USAID/Peru Pro-Bosques Mid-term Evaluation Report i 
USAID/PERU PRO-BOSQUES 
Mid-term Evaluation
Final Report
English translation from Spanish original
September 2022
This document was prepared for Tetra Tech’s review. 
It was prepared independently by Environmental Incentives.
Photo credits: USAID Pro-Bosques (Left and middle: Samuel Zuta. Right: Michele León)
USAID/Peru 2
USAID/PERU PRO-BOSQUES
Mid-term evaluation
September 2022
English Translation
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 3
This evaluation report was produced by Environmental Incentives for review by the Securing a 
Sustainable, Profitable, and Inclusive Forest Sector in Peru (Pro-Bosques) Project under Tetra Tech Sub￾Contract No, 1095-EI-001. Pro-Bosques is implemented by Tetra Tech and made possible by the 
generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International 
Development (USAID) under the terms of the USAID Contract No. 72052718C00002. Pro-Bosques 
Start Date and End Date is September 25, 2018 to September 24, 2023. The evaluation contract Start 
Date and End Date is May 23 to October 15, 2022.
The evaluation was conducted by Dr. Stephanie McNulty, Elvira Gomez Rivero, Luisa F. Lema Velez, 
Tjerk van Rooij, Ximena Gomez Lavi, and Alicia Natalia Zamudio for Environmental Incentives, LLC, all 
of whom contributed to the writing of this final report. The evaluation was conducted in Spanish, 
including the original final report, and this report is the English translation.
Submitted by 
Shelly Hicks
Portfolio Director
Environmental Incentives, LLC
3351 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Suite 2 
South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150-6210
enviroincentives.com
Disclaimer
This evaluation report is made possible by the support of the American People through USAID. The 
contents of this report are the sole responsibility of Environmental Incentives, LLC, and do not 
necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
Citation
McNulty, S., E. Gomez Rivero, L.F. Lema Velez, T. van Rooij, X. Gomez Lavi, and A. N. Zamudio. 
September 2022. Pro-Bosques Mid-Term Evaluation: Final Report. Produced by Environmental Incentives as 
part of Tetra Tech’s Pro-Bosques Award. USAID: Washington, D.C.
USAID/Peru 4
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank several people who made this evaluation possible. We thank USAID 
who went above and beyond to facilitate the process. We also thank the Pro￾Bosques team, who generously provided us with time and information. 
We would also like to thank everyone we interviewed for their time and trust in our team.
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 5
Table of Contents
Table of Contents 5
Acronyms 7
Executive Summary 8
Introduction 11
Methodology 12
Evaluation Questions 12
Data Collection and Analysis 14
Limitations 15
Findings 17
Theme 1. Design and Intervention Strategies 19
Theme 2. Performance and Impacts 23
Results, Impacts, and Gaps 24
Component 1. Strengthening Forest Sector Governance 24
Results 25
Impact 26
Gaps Hindering Results or Sustainability 26
Component 2. A More Profitable and Competitive Forestry Sector 26
Results 27
Component 3. A More Inclusive Forest Sector 29
Results 29
Impacts 31
Gaps Hindering Results or Sustainability 31
Gender and Social Inclusion 31
1. Small-scale Forest Producers 32
2. Native Communities and Indigenous Peoples 32
3. Women and Gender 32
Theme 3. Strategic Relationships 34
Conclusions 37
Recommendations for Pro-Bosques 39
Recommendations for Future USAID Projects 43
Annexes 45
USAID/Peru 6
I. Timeline 45
II. Methodology Guidelines 47
III. Evaluation Matrix 48
IV. Questionnaires Used for Individual Semi-Structured Interviews and Focus Groups 56
Template for individual semi-structured interviews (final and edited version) 56
V. List of Reviewed Documents 61
Management Documents 61
Technical Documents 62
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 7
Acronyms
AIDESEP Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest
(Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana)
CITE Center for Productive Innovation and Technology Transfer
(Centro de Innovación Productiva y Transferencia Tecnológica)
CONAP Confederation of Amazonian Nationalities of Peru
FY Fiscal Year (Confederación de Nacionalidades Amazónicas del Perú)
GESI Gender. equality and social inclusion
GIZ German Agency for International Cooperation
(Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)
HiB HIB LATINOAMÉRICA SRL Logging Company
(HIB LATINOAMÉRICA SRL Empresa Forestal)
IT Information Technology
MC-SNIFFS Control Module of the National Forest and Wildlife Information System
(Módulo de Control del Sistema Nacional de Información Forestal y de Fauna 
Silvestre)
MEF Ministry of Economy and Finance
(Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas)
OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
OSINFOR Forestry and Wildlife Resource Oversight Agency
(Organismo de Supervisión de los Recursos Forestales y de Fauna Silvestre)
SERFOR National Forest and Wildlife Service
(Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre)
USAID United States Agency for International Development
USAID/Peru 8
Executive Summary
The purpose of this mid-term evaluation is to identify key findings, recommendations, and lessons 
learned during the first three and a half years of Securing a Sustainable, Profitable, and Inclusive Forest 
Sector in Peru (Pro-Bosques)—from September 2018 through March 2022—to contribute to planning 
for the remaining period. The evaluation is organized around questions that explore three aspects of the 
activity: design and interventions, performance and impact, and strategic relationships. The analysis 
draws from the triangulation and verification of data from existing documents, more than sixty
interviews with key individuals, three focus groups, the evaluation team's observation of a pause and 
reflect exercise in June 2022, and two opportunities for feedback from Tetra Tech in September 2022. 
The evaluation explores the following question: To what extent has Pro-Bosques strengthened the 
forest sector in terms of improved governance, increased private-sector engagement, and inclusiveness? 
Overall, Pro-Bosques has achieved many positive results in an extremely challenging environment due to 
four factors: 1) a committed team of specialists, 2) the skillful use of adaptive management, 3) its ability 
to bring together stakeholders that tend to work separately in the forestry sector, and 4) the use of 
studies and evidence when making decisions. The remaining challenge is to complete the revised 
objectives and deliver its products to local partners in a sustainable way. The evaluation team agrees 
that the focus now should be to complete the three processes of the Control Module of the National 
Forest and Wildlife Information System (MC-SNIFFS) with the National Forest and Wildlife Service 
(SERFOR) and hand it off in a sustainable way. When this happens, a lasting MC-SNIFFS will be the most 
important legacy of the activity. Moreover, the activity has also innovated significantly in terms of 
profitability and inclusiveness, which are also important strategies that USAID should continue in future 
work. 
In terms of design and intervention, Pro-Bosques has regularly adapted to rapidly changing contexts. 
During the first two years, the activity’s ambitious design adapted to the realities of the Amazon and the
COVID-19 pandemic in an effective manner. As a result, many of the initial interventions have been 
adapted in innovative ways, albeit incomplete.
Unfortunately, the pandemic resulted in significant delays, especially in terms of the activities with
Indigenous communities. As a result, the activity will not achieve the impact and sustainability goals that 
they began with in 2018. The progress that has been made to date is due, in part, to institutions such as 
SERFOR and regional governments acknowledging the importance of native communities having an 
active role in the forestry sector. 
This evaluation details the activity’s results, impacts, and opportunities for improvement. In terms of 
results and impacts, Pro-Bosques has added value to the investments of the U.S. government and 
Norway. It has moved forward with MC-SNIFFS despite delays and challenges. It is important that, on 
one hand, the three processes of the MC-SNIFFS that are finalized provide the basis for completing the 
entire information technology (IT) system, and, on the other hand, that the team then hand over the 
system to SERFOR in a sustainable way. 
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 9
Regarding profitability and competitiveness, Pro-Bosques has contributed in innovative ways to 
advancing the private sector in terms of best practices and the transfer of technological advances. These 
actions require additional efforts during the next months of the activity to be sustainable in the absence 
of donor funding. Progress has been difficult, but the activity is on track to improve forest management, 
territorial control in the Loreto and Ucayali areas, and inclusiveness in the forestry sector. 
The design of the activity deeply integrates a gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) approach, 
especially those activities that focus on Indigenous communities and small-scale forest producers. 
Further, the use of cross-cutting measures, such as a code of conduct and participation quotas, advances 
gender equity whenever possible. Limited capacities within the team led to several lessons learned, 
including the importance of internal training, codes of conduct, and the expertise of GESI specialists. 
With respect to strategic relationships, Pro-Bosques has created and maintained effective alliances with 
numerous organizations, most of which have been positive, and this has had the effect of strengthening 
the Peruvian forestry sector. Pro-Bosques is recognized by the different stakeholders as a convener, 
enabling dialogue and joint reflection, which is an important contribution to forest governance. Pro￾Bosques must now focus on empowering its partners and allies to take full ownership of future results 
and the remaining work when the activity ends.
These findings lead to several recommendations to strengthen the final year of the activity and future 
USAID programming. Specifically, the evaluation recommends that Pro-Bosques undertake four steps 
before completion:
• Use the remainder of the life of the activity to focus on those interventions and strategies that
will leverage the greatest impact and sustainable results. The most important example is to
advance MC-SNIFFS as far as possible and to ensure its continuity by handing a robust product
over to SERFOR.
• Strengthen the capacities of partners and beneficiaries in order to achieve the objectives before
the end of the activity.
• Ensure sustainable delivery of each component to counterparts.
• Showcase the results and benefits of the activity.
USAID/Peru 10
Additional recommendations for future USAID programming are:
• In terms of the private sector, we recommend that future USAID activities capitalize on the
results of Pro-Bosques’ competitivity component through strategies that strengthen market
access and the commercialization of products.
• USAID’s commitment to Indigenous people’s rights necessarily means that future activities will
focus on the inclusion of native communities in forest management. Due to the inherent
complexities of working with Indigenous communities, it is necessary to develop an activity
solely focused on these communities in the future.
• With large and complex activities like Pro-Bosques, it is best to have a GESI specialist on the
team to provide assistance with strategies, document results, and disseminate lessons learned.
• Pro-Bosques has developed some interesting practices in terms of GESI; future actions should
continue these innovations. For example, every time there is an activity or event in the regional
offices, they do as much as possible to guarantee that women are invited and can participate,
including offering childcare.
• Future activities should deepen the gender focus in forestry management activities. One way to
do this is to evaluate gender in an exhaustive and participatory way during the design process of
any new activity, consulting communities about their specific needs.
• It is hard to change slow administrative processes, but, for future work—especially in the
Peruvian Amazon—we recommend incorporating the time that it takes to complete
administrative processes in the planning phase. Further, it is important to keep in mind that
there are aspects that cannot be predicted when working in a place like the Amazon region.
Often, executing interventions depends on climate and other aspects that are outside the
control of international donors.
• It is important to continue promoting the exchange of lessons learned and synergies among
USAID interventions.
Finally, the evaluation team recommends extending the life of the activity. The additional investment 
mentioned most frequently is the need for more time to finish the activity’s objectives. 
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 11
Introduction
USAID’s Securing a Sustainable, Profitable, and Inclusive Forest Sector in Peru (“Pro-Bosques”) aims to 
strengthen the sustainability, competitiveness, legality, profitability, and inclusiveness of the Peruvian 
forestry sector. It is one of the activities of the USAID/Peru Forestry Program, which enable the 
Peruvian government and its counterparts in the United States and Norway to work toward improving 
overall environmental stewardship and compliance with environmental and forestry laws. The activity
began operations on September 25, 2018 and will end September 24, 2023. 
To date, Pro-Bosques has achieved positive results in an extremely challenging environment. Its
committed team of specialists, skillful use of adaptive management, and ability to effectively liaise
between normally distant parties in the forestry sector have made this success possible. Due to various 
unforeseen circumstances described below, the activity has encountered delays and obstacles; however, 
the team is working hard to complete its ambitious objectives. Through careful analysis and reflection, 
Pro-Bosques has reviewed and adjusted each of its three components—forest governance, forest 
competitiveness, and Indigenous empowerment—to better fit the realities of the local setting.
The challenge now is to complete these revised objectives and deliver the work to local partners in a 
way that ensures sustainability. Therefore, the recommendations in this report focus on how to achieve 
this goal in the final stages of the activity. The evaluation team agrees that the primary focus should be 
completing the three processes of the Control Module of the National Forest and Wildlife Information 
System (MC-SNIFFS) with the National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR), ensuring sustainability of 
the time and resources expended. A lasting MC-SNIFFS will be the most important legacy of the activity. 
Importantly, Pro-Bosques has innovated significantly in terms of cost-effectiveness and inclusiveness. 
Pro-Bosques must now focus on completing the remaining tasks and handing them over to ensure the 
sustainability of the innovations. The conclusions and recommendations sections of this evaluation
capture these ideas in more detail.
The main purpose of the evaluation is to identify lessons learned during the first three and a half years of 
Pro-Bosques, from September 2018 to March 2022, to inform planning for the remainder of the activity. 
To this end, it documents results, impacts, and gaps in the activity’s planning and implementation and 
make specific recommendations to strengthen its final 18 months. The evaluation considers the legacy, 
sustainability, and long-term scalability of the activity’s impacts. This report describes the methodology 
used and presents the main findings of the evaluation. The findings follow the logic of the three 
evaluation question topics established by Tetra Tech and Environmental Incentives in the evaluation plan 
submitted on June 6, 2022. The report ends with conclusions recommendations to strengthen or 
improve the operation and achievements of Pro-Bosques. 
