Background
With funding from the German government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI), GIZ is implementing a project on nature-based solutions (NbS) in three regions of Colombia in the period 08/2022-07/2028. Together with local NGOs, the “SolNatura” project develops and implements 24 NbS measures and aims to mobilize additional public and private funding for future NbS projects. In the long term, the project aims to contribute to the implementation of Colombia’s nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to climate mitigation. ZUG gGmbH has commissioned Arepo with the project’s mid-term evaluation. The aim of the evaluation is to assess SolNatura considering selected OECD-DAC evaluation criteria (relevance; planning, steering and coherence; effectiveness; transformative impact and sustainability) and in accordance with IKI standard indicators as well as monitoring compliance with social and environmental safeguards. The evaluation also analyzes additional, project-specific learning questions, the answers to which will serve to adapt and further develop SolNatura. To this end, Arepo analyzes project documents and conducts interviews and focus group discussions with various project stakeholders in Germany and Colombia.
Tasks
Arepo carried out the evaluation in close coordination with the client. The project was divided into the following phases: in a kick-off phase, scoping interviews were conducted with project participants in Colombia and Germany. Then, the data collection plan was devised. This was followed by the data collection phase. The on-site mission in Colombia, supported by a local evaluation expert to conduct interviews and focus group discussions, was central to this phase. In the subsequent synthesis phase, data was analyzed and recommendations for adaptation and further development of the project are drawn up. Eventually, the final report was presented to the project and the client, followed by a joint discussion.
Key Messages
The mid-term evaluation of the SolNatura project shows that nature-based solutions in Colombia hold significant potential for climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development. However, their effectiveness depends not only on technical approaches, but also on clear roles, shared objectives, and strong collaboration between financial institutions, local NGOs, and government actors. SolNatura demonstrates that scalable impact emerges when these actors work in coordination rather than in silos, creating the institutional conditions needed for long-term change on the ground.