Accounting for results: how conservation organizations report performance information

Area of Science:

• Environmental science
• Conservation management
• Public administration

Background:

• Environmental program performance information is crucial but under-researched regarding organizational differences in reporting.
• Conservation organizations face increasing demand for accountability and evidence of effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare performance measurement and reporting across four types of private-land conservation organizations.
• To investigate factors influencing the variation in performance information, including governance networks and political conflict.
• To assess whether reported performance information provides evidence of program effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• Comparative case study analysis of four private-land conservation organizations: a national government agency, a national nonprofit, local government departments, and local land trusts.
• Analysis of performance reporting relationships and types of information reported.
• Examination of the association between political conflict and the extent of performance information.

Main Results:

• Most organizations reported basic output measures (e.g., land area, contracts); few reported outcome indicators or environmental effects.
• Local government departments reported the most performance information types, while local land trusts reported the least.
• Governance networks shape reporting patterns, and goal conflict among principals correlates with increased performance information.

Conclusions:

• Environmental program performance reporting is influenced by complex institutional and political contexts.
• Existing performance information often provides unreliable causal evidence of program effectiveness.
• In-depth evaluations are needed to supplement performance measures and establish causal inferences.