COMET Report

This report provides details on the project background, the criteria and process we used to assess each method, and the gaps that exist in our repository. Find the full report here.

COMET Gaps and Opportunities

During our data collection process, we were able to collect monitoring methods across key conservation focus areas, including:

- Biocultural

- Ecosystems type/sub-type

- Governance

- Habitat

- Human well-being

- Species

- Threats and pressures

Many gaps still exist in our repository (the details can be found in our report here). COMET is not a static repository, but is designed as a living, growing resource. Users are encouraged to upload and share their own methodologies, creating a dynamic global database built by and for conservation organizations. By enabling practitioners to contribute real-world tools and lessons learned, COMET fosters collaboration, transparency, and collective learning. If there is a monitoring method you think should be in the repository, please submit it here!

Additional Resources

While COMET is focused on providing field-proven, site-based, cost effective monitoring methods, there are many other monitoring frameworks, guidance documents and tools that exist. Here are a list of resources we recommend: 

- Collaboration for Environmental Evidence : An open community of stakeholders working towards a sustainable global environment and the conservation of biodiversity. CEE seeks to promote and deliver evidence syntheses on issues of greatest concern to environmental policy and practice as a public service.

- Conservation Evidence: Providing documented evidence for the effectiveness of conservation actions.

- ConSoSci: The Conservation Social Science Partnership develops, curates and promotes guidance, training resources and best practices to help practitioners apply effective and ethical social science methods. The available resources support the complete cycle of social science research - from study design to data collection, management and analysis. Resources include: training manuals and videos, a survey form library, and research ethics guidance.

- Conservation Standards: The Open Standards for the Practice of Conservation, or Conservation Standards (CS) for short, are a widely adopted set of principles and practices that bring together common concepts, approaches, and terminology for conservation project design, management, and monitoring. Download the CS here.

- EarthRanger: EarthRanger brings everything together – collect data from the field, integrate your technology, see your wildlife and teams in real time, and develop strategies that accelerate your impact.

- FOS Designing Monitoring and Evaluation under the Open Standards: How-To-Guide:This guide provides an excellent high-level overview of monitoring and evaluation design concepts. It clarifies that teams should consider their resources and need for precision and establishing causality when choosing their M&E design. This guide is not intended to be a step-by-step how-to guide for all practitioners. Rather, it strives to clarify key M&E topics in simple terms and highlight the key decisions teams should consider in designing their M&E efforts. This resource would be most valuable to team members responsible for carrying out monitoring and evaluation.

- IndiKit: Guidance on SMART Indicators for Relief and Development Project

- IUCN Handbook system for the design and implementation of Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: Use this form to propose a M&E framework for the EbA measures. In Sections I and II, propose indicators for measuring the quality of the applied measure, detail a plan for establishing baselines and evaluating measure effectiveness, and record the values of baseline and subsequent assessments. Create a separate form for each measure. 

- WILDLABS: WILDLABS is a conservation technology network. Their "Groups" are their community, where you'll find the conservation tech and resources that matter to you and your work. Join a group to connect with other members around the world, share expertise and get support.

- Wildlife Protection Solutions: Wildlife Protection Solutions deploys technology globally to help conservationists protect and monitor the world's ecosystems and biodiversity.

- WildMon: WildMon supports frontline conservation to design, implement, and report the impact of biodiversity conservation projects through an accessible technology ecosystem that fosters autonomy.