Traditional monitoring and evaluation efforts often remain confined to individual projects, without an active dissemination of knowledge and sharing between likeminded partners across the implementation, research, and policy spheres. To overcome this paradigm, the Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) has developed an innovative strategy to collectively track, learn, and share (TLS) evidence from research on climate adaptation initiatives.
TLS draws on best practice from knowledge management research and the lessons from other consortiums of partners working on climate change adaptation. This document gives an overview of the TLS framework, with suggested tools and methods for pursuing tracking, learning, and sharing across the diverse membership that the ARA hosts.
The ARA aims to use the framework to develop a community of practice that collectively builds the evidence base for what works in climate change adaptation.
What is the TLS strategy?
TLS is the framework the ARA uses to document, share, and incorporate research lessons into practice. The ARA is a global collaborative effort to catalyse increased investment and capacity for action-oriented research that supports effective adaptation to climate change – primarily in developing countries – at the scale and urgency demanded by the science.
As part of the effort to improve the evidence base and collective understanding on adaptation, the ARA has developed an innovative TLS) strategy which aims to improve the practitioner’s ability to:
- learn actively about what works and what does not when designing, conducting and applying results-oriented action research for adaptation and resilience;
- share their learning with each other and with other stakeholders in the adaptation ecosystem;
- track their progress against the ARA outcomes and the Principles as a component of learning.
Operationalising the framework
With a diverse membership that brings a range of different implementation approaches and research expertise to the ARA, a collective mapping of knowledge and research needs is a critical foundation for the TLS framework. This document describes how to identify knowledge and learning needs, and subsequently using these exercises to define a broader learning agenda for the ARA.
The ARA is fully committed to operationalising the framework described in this document, a position that is evidenced bythe fact that tracking, learning and sharing activities have been piloted through 2022 and have been received very favourably by ARA’s membership.
Related
TLS Condensed Framework
The ARA uses this framework to develop a community of practice that collectively builds evidence for what works in climate change adaptation.