The tools below are recognized as the most practical ways to identify and close gaps in protection activities happening at the ground level. Each tool provides useful resources for the people responsible for carrying out anti-poaching work, however the largest benefits are when multiple tools are used together.
This national level tool created by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) allows users to better analyze wildlife and forest legislation, law enforcement measures, prosecutorial and judicial capacities, preventative interventions, and factors that drive wildlife crime. It also provides support for improving evidence collection/preservation and suspect identification. The ICCWC will support countries during the entire implementation process - including mobilizing funds, hiring experts, analyzing the results, designing and delivering technical assistance. Based on the results, ICCWC and government authorities can design a work plan for national capacity-building programs and technical assistance delivery. For an example, download the Bangladesh Assessment.
The IUCN’s tool for evaluating management effectiveness is one of the longest running, well-received MEE tools available. Used across the globe, it has received frequent updates over the years to ensure relevancy. The tool helps site managers review stages of the management effectiveness chain - including planning, resource allocation, management process, outputs and outcomes. Conducting an MEE is a critical first step in assessing site management and is a necessary first step for using tools like SMART and CA.
Conservation Assured (CA) is a tool for assessing standards in conservation areas to make sure site and species management is effective. Created for tigers as Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS), the tool lays out 7 pillars of focus with associated standards and criteria. Although created for tigers, standards under 5 of the 7 pillars are applicable for all sites and species. CA is also linked to the IUCN’s Green List of Protected Areas, which measures and shares the success of protected areas with high management standards. In achieving CA standards, site managers, policy makers and governments demonstrate they are doing their best to protect their natural capital. CA is free and support for registering and attaining accreditation is available.
This tool can be used to evaluate current efforts to combat poaching, and identify any areas that require immediate and medium-term attention. These can be conducted at the national, sub-national, state/provincial or district levels, and often is an essential first stage towards the most logical selective adoption of Toolkit items.
