There is a total of twelve different pilot sites within the ResiRiver project. Each pilot has its own goal, such as testing specific Nature-based Solutions (NbS) or gaining and transferring knowledge. Now that the project is well underway, it is time to start evaluating the progress of each pilot site.
Exchanging experiences
The partners involved in Work Package 1 are currently conducting these evaluations through a peer review process. After all, what better way is there to learn than from each other’s experiences? Not only can this help prevent mistakes others may have made, but it also provides an external point of view that can identify new details. The peer reviews allow partners to gain a better understanding of the stakes and the current stage of each pilot.
Learning from peers
The review process is ongoing. So far, each pilot owner has had to complete a specific questionnaire highlighting the weaknesses and challenges of their project, in line with the IUCN evaluation framework. All partners with a pilot site met for review sessions in Lille and Brussels. While presenting their pilots to other pilot owners, they were asked questions and received feedback on how to address their pilot’s weak points and challenges.
When possible, peers provided support. When this was not feasible, pilot owners realised they needed to work together to develop tools to resolve shared problems. The different tools developed through the peer review process will be taken up by the other two work packages, making them accessible to everyone in North-West Europe.
The timeline tool
In addition to the peer reviews, the pilot owners completed a so-called “timeline”, a tool developed by our partner CPIE. The timeline retraces all the major steps of each pilot’s journey and helps pilot owners identify the next steps needed to overcome their challenges. The timeline should be revisited regularly to reflect on what has been achieved and what still needs to be done. Overall, the peer review process supports continuous improvement.
Work that shows
So far, the peer review process has been appreciated by all pilot owners, particularly because it has strengthened their understanding of each other’s work. It is more common to showcase the successes of a project and give less attention to its weaker points. The peer review process makes it easy to share all aspects of the pilots, both positive and negative, without fear of being judged. This also had an unexpected effect: it boosted the confidence of many pilot owners by showcasing how much progress had already been made since the first IUCN evaluation. Sharing this progress with the group proved to be highly rewarding.