Local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the Amazon are increasingly important actors in the co-management of protected areas, including their buffer zones (BZs). These BZs, typically forested, are inhabited by indigenous and mixed communities that depend on and interact with local natural resources. Within the framework of the REDD+ project, one NGO has been working with communities to develop Life Quality Plans (PCVs), which identify their main communal needs to support local well-being and natural resource conservation. The NGO commits to addressing the communities’ top three priorities, yet there is no clear framework to assess the effectiveness of these interventions in meeting local needs.
This research evaluates the effectiveness of NGO interventions in helping communities fulfill self-identified needs for sustainable welfare, BZ resource protection, and, ultimately, protected area (PA) preservation. Two primary constraints guided this study: 1) relying solely on the NGO’s data collected over thirteen years (2008–2022) and 2) looking beyond income to measure welfare. This approach encourages methodological innovations that use existing data to refine intervention strategies, improve community welfare, and support BZ conservation.
The study employs a mixed-methods approach. The quantitative analysis focuses on education as a welfare indicator, utilizing a Theory of Change framework and difference-in-differences analysis to compare communities with PCVs over two periods (2008 vs. 2016). Qualitatively, the study examines education along with all six dimensions of community-defined welfare (social, economic, political, cultural, natural, and educational) and the various NGO interventions, using content analysis, process tracing, and conditional frequency analysis. This analysis reveals insights into the NGO’s impact on communal welfare and the effectiveness of its interventions, identifying strategies that can strengthen both community well-being and environmental conservation. Ultimately, this study provides valuable guidance for enhancing NGO interventions and co-managing protected areas in complex, multi-stakeholder environments.
