All official European Union website addresses are in the europa.eu domain.
See all EU institutions and bodies
An official website of the European Union | How do you know?
Environmental information systems
EN
Key message
Clearly define the scope and objectives of monitoring, evaluation and learning. Align MEL across different levels of governance and involve stakeholders systematically. Consider lessons learned to improve the quality of adaptation strategies and plans and to ensure they contribute to resilience.
To develop your approach, outline a context-based methodology for monitoring and evaluation, how stakeholders will be involved, and how data will be organised systematically. Remember that monitoring, evaluation and learning is continuous and should ideally happen throughout the adaptation policy cycle. When shaping your approach, keep these key factors in mind:
- Define and communicate the scope: Start by clearly defining the purpose and objectives of your MEL approach. This decision shapes the selection of measurable indicators (Step 6.2) and determines the level of stakeholder involvement and coordination. The main objective is to monitor progress and evaluate adaptation policies' effectiveness, thus improving decision-making (see Example 6.1). Depending on your organisation's context, you may also consider additional goals, such as increasing transparency and accountability of public funds, raising awareness about the importance of adaptation, and ensuring equitable resilience.
- Align your approach with existing practices at various governance levels to establish a unified framework: Coherence enables consistent monitoring, evaluation and learning, enhancing effectiveness and synergies. Regional MEL systems should harmonise with national ones. Regional authorities can promote a cohesive MEL approach by taking on a coordinating role, to develop and advocate for aligned approaches with local authorities under their jurisdiction.
- Engage stakeholders systematically: Some stakeholders (e.g. representatives of local and regional authorities) can play a vital role in providing information on progress and implementation of adaptation measures. Beneficiaries, directly impacted by monitored adaptation measures, are essential contributors who can provide key insights to the evaluation process. Their insights, particularly drawn from past experiences and shared lessons learned, are pivotal for MEL purposes. You determined which stakeholders to involve – and established effective and transparent methods of engagement with them – in Step 1.3.
- Prioritise learning: Learning from past experiences (your own or others) is fundamental to monitoring and evaluating adaptation policies and actions. Insights on progress, outcomes and impacts can inform and improve adaptation strategies and plans.
Example 6.1 Flanders’ MEL approach
Flanders is actively reporting on its climate adaptation efforts – on both implementation and the lessons learned – to enhance future assessments. The aim is to improve the region’s approach to monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) by doing more than just monitoring progress with implementation. Previously, the regional adaptation plan was evaluated solely based on completion status: whether it was finished, on schedule, or delayed. However, the updated plan sets a broader scope and objectives for MEL, evaluating:
Effectiveness: Assessing if measures improve Flanders' climate resilience, ensuring they are implemented correctly.
Desirability: Examining whether measures' focus and execution align with available resources, technology and societal priorities.
This approach provides a deeper analysis, focusing on measures' actual outcomes/impacts and their contribution to increasing Flanders' resilience.
Resources
AdaptME toolkit, UKCIP (2011)
Section 2 gives examples of different types of evaluation, exploring their purposes and scopes.
Monitoring and evaluation for climate change adaptation: A synthesis of tools, frameworks and approaches, UKCIP (2014)
Contains frameworks for assessing adaptation and resilience interventions.
Climate adaptation: Measuring performance, defining targets and ensuring sustainability, European Committee of the Regions (2022)
Gives recommendations for assessing adaptation measures. See Section 2.5 for a practical approach to assessing progress over time.
Adapting to climate change in European cities: Towards smarter, swifter & more systemic action, EU Covenant of Mayors (2021)
Assists decision-makers with resilience efforts. Chapter 4 looks at evaluation goals and objectives, with examples from current climate plans.
Monitoring and evaluating climate change adaptation at local and regional levels, ADEME (2013)
A compilation of best practices and methodologies to help local authorities monitor and evaluate adaptation policies.
Handbook for Provinces, Regions and Cities on Methods and Tools for Adaptation, Environment Agency Austria (2014)
Presents approaches, based on indicators and surveys, for evaluating the status of implementation (see Part 2 Phase III).
Base Evaluation Criteria for Climate Adaptation (BECCA), BASE (2015)
Provides a checklist of topics and issues to consider when evaluating concrete adaptation measures.
Language preference detected
Do you want to see the page translated into ?
Exclusion of liability
This translation is generated by eTranslation, a machine translation tool provided by the European Commission.