USAID/Peru 12
Methodology
The mid-term evaluation is organized around questions that explore three aspects of the activity: design 
and interventions, performance and impact, and strategic relationships. Data from existing documents, 
key stakeholder interviews, and focus groups provide the basis for analysis. This section offers 
information on the questions, data collection, and the limitations of the process. See the annexes for 
more details on methodology.
Evaluation Questions
The evaluation addressed three main questions around the following themes:
Theme 1. Design and intervention strategies: are the design and intervention strategies, as
they were originally planned and revised along the implementation period, still relevant and 
contributing to the effectiveness and efficiency of the intervention?
Theme 2. Performance and impacts: are there opportunities for improving the
implementation to deliver better and more sustainable results and impacts? 
Theme 3. Building strategic relationships: assess whether the activity has built strategic
relationships with key initiatives and stakeholders that contribute to its effectiveness and 
coherence within the territory.
Based on these three thematic axes, the evaluation team developed a series of questions and sub￾questions aligned with evaluation criteria set by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and 
Development (OECD) and the USAID Evaluation Policy. To learn how these evaluation questions align 
with the OECD criteria (relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability), see 
Annex 3. In order to provide a roadmap for the reader, we also include the page number where one can 
find the response to each question. 
Theme 1. Design and Intervention Strategies 
1.1. Is the reasoning behind the theory of change (strategic intervention approach) still valid? 
(p. 19)
1.1.1. How have the context and assumptions of the theory of change and the situation model 
changed? 
1.1.2. Did the planning and previous revision processes fail to consider elements impeding or 
facilitating results?
1.1.3. How have Pro-Bosques’ intervention approaches and strategies succeeded and what 
flaws have surfaced? 
1.2. Is the activity making adequate and appropriate adaptations, especially in response to the global 
COVID-19 pandemic? (pp. 20-22)
1.2.1. Does the planning and implementation of the activity apply lessons learned? For 
example, does implementation in Madre de Dios build on learnings from the 
implementation in the initial regions?
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 13
1.2.2 What challenges did the activity face when the government-imposed measures to 
address the COVID-19 pandemic? Could some of these challenges apply to contextual 
conditions other than a pandemic? How did the activity address them?
1.2.3. To what extent does the context of the pandemic create opportunities for the activity?
1.3. Based on past activities and emerging and future challenges, are changes needed in the 
intervention approach and strategy? (pp. 22-23)
1.3.1. Are there intervention strategies not delivering their expected progress?
1.3.2. What changes could guide the last stage of the activity?
1.4. What recommendations emerge for the design and intervention strategy of new USAID 
activities based on the progress and experience of Pro-Bosques? Will the activity’s positive 
impacts require additional efforts to guarantee their sustainability? (pp. 43-44)
Theme 2. Performance and Impacts
2.1. What are the main results (intended or unintended) of the activity to date? Considering these 
results, what are the most important legacies it could leave? (p. 23) Consider the following:
- The contribution of Pro-Bosques’ GESI strategy and its related interventions to the overall
achievement of the activity’s objectives.
- Generation and management of data and information to improve decision-making related to
forest governance and the forestry sector.
- Increased awareness, political will, and mobilization of public and private funds for
sustainable forest development.
- Strengthened institutional capacity.
2.1.1. What are the main results toward each of the three activity objectives?
2.1.2. Is the GESI strategy integrated into the activity’s processes and delivering inclusion 
results?
2.2. What additional steps can Pro-Bosques take in the remainder of the activity to best position
these legacies to promote sustainability and scalability and have the greatest possible impact? 
(p. 39)
2.2.1. What actions has the activity carried out to improve the opportunities for sustainable 
use and maintenance of MC-SNIFFS?
2.2.2. How do Indigenous communities perceive their adoption of territorial control and forest 
management? Is there evidence of ownership over those processes?
2.2.3. How much has the private sector advanced in improving practices and competitiveness 
factors? Are these actions sustainable without cooperation financing?
2.3. What additional actions or changes in the activity’s internal and external management could
optimize the benefits attributable to Pro-Bosques? (pp. 41-42)
2.3.1. What are the opportunities for improvement for the Pro-Bosques team’s organizational 
structure?
2.3.2. What third-party best practices can Pro-Bosques adopt?
USAID/Peru 14
2.4. Considering an analysis of the institutional context and the current political reality in which 
Pro-Bosques operates, which processes should be emphasized or reoriented to maximize the 
activity’s impact? (p. 39)
2.5. What aspects not currently covered by Pro-Bosques’ intervention design and strategy could 
help enhance the performance, impact, and sustainability of its results? (p. 23)
2.5.1. What gaps have staff, stakeholders, or other inputs identified that may hinder the
activity’s achievements?
2.5.2. What gaps have communities, the private sector, and the government identified that may 
hinder the sustainability of the activity’s results?
2.6. Considering the strategy, results, and lessons learned from other forestry actions in Peru and 
the Amazon region—including those from other international donors, public, and private (e.g., 
foundations) funded initiatives—what are some elements of added value, best practices, 
lessons learned, and differentiated impact of Pro-Bosques’ intervention? (p. 33)
Theme 3. Strategic Relationships
3.1. Have synergies among Pro-Bosques and the other three activities of USAID/Peru’s Forestry 
Program (Forest Oversight and Resource Strengthening, the Prevent Project, and the Forest 
Alliance) materialized? If so, what benefits has Pro-Bosques experienced in terms of 
effectiveness, efficiency, and impact? (pp. 34-35)
3.2. To what extent has Pro-Bosques contributed to achieving the goals of the Joint Declaration of 
Intent signed between the Governments of Peru, Norway, and Germany to reduce 
greenhouse gas emissions? What recommendations would make such contributions more 
effective? (p. 35)
3.3. How are interventions considering the rights and values of the Indigenous Peoples and local 
communities to ensure “No More Harm” (pp. 35-36)?
Data Collection and Analysis
To conduct the analysis, the evaluation team employed a mixed-methods research design using 
quantitative and qualitative data and drawing on a variety of sources to triangulate information, such as a 
systematic review of existing documents, semi-structured interviews with key individuals, focus groups, 
field visits to Pro-Bosques’ three regional offices, and the team’s participation in Pro-Bosques’ 2022 
pause and reflect workshop. In addition, Pro-Bosques provided feedback through written comments and 
a presentation in September 2022, which the evaluation team carefully considered. It is important to 
note that a mid-term external evaluation is, as one activity leader put it, “a snapshot of the moment,”
which cannot capture all the processes that occurred before (or after) the snapshot. Furthermore, 
although some quantitative data are used, the evaluation relied heavily on qualitative data collected 
through our own data collection, using validated protocols. This method allows for the verification of 
findings, which increases reliability.
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 15
Regarding existing documents, the team reviewed activity reports, planning documents, previous pause 
and reflect products, and other written sources provided by the Pro-Bosques evaluation specialist. See 
Annex 5 for the list of documents that the evaluation team reviewed.
Because the evaluation questions focus on the process and performance of the activity, the evaluation 
team collected qualitative data through interviews with key stakeholders in Lima and Pro-Bosques’ three 
regional offices. They then analyzed the interview data using a systemization matrix based on the 
evaluation questions. While Pro-Bosques staff first identified the key informants, the evaluation team
selected interviewees based on their knowledge of the sector. At the kickoff meeting, the evaluation 
team reviewed the initial list and determined the final list of people to interview during the data 
collection phase. Interviews were confidential and no names or other means of identifying contributors
are used in the text. The evaluation team interviewed 59 people, including Pro-Bosques staff, 
beneficiaries (small-scale producers and Indigenous Peoples), and allies (actors from the forestry and 
productive sectors and from the national and regional governments). The team also conducted three 
focus groups with small-scale producers in the Padre Abad Wood Industry Association, female artisans 
from several native communities, and a local control and surveillance organization of the Imiría Regional 
Conservation Area. See Annex 4 for the interview and focus group protocol. 
The team’s observations during the pause and reflect process, which took place July 11-13, 2022, in 
Lima, also made this data and analysis possible. This workshop allowed the team to present preliminary 
findings and review new analyses of the situation models, progress to date, external and internal 
challenges, and recommendations for the final year of the activity.
USAID and Pro-Bosques, through their institutional policies and priorities, have a strong commitment to 
gender mainstreaming, equity, and inclusion in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of 
all their projects and activities. Consequently, gender and inclusion considerations were an integral part 
of all dimensions of the evaluation. The team adopted a gender-sensitive approach, with explicit 
measures in place to ensure the participation of women and men and other groups, including Indigenous
communities. The team also asked specific questions to collect gender-specific information in the 
interviews (see Annex 4 for protocol).
Limitations
In identifying findings, the following conditions have limited the collection of information or may have 
biased some insights:
• Changes in contacts and staff of Pro-Bosques and the evaluation team. In
some cases, contacts suggested by Tetra Tech in Lima and other regions changed positions or
had medical leave. In addition, the team of evaluators experienced changes as the first co￾leader took on a new position and three team members experienced medical emergencies at
different times.
• Limited capacity. Changes in contacts and staff, tight schedules, and the nature of the
regions where Pro-Bosques works limited the number of interviews, especially in Loreto, but
also in Lima.
USAID/Peru 16
• Presence of Pro-Bosques staff. In certain circumstances, Pro-Bosques staff
accompanied the beneficiary conversations, in particular by serving as translators in focus
groups with native communities. Their presence was indispensable but may have biased the
testimonies of the people consulted.
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 17
Findings
Overall, Pro-Bosques has achieved many results in an extremely challenging environment. Some 
examples are: the generation of enabling conditions for the development of MC-SNIFFS, with the goal of 
completing three processes; technical assistance to secure public financing for MC-SNIFFS and for small 
forest producers; serving as a bridge between normally distanced parties in the forestry sector (such as 
the regional governments and SERFOR and the regional governments and Indigenous communities); 
increased capacity of the Center for Productive Innovation and Technology Transfer (CITE) and more 
than 16 native communities; the generation of enabling conditions for better community forestry 
management in Indigenous communities; an Indigenous Forestry Agenda fully appropriated by the Inter￾Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest (AIDESEP); and the empowerment 
of women through greater access to credit and their participation in the control and surveillance of
forests by native communities, to name a few. Some of these challenges that emerged were predictable 
for an activity of this kind, others were completely unforeseen when USAID and Tetra Tech designed 
Pro-Bosques in 2018.
USAID and Tetra Tech partnered with the Center for the Development of the Amazonian Indigenous 
People; ProPurús, an association whose work is focused in Ucayali; and HIB LATINOAMÉRICA SRL 
Logging Company (HiB). These organizations knew that undertaking an activity to “strengthen the pillars 
of sustainability, inclusiveness and profitability needed to modernize the Peruvian forestry sector” would 
be very difficult in the Peruvian Amazon. This is largely due to existing problems in the Peruvian forestry 
sector, such as weak governance and lack of credibility concerning timber traceability, among others. 
Regional governments are weak, as are most state institutions. This includes SERFOR, the main 
government counterpart for one of the activity components, which has high leadership turnover and 
scarce economic resources. In addition, there are frequent corruption scandals that lead to the dismissal 
of mayors, governors, and forest managers, a problem that has occurred during the life of the activity in 
the three Amazon regions where it operates (Loreto, Ucayali, and Madre De Dios). Further, levels of 
social exclusion throughout the Amazon region are very high.
However, the activity team could not have predicted the COVID-19 pandemic, which emerged in the 
activity’s second year and hit Peru particularly hard. Statistics indicate the country had the highest 
mortality rate in the world in 2020. The pandemic severely affected the Amazon region where Pro￾Bosques operates, which made carrying out the work—with its inherent challenges—even more 
challenging.
Moreover, the activity has spanned one of the most politically unstable periods in Peru’s history at the 
national level. Peru has had five presidents since 2018, and numerous impeachment attempts and cabinet 
reshuffles. This political instability did not affect all aspects of Pro-Bosques’ work, particularly in the 
Amazon regions, but it did affect its ability to complete work at the national level, especially relating to
MC-SNIFFS.
Considering Pro-Bosques’ success at implementing many interventions in a challenging context, the 
Government of Norway decided to partner with USAID to expand Pro-Bosques’ work to Madre de 
Dios in May 2020. 
USAID/Peru 18
How did Pro-Bosques achieve so many positive results in a national and global environment this 
challenging? Stakeholders point to four main reasons. First, the team itself is made up of experts in their 
fields who are committed to the activity’s objectives. Interviewees regularly mentioned that the team 
and partners are “committed,” “dynamic,” “very capable,” and “connected” to both the regions and the 
forestry sector. 
