Measuring transformative change in ecosystem restoration initiative: Insights for rural advisory and extension services

The Old Growth Forest was an inclusive model-in-the-making that combined community-based engagement, education, land and restoration. The programming was based on 4 pillars: Knowledge – techniques, plant names, etc.; Beauty of the land – aesthetic/wellbeing (deep land connections); Mystery – discovery/learning- nature and living ecology; and Gratitude – affective/spiritual engagement. This paper summarizes the introduction of utilization-focused developmental evaluation (UFDE), a collaborative approach that allows project partners to co-design and take ownership over evaluation, in this case of an experimental approach to conservation extension. UFDE is an established decision-making approach. It offers a variation known as Developmental Evaluation that provides a rigorous learning platform to document an experiment, in this case, a model-in-the-making of inclusive ecological education and restoration that has many potential applications in extension. Four evaluation purposes and nine key evaluation questions were co-developed. A major finding was that the power of community-based ecological restoration provides the following pro-environmental behaviour benefits: develops sense of community and of place and deeper engagement; promotes conservation ethic; reconnects with the environment; heals ecosystem segments; builds a sense of ownership of the ‘commons’ and eco-literacy – presents a problem + solution + tangible results; acts are powerful environmental activities, and tools for sparking and sustaining passion. Utilization-focused, developmental evaluation was an effective, inclusive and collaborative decision-making framework for community engagement and landscape changes that can be adapted in many other disciplines. The findings were consistent with the behaviour wheel model that highlights the interconnections between capability, motivation, opportunity with external factors contributing to this key extension approach.