Report on the Self-Evaluation Study of RUPES

This report is the outcome of a self-evaluation study of the Rewarding Upland Poor for Environmental Services (RUPES) Program. Through this study, the RUPES project has sought an independent assessment of the gains from the project as it nears the end of the TAG. The purpose of the study was to obtain an in-depth understanding of the achievements and limitations of the RUPES project. To this end, the scope of the study is to address the following issues:

• to what extent the initial framing and impact pathways were realistic, 

• how we used inputs to produce outputs, 

• what indications we have that our ‘outputs’ (will) lead to ‘outcomes’, 

• how outcomes are expected to translate to positive impacts on the target group, and 

• what has been learnt; by whom and how

The study will also hopefully provide inputs that can be translated into the improvement of designs for similar projects in future.