Assessing protected area effectiveness

The Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT), a simple assessment system for protected and conserved areas, was relaunched in a 4th edition in December 2020. This new edition has updated questions and a spreadsheet tool to streamline implementation and compilation of results. Originally published in 2002, METT is aimed principally at tracking progress in individual protected areas over time. It was one of the first tools developed using the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) framework for assessing protected area management effectiveness. The tool was developed by the World Bank/WWF Alliance for Forest Conservation and Sustainable Use and has been applied in at least 127 countries. Several editions have been produced, reflecting lessons learned, and it has been adapted at national level by several countries. The tool has two main sections. Datasheets collect key information on the protected area, its characteristics, main conservation values, any threats, and management objectives, and details of who completed the assessment. An assessment form provides a composite measurement across 38 questions integrating all six components of the WCPA framework. Within each of these questions, performance is assessed against four grading statements representing standards of management from poor to very good. Each question has data fields for details of evidence that supports the assessment, steps to improve management if necessary, and details of information sources used in making the evaluation. Additional worksheets in METT-4 facilitate more detailed assessments of community relations, planning processes, condition of natural and cultural values, key species and habitats. Results of the assessment are presented in a dashboard summarizing the key results. The tool, and associated capacity-building material, is available at protectedplanet.net/en/thematic-areas/protected-areas-management-effectiveness-pame.