Box 1. Vertical Integration: from Local to Global Conservation
A situation analysis should include attention to what is happening at the local, subnational, national,
and international levels. The interactions across these four levels are complex and are shaped by
diverse, powerful, and sometimes competing influences. Understanding and leveraging changes
across these levels is critical for achieving WWF conservation goals. Below are some of the
dynamics that need to be addressed at each of these levels.
comparatively easy to see how land, water, fisheries, and forests are being used at the local level
and to identify which individuals and companies are using those resources.
Subnational Level: This level refers to institutions and policies that lie between the local and
national levels, such as states, districts, or provinces. At times, subnational institutions are
transmission mechanisms passing down higher-level policies or funding. Depending on the country
and circumstances, these “meso-level” institutions (which can include district or provincial
government offices or regional offices of ministries and government agencies) exert considerable
autonomy in decision making.
National Level: The national level refers to the policies, development strategies, government
funding, and other institutional arrangements at the national level that shape opportunities and
impose constraints on communities and local actors. National policies are complemented, at times,
by policies and strategies promoted by international institutions and private corporate interests at
the national and international levels.
International Level: Often major changes at the local or national level are influenced by policies,
actions, or decisions by international markets, institutions, and enterprises. Decisions by
international companies or banks directly influence local resource practices such as logging, dam
and road development, and mining. In addition, national and international policies on privatization,
fiscal reform, market liberalization, trade policies, decentralization, political reform, and changing
natural resource tenure have altered the way businesses access resources or influence rural
development and natural resource management.
Why a Situation Analysis Is Important
Without a clear understanding of what is happening at your site, it is nearly impossible to develop
goals, objectives and activities that make sense for your site’s conditions. In addition, often project
teams think they have a shared understanding of their project’s context and the main threats and
opportunities present. In going through a formal process to document underlying assumptions about
the project’s context, however, project teams often find they have somewhat different perceptions of
the same situation. For example, biologists tend to focus on the site’s biological aspects , whereas
development organizations tend to focus on the socioeconomic factors. A situation analysis helps all
project team members come to a common understanding of your site’s context, its critical threats,
underlying factors (indirect threats and opportunities), trade offs, and incentives you should consider
in your project planning.
When to Use a Situation Analysis
A situation analysis should be one of the first steps your project team undertakes. It is the main
undertaking in Step 1.4 of the WWF Standards, but it is something you will use throughout the life of
your project. In particular, your situation analysis is an essential first step in developing and
implementing your action, monitoring, and operational plans.
Step 1.4 Define Situation Analysis
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