the degree to which grantees are achieving conservation objectives. One of the most formidable challenges evaluators face is the time required both for ecological systems to respond to management interventions and over which grantees must maintain their biodiversity conservation gains. The authors present a simple methodology, called limiting factors analysis, which was developed during the course of evaluating several large portfolios of conservation projects. The method is a practical basis for rapidly assessing whether current conditions are likely to prevent grantees from achieving their long-term objectives. Use of the methodology is illustrated with examples from recent evaluations of the Andes Amazon Initiative and the Columbia Basin Water Transactions Program. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.