Second, the entire activity (management team, technical team, regional teams, communication team, 
partners, etc.) has remained committed to the principles of adaptive management, as seen through its 
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan (revised in 2021). Developed in the first year of the activity, 
Pro-Bosques notes that the plan “is a living document and, given the iterative nature of the project, will 
be reviewed annually” (Second Annual Workplan, August 2019, p. 9). These reviews occurred, for 
example, in internal meetings and a pause and reflect workshop during the first year of the activity, an 
internal reflection meeting early in the second year of the activity leading to a review of performance 
indicators, a pause and reflect workshop in July 2020, one focused on the GESI strategy in March 2021, 
and a third in July 2022. In addition, the team held internal reflection and planning workshops after every
pause and reflect workshop. Furthermore, during many key informant interviews, respondents 
mentioned that the team uses their experiences for feedback on annual work plans, thereby applying 
essential lessons learned as the activity progresses.
Third, Pro-Bosques has established itself among its partners and some of its beneficiaries as an effective 
convener of normally distant parties in the forestry sector. The Pro-Bosques team is a bridge between 
the regional forestry authorities and the national authority, between Indigenous communities and third 
parties, and between regional governments and the national government. A more tangible example is its 
role in bringing together SERFOR and the regional governments to coordinate and participate in the 
development of MC-SNIFFS. Another example is the linkage between AGROBANCO (a development 
bank operated by the Government of Peru) and small-scale Brazil nut producers in Madre de Dios to 
access new financing for non-timber forest products. This convening ability has facilitated both expected 
and unexpected results in the last three and a half years.
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 19
Lastly, Pro-Bosques has generated several studies allowing it to build the foundation for its work in each 
component and then respond to the needs of its stakeholders (see Annex 5 for a more complete list). 
This commitment to thorough analysis and evidence-based decisions means there is widespread 
agreement among all those involved with the activity: data- and evidence-based strategies and decision
making are an important part of successful adaptive management. 
Naturally, the activity also has room for improvement. The three themes of the evaluation questions 
provide the context for the following findings. They show the many results and achievements of the 
activity as well as the opportunities for improvement.1
Theme 1. Design and Intervention Strategies 
In terms of design and intervention strategy, Pro-Bosques started with an ambitious design based on a 
sound and well-developed theory of change and situation analysis. Early on, it adapted the original design 
and interventions according to the realities of both the Amazon and the pandemic. Throughout the life 
of the activity, it has regularly adapted to rapidly changing contexts through the skillful use of adaptive 
management techniques and thanks to a highly committed team and partners with extensive experience 
in making these adaptations. 
Is the reasoning behind the activity’s theory of change (strategic intervention approach) still valid?
Yes, the theory of change is still valid and relevant to the activity. In addition, the Pro-Bosques team has 
validated the theory of change each year through retreats and pause and reflect workshops. A review of 
annual work plans and management documents showed that, each year, the team carefully reviewed the 
theory of change, updated the risks, and adapted the approach, as seen in the Critical Assumptions table 
on page 5 of the First Annual Work Plan, page A-15 of the Third Annual Work Plan, the notes from the 
first pause and reflect in March 2021, and the revised fiscal year (FY) 2022 Monitoring, Evaluation, and 
Learning Plan. 
While the theory of change has stayed constant, the situation model and context have changed. In 
addition to contextual changes such as political instability and the pandemic, there were economic 
changes in Peru that affected the timber value chain, institutional crises in some native communities in 
the regions where Pro-Bosques operates, adjustments in institutional budgets due to the pandemic, 
unforeseen changes in the regional forestry authorities, among other changes that affected the situation 
model each year. The commitment to adaptive management is evident as the Pro-Bosques team 
regularly reviewed and adapted to these changes. 
1 The findings section follows the logic of the evaluation matrix and responds to the three themes and main evaluation 
questions. The information is less explicit in answering the secondary questions, rather their answers are integrated into the 
narrative of each response. For clarity, some of the secondary questions have been explicitly stated. 
USAID/Peru 20
How have Pro-Bosques’ intervention approaches and strategies succeeded and what flaws have 
surfaced?
The next section provides more information on the success of the intervention strategies; however, it is 
important to highlight two findings. First, from the outset, the activity had a very ambitious design. The 
disconnect between aspiration and reality, combined with the pandemic, slowed down initial progress 
and led to a perception of “racing against the clock” for some of the interviewees.
One example is the original design of Component 1, which presupposed that only the implementation 
and deployment of MC-SNIFFS required work. However, during the first year of the activity, they 
realized that an independent diagnostic and implementation plan was needed to guide activities, resulting
in a change in the planning and intervention strategy. Another example is the timber issue: the activity
started with the premise of working on timber resources in Components 2 and 3; however, the team 
decided to include an additional non-timber approach during the process of assessing the community 
needs.
Second, regarding interventions, many interviewees mentioned the Pro-Bosques’ slow administrative 
systems and timelines, especially for an intervention in the Peruvian Amazon, which requires flexibility 
and quick adjustments. The same comment emerged when Pro-Bosques collected information from 
beneficiaries at the end of the third year, with two of the five people surveyed noting that simplifying 
administrative systems would help improve technical assistance (see Annexes of FY 2021 Annual 
Performance Report, page 13). 
Slow and complex administrative systems are understandable given the nature of the contract between 
Tetra Tech and USAID. However, this has led to some frustrations, especially among partner 
organizations in the three regions and some beneficiaries, who are not aware of the administrative 
hurdles that exist in this type of contract. The expectations of the partners and some beneficiaries with
respect to execution were, in some cases, not fully met. Under these circumstances, it is not possible to 
do much more than carefully explain to each partner the type of contract, the administrative timelines,
and the limited flexibility. Even so, it is important to recognize that slow systems leave some partners 
frustrated. 
Is the activity making adequate and appropriate adaptations, especially in response to the global COVID￾19 pandemic? To what extent does the context of the pandemic create opportunities for the activity?
Yes, the activity adapted in an adequate and appropriate manner during the first three and a half years. 
The ability to make adequate and appropriate adaptations is mostly due to the team’s and partners’ skills 
and knowledge of the region and context. In addition, Pro-Bosques leaders were in constant 
communication with their counterparts at USAID, allowing for rapid and fluid communication about 
needed changes. This also led to some important innovations, as discussed in the following section.
When there was an obstacle or problem during the execution of activities with the beneficiaries, the 
activity team was able to identify ways to modify or adapt the activity to mitigate delays and execute 
what the potential of the area and the reality allowed. This tactic was essential given the constantly 
changing contexts in which they worked. The activity employed three specific strategies to counteract 
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 21
constant interruptions. First, Pro-Bosques applied a permanent policy of establishing formalized working 
relationships through memorandums of understanding, especially with state entities, including SERFOR, 
regional forestry authorities, AIDESEP, Confederation of Amazonian Nationalities of Peru (CONAP), 
and some municipalities—all in addition to USAID’s agreement with the Government of Peru, 
established in 2021. Second, to avoid significant delays in the implementation of the programmed 
activities, Pro-Bosques used the strategy of immediately approaching incoming authorities to inform and 
provide context about the activity to the new managers. Third, the activity worked with technical teams, 
which tend to remain in place during a reorganization, to ensure some continuity. 
Regarding COVID-19, most of the interviewees said the activity adapted quickly and established 
protocols to continue working with appropriate sanitary measures. In partnership with the Ministry of 
Agrarian Development and Irrigation, Pro-Bosques developed the “Protocol for the Implementation of 
Surveillance, Prevention and Control Measures for COVID-19 in Forestry Activities,” which became 
part of the Peruvian government’s official protocols in May 2020.
Pro-Bosques quickly adopted remote communication and coordination strategies for meetings, 
workshops, and training, which meant no significant delay when working with public entities. However, 
the pandemic did considerably affect the development of activities with Indigenous and local
communities, especially for Component 3, as visiting the different regions was not possible during most 
of the health emergency period. This caused delays in the programmed activities and a feeling of 
“abandonment”; some Component 3 beneficiaries indicated they felt the pandemic “left a big void” and 
now they “have to run to catch up after losing time.” Pro-Bosques will try to reverse this situation for 
the remainder of the work. Having said that, many interviewees also noted Pro-Bosques was one of the 
first USAID interventions to resume traveling and meeting as soon as it was possible.
As a result of the pandemic, the team adopted remote work tools, which optimized meetings and 
strengthened their skills in online tools. In addition, the team produced virtual tools (such as tutorials)
for use in similar emergency situations and contexts. The communications team handled this 
opportunity well, and quickly grew their social media presence and focused on online events. 
The use of remote work tools helped in places where internet connectivity is stable, but they were 
difficult to use in some places where connectivity is poor (e.g., Iquitos). To solve this problem and to 
resume work after the emergency, the team purchased radio equipment in Loreto to keep the 
Indigenous and local communities in communication and to provide technical assistance for some 
components related to community forest management. However, many beneficiaries mentioned that in￾person work is more conducive to the development of the activities, as face-to-face interactions better 
facilitate understanding and exchange of opinions. The end of the document details several lessons 
learned from this experience. 
USAID/Peru 22
What challenges did the activity face when the government-imposed measures to address the COVID￾19 pandemic? Could some of these challenges apply to contextual conditions other than a pandemic? 
How did the activity address them?
The pandemic represented an enormous challenge for the entire activity, but it affected Components 2 
and 3 the most. The team implemented two strategies to address limitations to in-person work:
• Identification of activities with the potential for remote completion.
• Technical, administrative, and biosafety preparedness for those activities that did require
attendance, with preparation to go out to the field as soon as regulations allowed. As a result, 
the team reactivated in-person activities in an agile manner.
One lesson applicable to other contexts is that teams in the Peruvian Amazon field needed in-person 
interaction to implement strategies. See the final section of the evaluation for other lessons learned.
Does the planning and implementation of the activity apply lessons learned? For example, does 
implementation in Madre de Dios build on learnings from the initial regions’ implementation?
In general, the team applied lessons learned where possible and were available to share them when 
possible. Specifically, as shown in documentation and interviews, the actions in Madre de Dios proposed 
and implemented strategies based on the analysis of the local and regional context and promoted the 
work with strategic partners that had previously worked in the two other activity intervention regions 
(Loreto and Ucayali), such as the Madre de Dios Center for Productive Innovation and Technology 
Transfer (CITE), the regional forestry authority, and the Regional Management Office of Economic 
Development of the regional government in Madre de Dios. In terms of MC-SNIFFS, the Madre de Dios 
team followed practices previously developed in Loreto and Ucayali. These practices included collecting
forest statistical information (tabular and geospatial) as the basis for historical and systematized 
information input into the future control module, and providing support to respond to the additional 
demands for the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF). The incorporation of lessons learned catalyzed
results in Component 2, with several achievements in a short period of time in Madre de Dios and 
other results that are on their way towards being achieved in the coming months. 
Are there intervention strategies not delivering on their expected progress?
When the activity started, the team anticipated that by the end, there would be a finalized MC-SNIFFS, 
concrete linkages between the domestic market and the private sector (domestic and international), and
strengthened Indigenous communities in timber forest management. However, due to the above￾mentioned challenges, some of these interventions have not achieved the progress that had been 
expected. 
The clearest example of this is Component 1—the team initially assumed that the Control Module 
would be ready for implementation in the regions, however, when they undertook the independent 
evaluation, it became clear that it would not be possible to complete. Furthermore, identifying and 
contracting suppliers to develop the software posed a limitation to the development of the control 
module, as the IT development market in Peru largely was not familiar with these types of proposals. 
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 23
The situation worsened during the pandemic when the demand for software development grew 
exponentially. Further, many IT companies are not familiar with the forestry sector in the country. In 
Component 2, although the team developed mechanisms at the national level for public procurement of 
timber in a sustainable way. they are waiting to complete public procurement at the regional level. In 
addition, in Component 3, the team started with the assumption that local communities were ready to 
work with third parties, which was not the case. However, the skillful use of adaptive management has 
helped close the gap between the original plans and current progress. Constant communication between 
parties, particularly between Tetra Tech and USAID, was an important part of the use of adaptive 
management.
In sum, there were intervention strategies that could not be achieved; however, by using adaptive 
management techniques the activity reviewed and updated their strategies to fill in the gaps that existed. 
This led to the re-evaluation of the components and many of the final outcomes that were achieved.
Theme 2. Performance and Impacts
What are the main results toward each of the three activity objectives? Which gaps do communities, the 
private sector, and government perceive in the activity that may hinder the sustainability of its results? 
Taking into account these results, what are the most important legacies it could pass on? Which gaps 
could hinder their achievement?
To answer these questions, the team has considered the following aspects and criteria:
• The contribution of Pro-Bosques’ GESI strategy and its related interventions to the overall
achievement of the activity’s objectives.
• Generation and management of data and information to improve decision-making related to
forest governance and the forestry sector.
• Increased awareness, political will, and mobilization of public and private funds for sustainable
forestry development.
• Strengthened institutional capacity.
As noted above, Pro-Bosques has achieved many results under difficult circumstances. The following 
discussion highlights the main results and impacts of the activity and any gaps that may hinder the 
sustainability of these results. 
It is important to note that, when talking about impact and legacies, the information is still incomplete. 
This evaluation includes the first three and a half years of the activity, as of March 2022. There is still a 
long way to go before its impact is scalable and sustainable at the end of the five years. Data on Pro￾Bosques impact indicators are only available up to the end of the third year. Lastly, it will only be 
possible to know whether the activities—as measured by all of the indicators—will be achieved and
their expected impact when a final evaluation of the activity is complete. 
