Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is an important management tool within
regional sustainability initiatives. This paper explores how M&E can be most effectively
applied to help the Araucarias del Alto Malleco Model Forest (AMMF) promote
community and natural resource sustainability, and how adaptive management can
support the achievement of these goals. The current monitoring and evaluation program
at AMMF is comprehensive and results based, corresponding to the desired outcomes and
impacts outlined in the strategic plan. It genuinely seeks community feedback, but is
overly complex and not well implemented to support the effectiveness of AMMF
programs. Opportunities for improvement to the program include adherence to indicator
design principles, better integration of M&E within model forest operations, feedback
loops, clarity of objectives, and narrowing the focus to areas which are relevant to
management decisions and continual improvement. Adaptive management can support
the innovation focus of AMMF and provide greater depth to the existing repertoire of
model forest planning tools.

monitoring, evaluation, natural resource sustainability, adaptive management