A comparative study of management effectiveness tracking tool (METT) 3 and METT 4 for protected area management effectiveness (PAME) assessment in the Philippines

• Main Author: Grate, Fatima G.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Protected areas > Philippines; Biodiversity—Climatic factors; Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool; Biology; Environmental Sciences
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_bio/26; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_bio/article/1028/viewcontent/2023_Grate_A_comparative_study_of_Management_Effectiveness_Tracking_Tool_Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The assessment of the protected area management effectiveness (PAME) in the Philippines is through the use of the Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool (METT). There have been observed gaps in using the METT since its development in 2001 (METT 1 in 2001, METT 2 in 2005; and METT 3 in 2007) and the METT 3 version is still the one in use up to this day, therefore, this study intends to compare the old (METT 3) and new METT version (METT 4). This study proposes the adoption of METT 4 in the PAME assessments in the country as it addresses the gaps and challenges encountered in the use of METT 3, through the review of literature and experiences of the implementers of PAME assessment in the Philippines. Several developments in METT 4 were observed in terms of the number and order of questions, inclusion of indicators that dig deeper into threats, as well as the aspect of biodiversity outcomes, condition of values, and climate change, which were mostly not given importance in METT 3. There have also been several criticisms reported by the PAME assessors in the use of METT 3 in terms of the knowledge of people involved in the assessment process, and the generation of data through the required means of verifications (MOVs). Developments in METT 4 were also discussed in this paper. Considering these observations, it is recommended that the DENR update its guidelines and PA programs as our country progresses toward a more effective PAME assessment through the adoption of METT 4.