USAID/Peru 24
Results, Impacts, and Gaps
Most—but not all—of the information on the activity is analyzed by component, as seen in interviews 
and document review. Therefore, this section documents the main results, impacts, and gaps for each of 
the components. It is not possible to include all the results and gaps, rather those that were mentioned 
most frequently in interviews and documents.
The design of the activity reflects the need to undertake three sets of activities organized into three 
components (in fact, the perception of some interviewees was that sometimes the three components 
are poorly aligned in practice). However, Pro-Bosques is also the sum of its parts, which means it has 
achieved some larger results as a team and not just by component or region. The evaluation team 
believes that the three components have the potential for greater integration than originally conceived. 
Therefore, USAID and Pro-Bosques should find ways to communicate their results in an integrated 
manner as they begin to systematize their achievements during the final months of the activity. For 
example, Components 2 and 3 can join efforts to provide access to financing opportunities to native 
communities through the National Forest Conservation Program for the implementation of investment 
plans in the sustainable productive activities already being developed. This will give sustainability to the 
activity's actions in the Indigenous communities. The pause and reflect workshop in July 2022 yielded 
other examples of synergies.2
Component 1. Strengthening Forest Sector Governance
What actions has the activity carried out to improve the opportunities for sustainable use and 
maintenance of MC-SNIFFS?
Progress toward the Component 1 objective depends on the successful implementation of MC-SNIFFS. 
The module is a “subsystem for forest title information management that will help verify the legal origin 
of wood harvested in Peru and boost forest sector governance and competitiveness” (MC-SNIFFS 
Implementation Plan, March 2019, p. 8). USAID has been working with the Peruvian government, 
specifically SERFOR, for many years to develop this module to achieve streamlined and more efficient 
forest management while overseeing and monitoring the legal origin of forest resources. 
Unfortunately, prior to the arrival of Pro-Bosques, there were successive problems with the 
implementation of MC-SNIFFS and the activity had an unexpected start in 2018. In other words, the 
activity began with the understanding that they only needed to implement and deploy the system, and 
this was not in fact the case; thus, Pro-Bosques adjusted to not having a completed MC-SNIFFS as 
originally assumed. Immediately, the activity made the decision to evaluate, re-plan, and initiate the 
construction of MC-SNIFFS and complete development during the five years of the activity. The new 
strategy is to have a foundation installed and finalize the first three processes so when Pro-Bosques
ends, SERFOR will have the capacity to continue the full development of MC-SNIFFS. 
2 https://sites.google.com/view/probosquessite/productos?authuser=0
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 25
Results
This initial situation and replanning resulted in a new expected final product: to finalize the first three 
processes of MC-SNIFFS and begin with the controlled tests in Ucayali. With this, Pro-Bosques will lay 
the groundwork for SERFOR to take over the completion of MC-SNIFFS. However, the expectation of 
the beneficiaries, partners, and forest entrepreneurs is that by the end of the activity, MC-SNIFFS will be 
completed and its implementation and execution will begin in Ucayali, so it can then be replicated in 
Loreto and Madre De Dios and, in the future and gradually, in the other Amazonian regions.
The state of progress of MC-SNIFFS has yielded the following results in the first three and a half years: 
Generation of enabling conditions for the development of MC-SNIFFS: 
• Evaluation of the platform developed by the IT company SINERGY: a crucial process for
deciding how to construct MC-SNIFFS. 
• Updating the process map, which graphs everything related to timber management, i.e., all
processes (management, licensing, planning, harvesting, transportation, processing, and trade): 
a vital aspect of sizing the scope of MC-SNIFFS. 
• Identification of the functional requirements that need to be developed in the MC-SNIFFS
module: a milestone that set the tone to start the development of the IT solution.
• Development of parallel processes that feed the development of MC-SNIFFS, such as the
forest registry component with SERFOR’s geospatial platform, the statistical component with
the information and registration system, and the platform of best practices for the component
for promotion and competitiveness.
• Advances in regulatory development achieved through technical assistance to SERFOR and
regional forestry authorities. These advances generate enabling conditions that allow the 
implementation of systems such as MC-SNIFFS, closing gaps and voids in the seven processes 
of forest administration.
• Development of interoperability with the Forestry and Wildlife Resource Oversight Agency
(OSINFOR) and the regions, with Regional Spatial Data Infrastructure. 
• Joint work between SERFOR and the regional governments in the preparation of the
Operations Book, both for forests and primary transformation centers, which is still under 
construction.
• Generation and systematization of statistical information (tabular and geospatial of enabling
titles) in regions, which helps forestry managers ensure the implementation of MC-SNIFFS. 
Technical assistance to secure public financing for MC-SNIFFS: 
• Support for meeting the additional demands of the MEF in the regions and in SERFOR, helping
the regional authorities and the national authority to obtain resources from the state to 
contribute or continue to contribute to parallel processes for the development of MC-SNIFFS
and other mandates.
• Development of the manual for the elaboration of additional claims, which provides a path to
secure funds for the continuity of MC-SNIFFS. 
USAID/Peru 26
Bringing together SERFOR and regional government authorities: 
• Joint work between SERFOR and regional forestry and wildlife authorities.
Impact 
Because the module is not as developed as USAID and Pro-Bosques had hoped, it is difficult to 
determine the impact of Component 1 to date. Furthermore, to truly measure such impact, we need to 
understand progress toward two indicators: 1) number of hectares of biologically significant areas under 
improved management and 2) greenhouse gas emissions reduced, sequestered, or avoided. There is still 
no information on progress toward these indicators, which is the true test of the impact of the 
investment made to date by the American and Norwegian governments. 
One achievement is the internalization by regional forestry and wildlife authorities of the importance of 
the development, implementation, and use of MC-SNIFFS, which did not previously exist. 
Gaps Hindering Results or Sustainability
Certainly, all activities have gaps and areas for improvement. In the case of Component 1, the team 
identified four factors that hinder the results and sustainability of the activity: 
• The need to strengthen capacity and familiarize SERFOR and regional government staff about
the MC-SNIFFS platform and transfer the knowledge to the professionals who will remain after
the current consulting firm, La Fábrica, completes its work and the implementation and rollout 
of MC-SNIFFS in the regions begins.
• Low public budget for the maintenance and implementation of MC-SNIFFS over time.
• La Fábrica’s poor understanding of the forestry sector, which may further hinder the
development of the platform. 
• The potential to create false expectations about the progress of MC-SNIFFS. It is advisable to be
cautious about publicity and communicate results only after tests have been carried out and 
proven to work, and not before.
Component 2. A More Profitable and Competitive 
Forestry Sector
How much has the private sector advanced in improving practices and competitiveness factors? Are 
these actions sustainable without cooperation financing?
To date, the activity has achieved several high-impact results in terms of enabling conditions and 
installing capacities to connect local forest resources market with new markets and, thereby, increase 
profitability. A gap remains in terms of sustainability, which is detailed below.
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 27
Results
The main results at the end of the first three and a half years are as follows: 
Installed capacity in the CITE Network
• Technical assistance to the Network of Forestry CITEs (Maynas Forestry CITE, Pucallpa
Forestry CITE, and Madre de Dios Productive CITE), through the preparation of technical
studies, the strengthening of the technical assistance services infrastructure3 and the
strengthening and formation of new skills.4
• Development of three technical standards for the production of solid wood samples in Peru,
through the National Institute of Quality’s Technical Subcommittee for the Standardization of
Forest Products.
• Development of competency standards for labor and middle management for the wood
industry (primary transformation).
• Addition of new timber forest species for furniture production in the CITEs.
• Design of the Capitalization Model for Forestry Business Operations in Loreto, for the
regional forestry authority and the forestry CITE, in coordination with OSINFOR and 
SERFOR.
Access to public funding for small-scale forest producers
• Development of guidelines for access to financial support from the AGROPERÚ fund,
operated by AGROBANCO, for non-timber forest products such as Brazil nuts in Madre de
Dios.
• Support for the dissemination of guidelines for accessing the AGROPERÚ fund and technical
assistance to Brazil nut producers to access the fund.
• Support to promote the inclusion of timber in the financing portfolio of the PROCOMPITE
fund (a tool for economic and social development) in Loreto, Ucayali, and Madre de Dios. Pro￾Bosques beneficiaries, such as the Asociación de Industriales de la Madera de Padre Abad and 
the Asociación Camera Forestal Amazonía, won awards in each region.
• Guidelines for access to credit with a gender-based approach. For example, female
beneficiaries have access to better financing terms.
Development of market mechanisms through public purchasing
• Technical assistance for the development of the “Peru Compras” virtual catalog for wood
products, resulting in the addition of 16 wood products. 
• Support for the development of guidelines on public procurement of wood products for public
school furniture.
3 Examples include the strengthening of the Geographic Information Systems remote sensing laboratory, the carpentry 
department and wood analysis laboratory at CITE forestal Maynas, and the implementation of the new sharpening workshop at 
CITE forestal Pucallpa. 4 Examples include advice for the proper installation of the new CITE productivo plant in Madre de Dios and support in the 
rollout of its new line of technical assistance to companies in the forest sector, among others.
USAID/Peru 28
• Support for the approval of plantain and Brazil nut flour, a food suitable to be included in the
Qaliwarma National Food Program.
• Development of a regional e-commerce platform for small-scale producers in Madre de Dios.
Support for small forest producers to gain legal access to local forests
• Signing of memorandums of understanding with local governments, in coordination with
regional forestry authorities and SERFOR, to promote legal access to the forest for small 
forest producers.
• Technical support to local governments in advancing the establishment of local forests for
small forest producers to harvest non-timber forest products.
• Technical support for the establishment of local forest management units within the structure
of local governments and in the elaboration of official guidelines to enable small forest 
producers to perform forest management and collect harvesting fees.
Impacts 
These results are having a significant effect on small-scale forest producers, who will continue to get 
stronger in the coming years. The first impact is the modernization of the services offered by the CITE 
network for the benefit of local carpenters, with training opportunities for improved production 
techniques that add value to their products. Pro-Bosques also provided additional financial resources to 
cover expenses that were previously dependent on private negotiations, which resulted in unfair deals. 
In addition, the activity has improved women’s access to financial resources, fostering women’s 
empowerment and economic independence in the forestry sector. Finally, improving access to the public 
procurement market has opened up more marketing opportunities for both timber and non-timber
small forest producers. 
Gaps Hindering Results or Sustainability
These achievements establish favorable long-term conditions conducive to increasing the efficiency and 
profitability of the private sector in the forestry field. However, participants need further technical 
assistance, both in terms of dissemination and technical capabilities, to fully access these mechanisms. 
Efforts to make forest products available for public procurement illustrate this issue. Although there is a 
Peru Compras catalog for timber products, commercial transactions with local producers have not yet 
taken place, which is an important aspect of the activity’s objectives. Similarly, the Qaliwarma Program
has a Brazil nut product (banana and Brazil nut flour) approved for marketing, with great potential to 
boost demand in the long term. However, this demand does not necessarily translate into the inclusion 
of new Brazil nut producers or associations in the value chain, given that marketing is carried out 
through intermediaries already established in the market.
5 Completing these aspects of component 2 
requires time and investments and should be the priority for the activity in its last year. 
5 The product is marketed by BKN Foods, headquartered in Puerto Maldonado. The company's Brazil nut supplier is Candela, 
which has collection centers in Puerto Maldonado and its main office in Lima. Candela works with small-scale producers in 
Madre de Dios.
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 29
Three additional factors hinder sustainability for Component 2: 
• Insufficient knowledge of the public financing mechanisms (for example, with AGROPERÚ and
PROCOMPITE) and limited technical skills for preparing the documentation to access these
mechanisms.
• Lack of local awareness of opportunities to commercialize through the public procurement
market.
• Poor understanding of the activity by some participants or partners. Some interviewees
confused Pro-Bosques with USAID, did not know whether USAID is a company or an NGO, or
were unaware of the scope of activities. This lack of understanding can weaken the process of
building trust and achieving outcomes.
Component 3. A More Inclusive Forest Sector
How do Indigenous communities perceive their adoption of territorial control and forest management? 
Is there evidence of ownership over those processes?
By working with its partners, the Center for the Development of the Amazonian Indigenous People and
ProPurús, among others, and continuously adapting interventions, the Pro-Bosques team has achieved 
various results with local communities. These results are important for many reasons, but one of them 
is USAID’s commitment to Indigenous Peoples’ rights and pledge to incorporate Indigenous Peoples’ 
perspectives more effectively into the design and implementation of USAID programs (see Policy on 
Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, March 2020).
In general, the Indigenous beneficiaries have a positive perception of Pro-Bosques’ work. It is worth 
repeating that this aspect of the activity is quite challenging for a variety of reasons. Communities are 
often isolated and difficult to reach. Multiple organizations represent Indigenous populations at the local, 
regional, and national levels. Historically, Indigenous communities in the Amazon have faced exclusion 
and discrimination. The full integration of this important population into sustainable forest management 
is a long-term effort.
