This tool describes a methodology to conduct community-based planning and evaluation by looking for hidden tradeoffs between economy, ecology, society and culture. This approach empowers local communities to undertake business, conservation and development initiatives that fit with their unique culture and value systems.

Conservation and development practitioners are seeking to apply certain ‘conceptual tools’, such as the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework, across the globe to work with a wide diversity of local communities and distinct cultures. The method described here can support their effort by providing a practical approach to achieving a fundamental first leap whereby local people shape the ‘conceptual tool’ that governs interventions and then apply a systematic approach to uncover acceptable and undesirable tradeoffs in the decision-making process.

A summary card of this tool is available to download in four languages in PDF format:

English (41K) | French (42K) | Spanish (42K) | Portuguese (42K)

The complete tool is also available (PDF format):

English (315K, 55pp) | French (346K, 60pp) | Spanish (430K, 57pp) | Portuguese (364K, 59pp)

Please cite this tool as:

Mangal, S. and Forte, J. 2005. Community tradeoffs assessment: for culture-sensitive planning and evaluation. Power tools series. International Institute for Environment and Development, London, UK.

For further information:

• For further information on the manual, and a copy of the case study, contact Simone Mangal (Simone Mangal (simone.mangal@crepnet.net), Janette Forte (janette_forte@yahoo.com) or Vanda Radzik (Iwokrama@Iwokrama.org)