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Wildlife in East Africa: assessing livelihood impacts

This paper describes how key concepts of the Sustainable Livelihoods (SL) approach were incorporated into methods for assessing the impact of wildlife projects in East Africa. It shows that the SL approach can be applied not only to planning new projects, but also to the review of existing ones – even where these were not planned with SL concepts in mind. This study explains the rationale for developing an impact assessment methodology incorporating livelihood analysis, summarises the methodology and its application, and identifies several lessons learnt for application of SL approaches.

A methodology for assessing livelihoods impacts of projects was developed and applied in two case studies in Kenya. The assessment used a wide range of qualitative, quantitative and participatory data collection techniques and a simplified SL framework to guide analysis and interpretation. The findings provided recommendations to project staff on how to enhance livelihood impacts and participation among key target groups, while also feeding into an overview of the effectiveness of development and conservation projects.

Findings included suggestions that:

The SL approach can be applied to project impact assessment.
The methodology highlighted the importance of focusing on livelihood priorities within development and conservation projects.
Challenges and methodological issues that need considering include: difficulties in obtaining data are comparable across contexts; lack of quantitative results for aggregation to the regional or national level; the need for highly analytical and skilled study teams.
As long as the weaknesses of the SL approach are taken into account in relation to traditional methodologies, it could be used elsewhere. Its application would always have to be adapted according to context.

Considering application, strengths and weaknesses of the SL approach, policy implications include the following:

Application

A combination of field methods is crucial: the use of a variety of qualitative, quantitative and participatory methods and considerable triangulation of data.
Skills and resources: SL methodology stretches NGO resources and capacity and requires inter-disciplinary collaboration, strong analytical skills, good local facilitation and objective input.
The success of the SL framework for impact assessment should be shared but is no easy task: the complexity of the framework and its dependence on PRA, stakeholder and social science analysis is complex.

Strengths

Focusing on livelihoods, enhancing livelihood impacts as a central aim in making recommendations (SL as an approach).
Detailed analysis: exploring livelihood priorities and how local people are affected by the projects (SL as an analytical tool).

Weaknesses

Complexity: the SL framework attempts to manage complexity by creating particular ‘categories’ within livelihoods which led to analysis of impacts on each component - impact on assets and impact on existing activities.
Gaps exist in the framework making categorisation of certain issues difficult: power, politics and empowerment are not directly addressed.
Appropriate indicators of improved or sustainable livelihoods are not always easily identified.
Subjectivity and lack of comparability: people’s ‘sense of well-being’ is a critical factor in assessing the sustainability of livelihoods - a subjective judgement that makes it difficult to draw comparison between contexts.

Source(s):
‘Developing Methodologies for Livelihood Impact Assessment: Experience of the African Wildlife Foundation in East Africa’ ODI Working Paper #129 by C. Ashley and K. Hussein (2000) Full document.
‘Sustainable Rural Livelihoods: What contribution can we make?’ London: DFID edited by D. Carney (1998)

Funded by: Department for International Development, UK

id21 Research Highlight: 16 February 2001

Further Information:
Caroline Ashley
Overseas Development Institute
111 Westminster Bridge Road
London SE1 7JD
UK

Tel: +44 (0)20 7922 0300
Fax: +44 (0)20 7922 0399
Contact the contributor: c.ashley@odi.org.uk

Overseas Development Institute, UK

Sustainable Livelihoods

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