The original design of the activity to focus on timber forest management resulted in an initial 
complication: this strategy needed significant modifications to work with local communities on the 
management of non-timber products such as the aguaje fruit, ornamental fish, and artisan crafts (another 
example of Pro-Bosques’ use of adaptive management). 
Results
These are the main results up to the end of the evaluation: 
• Increased visibility and acknowledgment of the important role of local communities within the
timber value chain and the forestry sector. Pro-Bosques prepared key studies that enabled this 
result, including “Participation of native communities in the timber value chain and the forestry 
sector in the Peruvian Amazon” and “Baseline of timber supply in Peru.”
• AIDESEP’s full ownership of the Indigenous Forest Agenda. Pro-Bosques and its partners
undertook a collaborative process to complete an Indigenous Forest Agenda, which puts forth
a national policy agenda for the advancement of a more inclusive forestry sector.
USAID/Peru 30
• Generation of enabling conditions for improved community forest management through
technical support and access to equipment. Examples include: 
- Generation of information for the development of the Fisheries Management Program
(in progress) and capacity building among fishermen of the Imiria Regional Conservation 
Area in the Ucayali region, in collaboration with the Pucallpa Fisheries CITE and the
Research Institute of the Peruvian Amazon.
- Analysis of the participation of third parties in the local communities’ filing for qualifying
titles with OSINFOR. 
- AIDESEP and CONAP have worked with SERFOR to create a Functional Unit of
Community Forest Management. 
- Strengthening of women artisan’s committees in Ucayali and incorporation of more than
100 artisans in the national registry. 
- Development of 16 Life Plans for Indigenous communities as instruments for territorial
and resource planning and management. As a result, native communities in Loreto 
joined the National Forest Conservation Program. 
• Improved control and surveillance in more than 16 Indigenous communities, through capacity
development plans.
- Formal recognition of the community oversight committees by the Peruvian
government. 
- Contribution to formal legal existence of 19 native communities (14 from Loreto and
five from Ucayali), including the 16 communities participating in Pro-Bosques and two 
additional communities.
- Training on topics such as Indigenous rights, negotiation with third parties and title
management.
- Technical support for the creation of a control and surveillance network in the province
of Requena on the Trapiche and Blanco de Loreto rivers.
- Creation of a forestry watchdog with the Federation of Communities of the Tapiche and
Blanco Rivers.
• The Indigenous Empowerment Index. The Indigenous Empowerment Index captures the
baseline status of native communities’ resource management capacity, security, and 
sustainability in terms of economic potential. Pro-Bosques completed Version 2.0 of the index 
in the fourth year of the activity, according to the Q2 FY 2022 quarterly report.
• The increased awareness of the need for greater involvement of Indigenous women in
strengthening the value chain, control, and monitoring, through dedicated training and 
(mandatory) quotas to involve Indigenous women in discussions and decision-making on 
community forest management. In some cases, interviewees in the field stated that while
women had participated in some activities before Pro-Bosques, the activity has given them 
even greater visibility. 
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 31
Impacts 
These results contribute to at least two impacts. First, forestry authorities have greater recognition of 
the key role of Indigenous communities in sustainable forest management. Now that the Indigenous 
organizations have taken ownership of the Indigenous Forestry Agenda, they are increasingly developing 
inclusion activities, procedures, and regulations with forestry institutions such as SERFOR and 
OSINFOR. Second, by strengthening control and surveillance by native communities, more have 1) legal 
status, which increases their ability to respond to various threats, and 2) help in requesting harvesting 
permits for the commercialization of their products. 
Gaps Hindering Results or Sustainability
The team has identified four factors that hinder the sustainability of Component 3:
• Some of the Indigenous communities feel there are still no tangible benefits as a result of the
activities in Component 3, as they have not yet generated income or improved their quality of 
life. This discourages participation and the continuity of the work. 
• Many of the activity partners have not yet taken ownership of sustainable community forest
management activities. Interviewees mentioned that they fear they will not be prepared to take 
the lead when Pro-Bosques ends. 
• The Indigenous Empowerment Index is an important resource for measuring the impact of the
activity and for other organizations that work with similar objectives that could be better 
leveraged.
• Some of the representatives of the native communities perceive that, at times, those working
with the communities have not always respected their customs or governance structures. For 
example, in one focus group, it became apparent that the activity had not always included a 
representative of the Indigenous organizations in meetings held in the communities. This 
requirement was an explicit request of the Indigenous leaders, so they know what is being 
carried out as guarantors of the agreements made in their communities.
Gender and Social Inclusion
Is the GESI strategy integrated into the activity’s processes and delivering inclusion results? 
Pro-Bosques is committed to promoting the GESI strategy in all its components and has several 
strategies to address the serious problem of exclusion in the Peruvian Amazon (see USAID Pro-Bosques 
2021 Gender and Social Inclusion Strategy for more detail). According to its FY 2021 annual report, 
individuals from vulnerable populations make up 74 percent of the people benefiting from the activity’s 
technical support. 
Working to improve gender equity and social inclusion is difficult in any circumstance; the forestry 
sector in the Peruvian Amazon presents additional challenges, including some of the most persistent 
gender gaps in the country. Certainly, as evident both within and outside of Pro-Bosques, there is still 
much work to be done. 
In general, the evaluation team finds the activity promotes the inclusion of vulnerable populations in 
forest management. In terms of gender, Pro-Bosques’ interventions support and leverage ongoing efforts 
USAID/Peru 32
that other organizations are already pursuing in the three regions to promote equity. However, there is 
a long way to go before women working in this sector are truly “empowered,” and it is unlikely one 
activity alone will achieve this outcome. One strategy that could further strengthen the GESI approach is 
to develop specific plans for each of the regions and the communities with which they work, especially 
in terms of working with women.
Interviewees and documents focused on three groups when promoting the commitment to GESI: 
1. Small-scale Forest Producers
Interventions in the timber and non-timber forestry sector benefit small-scale forestry producers, both 
men and women. The activity defined this target group and identified its main characteristics of 
vulnerability: high informality and low associativity. 
This work is reflected in the results achieved through the CITE network and the development of public 
procurement mechanisms (e.g., Peru Compras timber catalog), which contribute directly to capacity 
building and access to financing for these small forest producers involved in both primary and secondary 
timber processing. This is a novel approach, as actions traditionally have centered large forestry 
producers. 
2. Native Communities and Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous empowerment, one of the central aspects of the GESI strategy, is deeply integrated into the 
activity. The discussion above with respect to Component 3 illustrates its commitment to the inclusion 
of Indigenous communities throughout the life of Pro-Bosques as well as areas of improvement. 
An interesting example of the incorporation of Indigenous empowerment in the activity is the Code of 
Conduct in Native and Indigenous Populated Communities published in July 2020. This document, which has 
a section on gender in Indigenous communities, indicates “only individuals or representatives of 
companies that have signed the code may carry out activities in native community territory or activities 
involving coordination with Indigenous Peoples and their representative organizations, within the 
framework of the activities foreseen in the project” (p. 5).
3. Women and Gender
Pro-Bosques has worked hard to incorporate and strengthen gender equity in the activity’s geographic 
and thematic intervention areas, internally with its team, and externally with partners and beneficiaries.
The analysis shows that Pro-Bosques has taken into account the recommendations that emerged in 
USAID/Peru’s Gender Action Plan (2021). 
Internally, the activity has conducted awareness-raising workshops and a pause and reflect workshop
focused primarily on the GESI strategy (in March 2021). In addition, during the first year of the activity, 
Pro-Bosques published the Guide for Gender Mainstreaming in Pro-Bosques’ Products and Services, which
describes how research, technical assistance, and events can adopt a gender empowerment approach. 
These are very important and useful tools. 
To achieve tangible results, Pro-Bosques has committed to some cross-cutting measures such as 
“making every possible effort so no woman is left out” and having a minimum gender quota of 30
percent (see the GESI pause and reflect workshop, 2022). This means every time there is an activity or 
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 33
event in the regional offices, the team does everything possible to ensure that women are invited and 
participate. 
This commitment has led to several results, some of which are mentioned above, including (but not 
limited to): 
• Increased access to credit for female producers for the financing provided by AGROPERÚ. As 
of March 2022, 45 percent of producers with access to financing were women. 
• Increased participation of women in the control and oversight of the native communities. 
• Strengthening of five female artisans’ groups in Ucayali.
• A leadership school for the Indigenous women’s program of the Regional Organization of the 
Inter-Ethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Rainforest in Ucayali.
• Strengthening of the women’s organization in the Brazil Nut Processors for Forest 
Conservation organization.
Even so, there is a general sense among interviewees that the activity could do more with respect to 
gender equity. One barrier is the lack of dedicated staff who focus on gender issues full-time during the 
life of the activity. While there was a specialist dedicated to the topic at the beginning of the activity, the 
gender approach was decentralized when her term ended. 
Currently, the activity depends on the commitment of its team leaders, which varies according to 
regions and activities. In addition, some interviewees noted that time constraints can lead to information 
gaps about women’s participation in certain activities. Due to these gaps, some interviewees expressed 
that there has been no real increase in women’s participation in decision making in forest production 
activities, except in activities that women already dominated, such as artisanal and Brazil nut work.
One way to measure whether these insights are valid would be to adjust the impact indicator for 
vulnerable populations. Currently, the outcome monitoring indicator is “percentage of vulnerable people 
benefiting from technical assistance,” which is a performance indicator. Exploring an indicator that truly 
captures empowerment, especially for women beneficiaries, would be interesting and important. 
Considering the strategy, results, and lessons learned from other forestry projects in Peru and the 
Amazon region, including those from other international donors, public, and private (e.g., foundations) 
funded initiatives, what are some elements of value added, best practices, lessons learned, and the 
differentiated impact of Pro-Bosques’ intervention?
Pro-Bosques’ interventions have added significant value. One innovative example is that the activity has
sought out unconventional public procurement markets, such as the furniture and school food sectors. 
It has also broken paradigms by contributing to the development of a financing mechanism for non￾timber and non-conventional forest products such as Brazil nuts. Another value-add is the linkage 
between the MEF, SERFOR, and regional governments to develop tools for public budgeting. A 
subsequent value-added is the generation of enabling conditions for improved community forest 
management, which occurred through the effective use of strategic relationships with other 
organizations and partners working in the forestry sector and Amazon regions.
USAID/Peru 34
Theme 3. Strategic Relationships
Theme 3 explores whether Pro-Bosques is working effectively with partner organizations to meet the 
climate and forestry objectives of the Peruvian, U.S., and Norwegian governments. Findings show that 
Pro-Bosques has created and maintained effective partnerships with numerous organizations, both 
national and international. In most cases, these alliances have been positive and productive, with the 
indirect effect of strengthening the Peruvian forestry sector. Pro-Bosques is thereby indirectly helping to 
meet the goals of the Joint Statement of Intent, although more time is needed to accomplish them. 
Going forward, Pro-Bosques will need to focus on empowering its partners and allies to take full 
ownership of the remaining work and future results when the activity ends.
Documents and interviews show that Pro-Bosques has developed and maintained many strategic 
domestic and international relationships in the course of its work. In addition, interviewees often 
mentioned that other international donors are working in all three regions on projects with similar 
themes. One example is the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ), which works in Ucayali and functions 
as an effective partner with Pro-Bosques. Some interviewees familiar with GIZ’s work shared that it is
generally more flexible and practical in terms of its systems, and that communication in the field with 
organizations like GIZ has been fluid and effective. The most challenging partnerships have been with 
some Indigenous organizations, particularly in Ucayali, but also at the national level.
Pro-Bosques identified three organizations with the experience and knowledge of the three regions and 
forestry sector needed to advance the activity’s long-term goals. The current challenge is to recognize 
the contribution of their partners to ensure the legacy of Pro-Bosques through Peruvian organizations 
(in line with USAID’s “locally led development” initiatives). 
Maintaining a diverse group of partners and relationships throughout its work towards a sustainable, 
legal, and inclusive forest sector is an accomplishment in and of itself. These relationships have not 
always been easy to maintain and Pro-Bosques has worked hard to preserve positive relationships or 
repair relationships when damaged. Many partners spoke about how well they work with Pro-Bosques 
and how much they appreciate their partnerships.
Have synergies among Pro-Bosques and the other three activities of USAID/Peru’s Forestry Program 
(Forest Oversight and Resource Strengthening, the Prevent Project, and the Forest Alliance) 
materialized? 
Pro-Bosques is one of the activities that make up the USAID/Peru Forestry Project, together with 
Forest Oversight and Resource Strengthening, the Prevent Project, and the Forest Alliance. The 
program’s activities enable the Peruvian government and its counterparts in the United States and 
Norway to work toward improving environmental stewardship and compliance with environmental and 
forestry laws. In other words, they work together to achieve the goals of the Joint Declaration of Intent 
and the various agreements and conventions that exist in the country to maintain and conserve the 
Peruvian forest. The activities need synergies so all parties can work toward the common good. 
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 35
In some cases, Pro-Bosques worked effectively with other USAID forestry activities. For example, Pro￾Bosques and Forest Oversight and Resource Strengthening collaborated to mitigate effort duplication in 
developing additional demands for some of the regional governments. 
