Joint terminal evaluation team implemented the Terminal Evaluation during November 16 to December 3, 2018.  The Japanese Team was led by Mr. Takahiro MORITA, Senior Deputy Director General, Global Environment Department, JICA from JIC. Iranian Team was led by Dr. Masoud Bagherzadeh Karimi, Director Manager, Wetland Ecosystems Bureau, Department of Environment (DOE).

Joint Coordination Committee(JCC) was held in DOE Gilan on December 2, 2018. The result of the evaluation was reported. In addition, the measures to be implemented by the end of the project and after the project were recommended to maximize the project effects and ensure the project sustainability.

Summary of the Terminal Evaluation

The Team concluded that an integrated and adaptive wetland management system of the Anzali Wetland with effective involvement of all stakeholders and appropriate scientific data and information will be established to some extent. The AWMC’s meeting, now, is organized almost every two weeks chaired by Development Deputy Provincial Governor and serves as a place for interagency coordination and discussion of Anzali Wetland conservation activities. Furthermore, good effects have been observed on wetland conservation activities through JPAs. Achievement of Outputs.” On the other hand, it was found that the AWMC’s management still needs to be improved and the environmental monitoring, which is required for adaptive wetland management system, needs to be put into practice at DOE Gilan.

The Project highly met the needs of Iranian target groups and aligns with the policies of the Governments of Iran and Japan. Therefore, the project relevance was assessed as high. The Project was effective to some extent in establishing an integrated and adaptive wetland management system, involving all relevant stakeholders and based on the scientific data as the Project Purpose is likely to be partially achieved by May 2019. All outputs are logically leading to fulfillment of the Project Purpose and any external factors affecting the Project Purpose were observed to date. The efficiency is found as moderate since several factors influencing the project progress were identified and those have affected the achievement level of the project outputs. The impact was assessed as moderate. The Team found possibility to generate project impact if some measures are taken by Iranian side. To assure the project impact, the Mid-term Plan needs to be certainly implemented with appropriate and timely budget allocation and disbursement, and the AWMC keeps functioning well. Whether the wetland management system like the AWMC will be established highly depends on future actions of DOE HQs, which currently shows the intention to establish a wetland management committee in all province in the future. The policy and intuitional sustainability are likely to be ensured. However, the Team found several issues and concerns to ensure the sustainability of organizational, financial and technical perspectives.

Recommendations

Based on the findings from project performance and results of evaluation, the Team recommends that the Iranian counterpart organizations and stakeholders take the following measures before the project term is ended to maximize the project effects and ensure the project sustainability.

  • Continuation of activities for AWMC
  • Finalization and approval of Mid-term Plan
  • Follow up of Joint Pilot Activities (JPAs) by Iranian Side
  • Importance of monitoring activities
  • Extension of the Wetland Management Committee to other provinces and other countries around Caspian Region