CECAN Fellowship: Developing Evaluation Triangles: A Visual Representation of a Systems-Based Approach to Evaluating Marine Plan Objectives and Policy Effectiveness (Joint Fellowship with Victor Owoyomi)
Marine plans are currently monitored but not systematically evaluated, leading to limited understanding of whether policies are achieving their intended objectives or how progress in one area may be influencing others. This fellowship would address the challenge of organising marine plan monitoring data in a way that enables systems-based evaluation. It will explore how to adapt and develop the concept of evaluation triangles—visual tools to show policy progress against each marine plan objective. These triangles could be combined into circles of objective outcomes at the marine plan level, offering holistic visualisation of progress of a marine plan that can support engagement with stakeholders and Defra. At the next scale up, each triangle could represent the overall outcome for one of the marine plan areas, allowing for the creation of a national circle of triangles that reflects the health and coherence of the entire marine planning system. This approach would support better understanding of outcomes at policy, objective, plan, and marine planning system levels; simplify complex interdependencies; and enhance reporting and communication. Ultimately, it offers a pathway to more adaptive marine management by identifying which objectives are performing within safe or desirable system limits, and which may require policy adjustments.
About Rachel
Rachel Holtby is a social-ecological systems thinker with a keen interest in connections, interdependencies and collaboration to address complex challenges. She is an experienced marine scientist and project manager with a PhD specialising in the integration of ecosystem-based concepts into marine and coastal governance and decision-making, to connect stakeholders and communities to each other and to the environment. Rachel also has an MSc in Environmental Project Management and a BSc in Marine Biology, underpinning her expertise. Rachel’s professional background spans the public, academic, and consultancy sectors. She has worked as a Senior Specialist at MMO, where she led projects relating to evidence-based policy development and stakeholder engagement. She contributed to the Marine Pioneer, and the marine Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment programmes, which both explored innovative joined-up approaches for marine management. In her current position at ICF, Rachel contributes to the Defra Monitoring Evaluation and Learning, and Research Development and Evidence frameworks specialising in marine and fisheries, and leads on research and evaluations to support government policy and decision-making more broadly.