While coordination does exist, as of the end date of the evaluation, strong synergies have not yet 
emerged and the conditions for such combined effects do not appear to be in place. Often, this 
coordination is the result of the Pro-Bosques or USAID management team’s efforts. When possible and 
necessary, the team tries to collaborate with additional USAID activities and regional office teams, who 
in turn communicate and update their strategic partners when possible and relevant to their objectives. 
Interviewees in the field stated they coordinate with other USAID activities “to avoid overlap” in cases 
where they have complementary objectives. 
Not surprisingly, coordination with other activities became especially difficult during the COVID-19 
pandemic, when many projects stopped their activities altogether. This proved to be a serious constraint 
to creating strong synergies during the activity’s three-and-a-half-year progress period. Some 
beneficiaries working with the four USAID activities noted that more coordination would have 
improved outcomes. 
To what extent has Pro-Bosques contributed to reaching the goals of the Joint Declaration of Intent 
signed among the Governments of Peru, Norway, and Germany to reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
The purpose of the Joint Declaration of Intent6 is to reduce deforestation to contribute to the reduction 
of emissions from land use and land use change in Peru’s forestry sector. Achieving the goals of the Joint 
Declaration of Intent is a very complicated long-term effort, but the evidence suggests Pro-Bosques is 
doing its part to achieve them. By the end of the third year, Pro-Bosques had met or exceeded its 
targets on 5 of its 13 indicators (see FY 2021 Annual Report, Annexes, p. 29). The indicator that best 
captures its largest contribution is “mobilizing investments for sustainable landscapes supported by U.S. 
government assistance.” Pro-Bosques had mobilized $2.3 million by the end of the third year, exceeding 
its goal for the year by 15 percent. This achievement contributes to the Joint Declaration of Intent’s 
objective to work toward the “sustainable development of the agricultural and forestry sectors in Peru.”
However, it is too early to know if the activity can achieve its additional objectives of improving natural 
resource management and reducing or sequestering greenhouse gas emissions, mainly because this 
depends on the implementation and successful launch of MC-SNIFFS. 
How are interventions considering rights and values of the Indigenous Peoples and local communities to 
ensure “No More Harm”?
The “No More Harm” principle is one of the most complicated issues that emerged, especially in 
relation to the activities of Component 3. Regarding gender norms, the evaluation team found no 
evidence that this principle had been violated. With respect to native communities, the activity has 
needed to maintain a neutral stance toward several organizations. According to the Pro-Bosques team, 
they have sought to liaise as much as possible, without transgressing the explicit requests of each 
participating community with which they collaborate. While this is not the case across the board, some 
6 See https://www.minam.gob.pe/cambioclimatico/dci/
USAID/Peru 36
representatives of local Indigenous organizations note that Pro-Bosques has not adhered to the principle 
of respecting Indigenous governance and believe the activity could be more conscientious at times. For 
example, an explicit demand of the Indigenous leaders is to include a representative of the local 
Indigenous organizations in meetings held in the native communities, which has not always been 
respected. Further, representatives from CONAP shared that they did not feel fully included at the 
outset of the activity. These are important testimonies for all interventions working with Indigenous 
communities, and it is a reminder to always work in ways that are sensitive to the values and customs of 
native communities. 
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 37
Conclusions
What has the team learned in terms of design and interventions, performance and impacts, and strategic 
relationships in the first three and a half years of the activity? To what extent has Pro-Bosques 
strengthened the forest sector in terms of improved governance, increased private-sector engagement,
and inclusiveness? 
• The Pro-Bosques team is committed to adaptive management techniques and has extensive
experience in this area. They have regularly adapted design and intervention strategies to rapidly 
changing contexts over the course of the activity, including effective adaptations during the first 
two years to address the realities of the Amazon and the pandemic. This adaptive capacity has 
allowed the activity to make significant progress despite the pandemic.
• All the results and impacts described above show a value-add of the U.S. and Norwegian
government investments. The following conclusions address each component: 
- It is essential that the completed aspects of MC-SNIFFS become the foundation for
completing the entire system, and that Pro-Bosques hands over the system in a 
sustainable manner to SERFOR. Achieving this goal would be the most impactful legacy 
of the activity. 
- Pro-Bosques has contributed in innovative ways to advancing the private sector in
terms of best practices and competitiveness. To achieve sustainability without donor 
funding, these aspects need additional attention during the final months of the activity.
- After several challenges, the activity is on track to improve forest management,
territorial control in parts of Loreto and Ucayali, and inclusiveness within the forest
sector. Unfortunately, COVID-19 represented a significant delay, especially in terms of
activities with Indigenous communities, meaning the work will not achieve the impact
expected at the beginning of the activity. Progress to date is due, in part, to institutions
such as SERFOR and regional governments acknowledging the importance of an active
role for native communities in the forestry sector.
• Pro-Bosques’ commitment to the inclusion of vulnerable groups in Components 2 and 3 is
impressive. The design of the activity deeply integrates two of these groups, Indigenous
communities and small-scale forest producers. The use of cross-cutting measures promotes 
gender equity wherever possible. Although the efforts to work on these aspects have been 
remarkable, the lack of permanent specialized advising on the team and for spaces for reflection, 
discussion and periodic adjustment of the strategies deployed have been a limiting factor in 
achieving a greater impact in terms of gender and inclusion. The complexity of addressing 
gender and social inclusion issues with Indigenous Peoples merits having specialized professionals 
on the team permanently.
• In terms of strategic relationships, Pro-Bosques has created and maintained effective alliances
with numerous organizations, most of which have been positive and have strengthened the 
Peruvian forestry sector. Pro-Bosques is considered by the different stakeholders as a liaison, 
which has made dialogue and joint reflection possible. This achievement is an important 
USAID/Peru 38
contribution to forest governance. Pro-Bosques must now focus on empowering its partners 
and allies to take full ownership of future results and the remaining work when the activity ends.
• Looking into the future, more time is required before the activity ends to complete several
processes successfully. Because these are ambitious processes in complicated socio-political 
contexts, it will be necessary to implement an additional USAID activity or intervention to 
address market issues, empower vulnerable populations, and strengthen small-scale producers 
and native communities.
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 39
Recommendations for Pro-Bosques
What additional steps can Pro-Bosques take in its remaining life of activity to best position these legacies 
to promote sustainability, scalability, and the greatest possible impact? Considering an analysis of the 
institutional context and the current political reality in which Pro-Bosques operates, which processes 
should be emphasized or reoriented to maximize the impact of the activity? 
Use the remaining life of the activity to focus on those interventions and strategies 
that will leverage the greatest impact and sustainable results.
The Pro-Bosques team discussed this need in the most recent pause and reflect workshop and is already 
focusing on this objective. The evaluation team suggests the Pro-Bosques team concentrate on the 
following activities during the remaining months:
• Finalize MC-SNIFFS, including the three initial processes, to provide a solid foundation for
developing the other processes and allowing it to be handed over to SERFOR in a sustainable 
manner.
• Support SERFOR and the regional governments in the completion of the Primary
Transformation Centers Operations Book regulations, so they can complete at least processes 
4, 5, and 6 during the remainder of the activity.
• To achieve this, strengthening the Fábrica team with forestry professionals will ensure the
design of an IT solution that includes the aspects that SERFOR and the regional governments
identify as important.
• Support the links between the CITE network and the regional governments in each region to
identify opportunities for collaboration. For example, CITEs can provide technical support to 
producers and carpenters so they can adequately comply with state and regional government
regulations.
• Strengthen links with state entities in response to threats to communal territories reported by
the local surveillance organization or the community surveillance committees. 
• Advocate that state institutions and sectors incorporate and adopt Life Plans as a management
tool for Indigenous Peoples, thus ensuring that the needs identified in the plans are met.
• Facilitate access to government financing sources.
• Support Indigenous communities in signing equitable forest use contracts with third parties,
following the guidelines developed by the activity with OSINFOR.
• Assist partners with whom work has been done to strengthen productive activities (e.g.,
associations of women artisans, the aguaje fruit producers, wood industry) in the marketing of 
their products to generate tangible benefits. 
• Continue the GESI approach in each intervention, disaggregating the approach for each
Indigenous community and with each partner.
USAID/Peru 40
Strengthen the capacities of partners and beneficiaries to achieve the objectives 
before the end of the activity. 
• To move forward with MC-SNIFFS, Pro-Bosques should:
- Support SERFOR and the regional governments in the development of management
documents that secure the public budget to ensure maintenance of MC-SNIFFS over 
time.
- Strengthen the link between MEF, SERFOR, and regional governments for the
completion, implementation, and deployment of MC-SNIFFS.
- Strengthen the collaboration between forestry professionals and the technical teams in
the development of MC-SNIFFS, so La Fábrica’s understanding of the forestry sector is 
reflected in the development of the software platform.
- Empower the staff of the IT office, control department, and regional government offices
that will oversee its implementation and execution, so they have sufficient knowledge to 
continue with the development, implementation, and deployment of MC-SNIFFS when
Pro-Bosques ends.
• To contribute to the sustainability of Component 2’s progress, Pro-Bosques must:
- Strengthen the capacities of small-scale forest producers to use mechanisms to access
public procurement, such as the virtual catalog of wood products in Peru Compras, the 
virtual trade platform of the regional government of Madre de Dios, and the 
introduction of Brazil nuts to the national Qaliwarma program purchases.
- Strengthen the capacities of small-scale producers and associations for the harvesting of
timber and non-timber forest resources and the preparation of the necessary 
documentation to apply for and access the financing mechanisms the activity helped 
develop, such as the AGROPERÚ fund operated by AGROBANCO and the 
PROCOMPITE fund.
• To ensure the sustainability of Component 3’s progress, Pro-Bosques should:
- Strengthen the procedures and protocols capacity of the community control and
surveillance committees to generate evidence of the impacts on their territories in 
coordination with state institutions (e.g., National Police, Specialized Environmental 
Prosecutor’s Office, Environmental Evaluation and Control Agency, OSINFOR, regional 
environmental authority or forestry management) and on issues related to the rights of 
Indigenous Peoples. 
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 41
Ensure sustainable delivery to the counterparts of each component.
Once the above is in place, the next step is to ensure the sustainable delivery to partners and 
beneficiaries in line with USAID’s “locally-led development” initiative. For example, the team and its 
partners could develop and sign agreements containing work plans to reinforce the commitment to the 
continuity and sustainability of the activity. The publication of a handbook or resource with lessons 
learned could provide valuable information to groups that will continue work in this sector. At the same 
time, the creation of high-level, sustainable task forces or committees could help the activity’s partners 
and allies take ownership over next steps. This recommendation is important for ensuring the long-term 
sustainability of MC-SNIFFS and to ensure the partners for Components 2 and 3 can take the lead in the 
processes of commercialization and empowerment of the Indigenous communities.
Highlight the results and benefits of the activity.
Several interviewees mentioned that the activity should share its results so future efforts can benefit 
from success stories and lessons learned. Particularly, disseminating the results of Component 2 will
make stakeholders aware of successes and new enabling conditions, such as the virtual catalog of timber 
products for public procurement through Peru Compras and the financing line for small producers of 
non-timber products through AGROBANCO, among others. Native communities also want tangible 
results at the end of the five years, especially when thinking of the activity as one large investment in 
combined and coordinated sustainable forest management, rather than three separate components. The 
activity should validate and disseminate the Indigenous Empowerment Index broadly with other 
organizations working toward empowering native communities in Peru. Finally, the activity could further 
document its contributions in terms of GESI. 
Part of this recommendation means completing a final evaluation. It is impossible to measure the impact 
of the activity, as there are too many unfinished processes. However, a final evaluation could document 
the impact of the activity on Indigenous communities, through the Indigenous Empowerment Index, and 
the final results of the empowerment of vulnerable populations, including women. 
What additional changes or actions in the activity’s internal and external management could optimize the 
benefits attributable to Pro-Bosques?
In general, Pro-Bosques’ internal and external management systems are working well. That said, six 
recommendations for improvement emerged during the data collection process:
• Both Pro-Bosques and USAID should continue to look for ways to make administrative
processes faster and more flexible. For example, could some administrative decisions be 
decentralized from the implementing partner’s headquarters in Vermont to the Lima Pro￾Bosques office? Could some decisions made in Lima be decentralized? Small adjustments like 
these could have a disproportionately positive impact on results and strategic relationships.
• Efforts to conduct internal GESI training are of utmost importance and should continue,
especially as new people join the team (with a new office opened in 2021). All members need to 
fully understand the activity’s GESI tools.
USAID/Peru 42
• Those working in native communities must always respect Indigenous governance structures,
including the presence of Indigenous leaders as guarantors in all meetings held in the 
communities to ensure consistency in communications and coordination with the federations 
and their bases. Whenever possible, training for Indigenous communities should use native 
languages to increase understanding and ensure social inclusion, an essential aspect of the 
activity.
• Training should take into consideration the reality of the communities, such as by allocating
more time to cover the training topics, including offering training over several days, if necessary. 
It is important to anticipate changes in authorities and push for the formalization of agreements 
that ensure the continuity of the work, for example, after the next municipal and regional
election.
