Social Learning Through Evaluation: from Evidence Based Management to Collective Action for Complex Problems

The role of evaluation in environmental management in Australia tends to be limited to restricted measures of program effectiveness rather than contributing towards supporting environmental managers in addressing complex environmental problems. This paper shows how a social learning approach can be incorporated into evaluating public investment in environmental management dealing with the complex environmental challenges which are inherently difficult to understand, predict and manage. The paper draws on a case study of salinity management amongst a Landcare group in the wheatbelt region of Western Australia. In this region, there are major knowledge barriers impeding salinity management which are being addressed through a program of participatory trials driven by local landholders linked to research partners and government funding. The research presented in this paper focused on evaluating this innovative initiative and tracking its impact through its design, implementation and monitoring phases. The paper shows that, by incorporating social learning principles and some additional practical elements, program evaluation can promote collective action and critical reflection which can assist individuals and communities to respond to complex problems.