• The activity should be more cautious when publicizing the developments of MC-SNIFFS to avoid
generating false expectations. Publicity should wait until after the platform is complete and the 
first tests have occurred in Ucayali.
• The activity should review its outcomes to ensure they align with the current corresponding
indicators. The team should analyze whether each outcome indicators explain progress and 
achievement and then identify which outcomes need additional indicators.
Will positive impacts from the activity require additional efforts to guarantee their sustainability?
The evaluation team recommends extending the life of the activity if possible. Interviewees frequently 
mentioned the need for more time to achieve the activity’s objectives. Pro-Bosques lost valuable time 
due to the need to adapt strategies and the pandemic shutdown. Interviewees especially emphasized this 
point in light of Component 3, which seeks to undertake empowerment processes that, by their very 
nature, take a long time. The evaluation team agrees with these comments.
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 43
Recommendations for Future 
USAID Projects
What recommendations emerge for the design and intervention strategy of new USAID activities based 
on the progress and experience of Pro-Bosques?
Such a large and ambitious activity has plenty to teach international donors, including future USAID 
projects. The evaluation team makes the following recommendations: 
• Pro-Bosques has gained important experience in engaging the private sector, particularly related
to its competitiveness component. Future USAID actions should capitalize on these
achievements, through strategies to strengthen market access and product marketing (e.g., 
assistance in negotiating and generating sales and marketing contracts for timber and non-timber 
products, branding and brand image for small-scale producers, development of business models, 
etc.).
• USAID’s commitment to Indigenous Peoples’ rights means that future projects will necessarily
focus on the inclusion of Indigenous communities in forest management. Due to the inherent 
complexity of this work, the team sees the need to develop a future activity focused solely on 
Indigenous Peoples. Training should be offered in native languages, particularly on issues related 
to the rights of Indigenous Peoples. Training sessions should consider the realities of the 
Indigenous communities, for example, allocating more time to cover the training session topics, 
including offering training over several days if necessary.
• Pro-Bosques has developed some interesting practices in terms of GESI; future interventions
should continue these innovations. For example, whenever there is an activity or event in the 
regional offices, implementers should make every effort to invite women and ensure their 
participation, including by offering childcare. 
• It is probably too late in Pro-Bosques’ implementation to hire a gender specialist or conduct
additional gender analysis to determine the extent of women’s empowerment due to Pro￾Bosques’ activities. However, future activities should deepen the gender approach in forest 
management activities. One method is to conduct a comprehensive and participatory gender 
assessment during the design process, consulting communities on their specific needs. Then, 
during the implementation phase, all partner organizations can develop a GESI implementation 
strategy and plan.
• With activities as large and ambitious as Pro-Bosques, it is ideal to have a GESI specialist on the
team to advise people on strategies, document GESI results, and disseminate lessons learned.
• Changing slow administrative processes is difficult. Future activities should consider
administrative times in the planning stage, taking into account the unpredictable dynamics of 
working in the Amazon. Oftentimes, actions will depend on the weather and other aspects 
beyond the control of doners. 
• It is necessary to continue promoting the exchange of lessons learned and synergies among
USAID interventions. For example, these synergies can help promote and disseminate the new 
financing and market access mechanisms that Pro-Bosques developed and provide technical 
assistance to help local actors access these mechanisms.
USAID/Peru 44
In addition, due to the pandemic and constant political changes, the activity has generated lessons 
learned that future interventions can apply in contexts of crisis. Three of these are: 
• In the context of working with public institutions during times of constant change, future
teams may consider signing agreements with these institutions to ensure continuity, working
with technical teams (which usually do not change that much), and quickly contacting the new 
management to give a presentation of the activity any time there is a change.
• In the context of a pandemic, it is necessary to adjust some administrative requirements. For
example, Pro-Bosques had limited ability to mobilize staff when airlines mandated PCR 
COVID-19 tests, as the activity could not use their funds to cover the cost of these tests. 
• During the pandemic, Pro-Bosques had staff and infrastructure for operations in remote areas
that USAID could have leveraged to provide temporary assistance to Indigenous Peoples and 
other vulnerable populations. This was unused installed capacity. Future contracts should 
include a clause allowing for the possibility of providing services, when coordinated and 
accepted by the contractor, under pandemic or humanitarian crisis conditions. 
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 45
Annexes
I. Timeline
WEEK # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Date (2022) 5/23 5/30 6/6 6/13 6/20 6/27 7/4 7/11 7/18 7/25 8/1 8/8 8/15 8/22 8/29 9/5 9/
12
Phase 1: Kickoff 
Inception meeting X
Document review X X X X X X X X X
Data collection (monitoring, evaluation, and learning) X X
Deliverable: Evaluation plan X
Phase 2: Investigation
Interviews and focus groups X X X X X X X
Site visits X X X
Deliverable: Initial findings presentation X
Phase 3: Insights
Data organization and analysis X X X X X X
Pause and reflect X
Incorporation of pause and reflect insights X X X X X X
USAID/Peru 46
WEEK # 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Date (2022) 5/23 5/30 6/6 6/13 6/20 6/27 7/4 7/11 7/18 7/25 8/1 8/8 8/15 8/22 8/29 9/5 9/
12
Coding sheets, analysis outputs, draft
recommendations, draft evaluation action plan,
annotated report outline
X X X X X X X X
Report drafted X X
Deliverable: Draft report X
Phase 4: Production 
Comments from Tetra Tech X X
Revisions X X
Deliverable: Final report X
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 47
II. Methodology Guidelines
Based on the contract between Tetra Tech and Environmental Incentives, the evaluation unfolded in four 
phases as shown in Figure 1. 
Figure 1. Phases of the evaluation process and integration with the pause and reflect process.
Phase 1: Inception
In this phase, the team reviewed and analyzed available activity data, including MEL data and program 
documents, to better understand the activity and its results, then conducted kickoff meetings. Deliverable: 
Proposed evaluation plan.
Phase 2: Investigation
In this phase, the team conducted qualitative, open-ended interviews and focus groups with key 
stakeholders, including USAID and Pro-Bosques staff, partners, and beneficiaries. The team visited the 
three regional offices in Ucayali, Loreto, and Madre de Dios. The team leveraged Pro-Bosques’ Pause and 
Reflect process to validate preliminary findings and gather additional insights. Deliverable: Initial findings 
presentation
Phase 3: Insights
In this phase, the team analyzed and synthesized the qualitative and quantitative information into 
preliminary findings. Deliverable: Draft report
Phase 4: Production
In this phase the team received feedback and incorporated it into the evaluation to finalize the findings 
and recommendations. The team’s gender specialist reviewed the document to give feedback, as did the 
Pro-Bosques team. Deliverable: Final report
USAID/Peru 48
III. Evaluation Matrix
OECD CRITERIA EVALUATION 
QUESTIONS
*Pause and reflect-related
question
SUBQUESTIONS DATA SOURCES DATA COLLECTION 
METHODS
Theme 1: Design and Intervention Strategies
RELEVANCE
Is the intervention doing the 
right things?
* Is the reasoning behind
the theory of change 
(strategic intervention 
approach) of the activity
still valid?
How have the context and 
assumptions of the theory of 
change and situation model 
changed?
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Previous pause and reflect
outputs, including reports, 
stoplight diagrams, 
workbooks, and 
recommendation summaries
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
Pause and reflect 
Did the planning and 
previous revision processes 
fail to consider elements 
impeding or facilitating 
results?
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Previous pause and reflect 
outputs
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
FY 2021 pause and reflect
EFFICIENCY
How well are resources 
being used?
* Is the activity making
adequate and appropriate 
adaptations, especially in 
response to the global 
COVID-19 pandemic?
Does the planning and 
implementation of the 
activity apply lessons 
learned? For example, does
implementation in Madre de 
Dios build on learnings from 
the implementation in the 
initial regions?
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Local counterparts
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
Focus groups
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 49
OECD CRITERIA EVALUATION 
QUESTIONS
*Pause and reflect-related
question
SUBQUESTIONS DATA SOURCES DATA COLLECTION 
METHODS
What challenges did the 
activity face when the 
government-imposed
measures to address the 
COVID-19 pandemic? 
Could some of those 
challenges apply to 
contextual conditions other 
than a pandemic? How did 
the activity address them?
To what extent does the 
context of the pandemic 
create opportunities for the 
activity?
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Local counterparts
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
Focus groups
EFFECTIVENESS
Is the intervention achieving 
its objectives?
EFFICIENCY
How well are resources 
being used?
* Based on past activities
and emerging and future 
challenges, are changes
needed in the intervention 
approach and strategy 
needed?
Are there intervention 
strategies not delivering on 
their expected progress?
Stakeholder groups
Individuals
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
What changes could guide 
the last stage of the 
activity?
Stakeholder groups
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Focus groups. Participatory, 
group-based, and visual 
research tools (e.g., sense￾making, community 
mapping, most significant 
change, outcome mapping)
USAID/Peru 50
OECD CRITERIA EVALUATION 
QUESTIONS
*Pause and reflect-related
question
SUBQUESTIONS DATA SOURCES DATA COLLECTION 
METHODS
EFFECTIVENESS
Is the intervention achieving 
its objectives?
* What recommendations
emerge for the design and
intervention strategy of new 
USAID activities based on 
the progress and experience 
of Pro-Bosques?
How have Pro-Bosques’
approaches and intervention 
strategies succeeded and 
what flaws have emerged?
Documents and other 
online information
Stakeholder groups
Individuals
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Semi-structured interviews
Focus groups
Pause and reflect
Will the activity’s positive 
impacts require additional 
efforts to guarantee their 
sustainability?
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Local counterparts (private 
and communities)
Semi-structured interviews
Focus groups
Pause and reflect
Theme 2: Performance and Impacts
EFFECTIVENESS
Is the intervention achieving 
its objectives?
IMPACT
What difference does the 
intervention make?
* What are the main results
(intended or unintended) of 
the activity to date? 
Considering these results, 
what are the most 
important legacies it could 
leave? 
What are the main results 
toward each of the three 
activity objectives?
Documents and other 
online information
Stakeholder groups
Individuals
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
Focus groups Participatory 
group-based and visual 
research tools (e.g., sense￾making, community 
mapping, most significant 
change, outcome mapping)
* Is the GESI strategy
integrated into the activity’s 
processes and delivering 
inclusion results?
Stakeholder groups
Individuals
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
Pause and reflect
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 51
OECD CRITERIA EVALUATION 
QUESTIONS
*Pause and reflect-related
question
SUBQUESTIONS DATA SOURCES DATA COLLECTION 
METHODS
Pause and reflect report, 
stoplights, workbooks, 
summaries of 
recommendations
IMPACT
What difference does the 
intervention make?
SUSTAINABILITY
Will the benefits last?
* What additional steps can
Pro-Bosques take in its 
remaining life of activity to 
best position these legacies 
to promote sustainability, 
scalability, and the greatest 
possible impact?
What actions has the 
activity carried out to 
improve opportunities for 
the sustainable use and 
maintenance of MC-SNIFFS?
Individuals
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Pause and reflect report, 
stoplights, workbooks, 
summaries of 
recommendations
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
Pause and reflect
How do Indigenous 
communities perceive their 
adoption of territorial 
control and forest 
management? Is there 
evidence of ownership over 
those processes?
Stakeholder groups
Pro-Bosques staff
Local counterparts
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
How much has the private 
sector advanced in 
improving practices and 
competitiveness factors? 
Are these actions 
sustainable without 
cooperation financing?
Stakeholder groups
Pro-Bosques staff
Local counterparts
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
USAID/Peru 52
OECD CRITERIA EVALUATION 
QUESTIONS
*Pause and reflect-related
question
SUBQUESTIONS DATA SOURCES DATA COLLECTION 
METHODS
EFFECTIVENESS
Is the intervention achieving 
its objectives?
EFFICIENCY
How well are resources 
being used?
* What additional changes
or actions in Pro-Bosques’
internal and external 
management could optimize 
the benefits attributable to 
Pro-Bosques?
What are the opportunities 
for improvement for the 
Pro-Bosques team’s 
organizational structure?
Stakeholder groups
Individuals
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Pause and reflect report, 
stoplights, workbooks, 
summaries of 
recommendations
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
Pause and reflect
What third-party best 
practices can Pro-Bosques
adopt?
Documents and other 
online information
Stakeholder groups
Individuals
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
COHERENCE
How well does the 
intervention fit?
Considering an analysis of 
the institutional context and 
the current political reality 
in which Pro-Bosques 
operates, which processes 
should be emphasized or 
reoriented to maximize the 
activity’s impact?
-
Stakeholder groups
Individuals
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Pause and reflect report, 
stoplights, workbooks, 
summaries of 
recommendations
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
Pause and reflect
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 53
OECD CRITERIA EVALUATION 
QUESTIONS
*Pause and reflect-related
question
SUBQUESTIONS DATA SOURCES DATA COLLECTION 
METHODS
EFFECTIVENESS
Is the intervention achieving 
its objectives?
EFFICIENCY
How well are resources 
being used?
IMPACT
What difference does the 
intervention make?
SUSTAINABILITY
Will the benefits last?
* What aspects not
currently covered by Pro￾Bosques’ intervention design 
and strategy could help
enhance the performance, 
impact, and sustainability of 
its results?
What gaps have staff, 
stakeholders, or other 
inputs identified that may 
hinder the activity’s 
achievements?
Stakeholder groups
Individuals
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Pause and reflect report, 
stoplights, workbooks, 
summaries of 
recommendations
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
Pause and reflect
What gaps have
communities, the private 
sector, and government 
identified that may hinder 
the sustainability of the 
activity’s results?
Stakeholder groups
Individuals
Government counterparts
Local counterparts
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
RELEVANCE
Is the intervention doing the 
right things?
EFFICIENCY
How well are resources 
being used?
Considering the strategy, 
results, and lessons learned 
from other forestry projects 
in Peru and the Amazon 
region—including those 
from other international 
donors, public, and private 
(e.g., foundations) funded 
initiatives—what are some 
elements of added value, 
best practices, lessons 
learned, and differentiated 
-
Online information
Stakeholder groups
Key individuals
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
Focus groups
USAID/Peru 54
OECD CRITERIA EVALUATION 
QUESTIONS
*Pause and reflect-related 
question
SUBQUESTIONS DATA SOURCES DATA COLLECTION 
METHODS
impact of Pro-Bosques’
intervention?
Theme 3: Strategic Relationships
COHERENCE
How well does the 
intervention fit?
Have synergies among Pro￾Bosques and the other 
three activities of
USAID/Peru’s Forestry 
Program (Forest Oversight 
and Resource Strengthening, 
the Prevent Project, and the 
Forest Alliance) 
materialized? If so, what 
benefits has Pro-Bosques 
experienced in terms of 
effectiveness, efficiency, and 
impact?
-
Individuals
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
Pause and reflect
Surveys (tentatively)
COHERENCE
How well does the 
intervention fit?
To what extent has Pro￾Bosques contributed to 
reaching the goals of the 
Joint Declaration of Intent 
signed among the 
Governments of Peru, 
Norway, and Germany to 
reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions? What 
recommendations would 
-
Individuals
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Government counterparts
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
Pause and reflect
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 55
OECD CRITERIA EVALUATION 
QUESTIONS
*Pause and reflect-related
question
SUBQUESTIONS DATA SOURCES DATA COLLECTION 
METHODS
make such contributions 
more effective?
EFFECTIVENESS
Is the intervention achieving 
its objectives?
How are interventions 
considering rights and values 
of the Indigenous Peoples 
and local communities to 
ensure “No More Harm”?
-
Stakeholder groups
Individuals
Performance reports
Pro-Bosques staff
Local counterparts
Document analysis
Semi-structured interviews
Focus group
Pause and reflect
USAID/Peru 56
IV. Questionnaires Used for Individual
Semi-Structured Interviews and Focus Groups
Template for individual semi-structured interviews (final and edited version)7
Introduction
• Thank the interviewee for his/her time.
• Introduce the team conducting the interview.
• Describe the purpose of the evaluation.
Informed consent
Confidentiality: The information provided will be used for the purpose of identifying findings for the 
evaluation. The names of the people who provided input along with information on location or activities 
that could lead to the identification of a particular individual will remain in the possession of the 
independent evaluation team and will be removed from the reports, annexes, and databases to be 
submitted. If necessary, codes will be assigned for referring to the people interviewed in the documents.
Voluntary participation: Participation in this evaluation is voluntary and, while participation may be 
encouraged by Tetra Tech, it is up to you whether you wish to participate. If you decide not to 
participate, this will not affect your relationship with Pro-Bosques or Tetra Tech.
Do you agree to participate?
We estimate this session to last about an hour and it will consist of several questions. We hope to be 
able to contact you later to validate or complete the information. Please make yourself comfortable and 
feel free to ask any questions for clarity. We may contact you again to validate or complete information.
Interviewee information
What organization do you work for and what is your role? What is your day-to-day activity?
Question repository
Key questions:
RELATIONSHIP WITH PRO-BOSQUES
1. Tell us a little about your roles and responsibilities and how your relationship with Pro￾Bosques came about.
ACHIEVEMENTS
2. From your perspective, what have been the THREE most important results of the
implementation of Pro-Bosques? 
3. What is Pro-Bosques doing right to have achieved these results?
FLAWS
4. In what TWO areas do you think Pro-Bosques could have performed better or had less than
desired results? 
7 The evaluation team started with a slightly different pilot protocol and then adapted it after several interviews to better 
capture the ideas and comments of the interviewees.
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 57
5. Were there any things attempted that were not achieved? What explains the failure to achieve
these goals?
CHALLENGES
6. What are the TWO main challenges Pro-Bosques and its partners have had to deal with in the
area of work in which you have been involved?
ADAPTATION
7. How has Pro-Bosques adapted or not adapted to the circumstances of your
region/organization/agency/political dynamics? 
8. Do you think that the strategies that Pro-Bosques adopted to continue with the
implementation during the restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic were appropriate?
COHERENCE
9. Are there other projects being developed in your region or by your organization that work on
similar issues? What can Pro-Bosques learn from them?
RECOMMENDATIONS
10. From your perspective and considering the institutional and political context in which Pro￾Bosques works, what processes should be modified or strengthened to achieve greater 
impact?
IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY
11. What is the appropriate way for Pro-Bosques to ensure its impacts and their sustainability for
the rest of the activity?
Specific questions oriented to GESI (adapt)
CHARACTERISTICS
12. To what extent have gender, poverty and social inclusion issues been addressed in the
development of Pro-Bosques activities and products in which you have been involved, and how 
might this be strengthened in the future?
PROGRAM CONTRIBUTION TO GESI
13. What are the positive and negative effects produced, whether intended or unintended, in
advancing equality between women and men and the empowerment, protection and 
participation of all women, girls, men and boys of the project's key stakeholder groups?
GESI CONTRIBUTION TO THE PROGRAM
14. In the opposite direction, what is the contribution of Pro-Bosques’ interventions related to
gender, equity and social inclusion to the overall achievement of Pro-Bosques’ objectives?
USAID/Peru 58
IF THE INTERVIEWEE IS A REPRESENTATIVE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
15. How do you feel about the way Pro-Bosques builds its relationship with Indigenous
communities? Do you perceive it to be culturally appropriate and respectful of the rights of
Indigenous communities? Are there mechanisms or channels of communication at the
community or Indigenous organization level where complaints can be voiced in case these
relationships are not appropriate or respectful?
16. Do you think that the processes of forest management, land rights and territorial control have
been adopted by the Indigenous and local communities?
ADAPTATION OF THE GESI APPROACH WITHIN THE PROGRAM -
Questions for the staff of the Pro-Bosques activity
17. The Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Strategy establishes that the Pro-Bosques team must
have a GESI specialist and a GESI committee formed by team members that should include a 
member from each area and regional office to ensure the strategy is deployed across all 
components of the activity. Has this worked out as planned? What has been done to ensure 
gender mainstreaming is incorporated into all activity activities and components? What 
recommendations would you make to improve this (activity staff)?
18. The code of conduct establishes guidelines that regulate the activity's interactions and activities
in the Indigenous communities and establishes internal protocols for sanctioning non￾compliance. What measures have been adopted internally among the communities (what 
communication channels or mechanisms exist at the community level) to receive complaints or 
allegations of violations of this code (if the communities are aware of it) to monitor its 
compliance (activity personnel)?
CLOSING
19. Is there anything you would like to tell us that we haven't asked you about?
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 59
Guide for Focus Groups 
Time Step Description
5 min - Welcome remarks and the
reason why we are gathered.
- Brief introduction to the
activity.
Brief explanation of the activity.
10 min Opening question This is a general question that everyone answers at 
the beginning of the focus group. This question helps 
to identify the characteristics that the participants 
have in common.
Question: Tell us your name and 
how long you have been working 
in artisanal crafts?
10 min Introductory 
questions/transition 
questions
These questions serve to introduce a general topic 
for discussion and provide an opportunity for 
participants to reflect on past experiences.
Question: 
Tell us a little about your work in craftsmanship with Pro-Bosques.
Tell us how it has been working with Pro-Bosques on craftsmanship.
30 min Key questions These questions drive the evaluation and are those 
that will receive the most attention during the 
analysis.
What have been the most important results, strengths, and challenges of Pro-Bosques 
activity implementation? 
- What is the most important thing you have achieved with the support of Pro-Bosques?
- What is Pro-Bosques doing well in its work with you?
- What have been some of the difficulties of this work with Pro-Bosques?
- (Request for recommendations)
To what extent has the intervention of the Pro-Bosques activity contributed to the 
participation of Indigenous women in community forest management and livelihood plans?
- Have there been any activities other than handicrafts in which you have participated
with Pro-Bosques? 
- Why or why not?
- What has worked and what needs to be improved?
- Are handicrafts and/or women’s opinions and needs part of the Life Plans?
USAID/Peru 60
Time Step Description
* Note: If necessary, community forest management, forest harvesting, and Life Plans
should be mentioned.
If time allows it:
- How do you feel about the way Pro-Bosques builds its relationship with Indigenous
communities? 
- If someone from Pro-Bosques misbehaves, to whom do you go?
- Do you think it is important for someone from the federation to be involved in Pro￾Bosques activities? Why or why not? 
15 min Final questions These questions bring the discussion to a close and 
allow participants to review the session they have just 
completed. 
Questions: 
Considering everything you just heard:
- What do you hope for in regards to the project’s future?
- What other actions or changes could Pro-Bosques carry out in the time it has left to
improve the work with you?
- In what other ways would you like Pro-Bosques to support you?
- What does Pro-Bosques need to do to improve the handicraft activity without the
artisans being involved? What do you need from Pro-Bosques for that?
- Is there anything you would like to tell us that we haven't asked you about?
5 min Acknowledgments and closing
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 61
V. List of Reviewed Documents
Pro-Bosques provided a library of documents to the evaluation team to review and the evaluation team 
members also provided additional resources. In all, the evaluation team reviewed the following 
documents: 
USAID
USAID Evaluation Policy Update 
USAID Policy on Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (PRO-IP), March 2020
USAID/Peru
Plan de Acción en Genero, February 16, 2021
USAID Pro-Bosques
Management Documents 
Annexes of FY 2019 Annual Performance Report September 25, 2018–September 30, 2019
Annexes of FY 2020 Annual Performance Report October 2019–September 2020
Annexes of Quarterly Progress Report January 1–March 31, 2022 (Q2 FY 2022)
Annexes of Quarterly Progress Report October 1–December 31, 2021 (Q1 FY 2022)
Annexes of the FY 2021 Annual Performance Report October 1, 2020–September 30, 2021
Annual Performance Report: Year 3 (FY 2021) October 1, 2020–September 30, 2021
Annual Work Plan-Year 4 (FY 2022)
Branding Implementation Plan and Marketing Plan
Cadenas de Resultados 2021
Communications Strategy and FY 2022 Updated Implementation Plan
Emergency Contact Plan
First Annual Work Plan (FY 2019)
FY 2019 Annual Performance Report September 25, 2018–September 30, 2019
FY 2020 Annual Performance Report October 2019–September 2020
FY 2021 Annual Performance Report October 1, 2020–September 30, 2021 
Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Plan
Pause and Reflect GESI, 2022 (presentation)
Performance Indicator Tracking Table
Pro-Bosques-USAID One-Pager (Spanish)
Quarterly Progress Report and Quarterly Financial Report Q1 FY 2022: October 1–December 31, 2021 
Quarterly Progress Report and Quarterly Financial Report Q2 FY 2022: January 1–March 31, 2022 
Resumen PB-11 julio, 2022 (TallerPyR)
USAID/Peru 62
Situation Model, Result Chains Component 1, 2, 3, and High-Level Results Chain
Second Annual Work Plan (FY 2020)
Teoría del Cambio-Pro Bosques (2019, 2021)
Third Annual Work Plan (FY 2021)
Technical Documents 
Agenda Forestal Indígena, presentación (subcarpeta C3 Documentos prioritarios) 
Agenda Forestal Indígena, informe (subcarpeta C3 Documentos prioritarios) 
Análisis del paisaje del sector privado (Private Sector Landscape Analysis)
Buenas prácticas de gestión y un plan de implementación para aserraderos de madera han sido 
desarrollados para garantizar el origen legal y la trazabilidad
Código de conducta en comunidades nativas y con población indígena
Diseño conceptual del módulo de control del Sistema Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre – Informe 
Final
Estrategia de género e inclusión social de USAID Pro-Bosques
Estrategia de involucramiento del sector privado para madera y productos forestales no maderables a 
corto, mediano y largo plazo
Estudio: Estimando y Mejorando la Legalidad de la Madera en el Perú 
Guía para incorporación del enfoque de género en los productos y servicios de Pro-Bosques
Implementation Plan for the Control Module of the National Forest and Wildlife Information System 
(Plan de implementación del Módulo de Control del Sistema Nacional de Información Forestal y Fauna 
Silvestre (MC-SNIFFS))
Inclusión para la prosperidad de los pequeños productores de madera y la mejor gestión de los bosques 
de la Amazonía peruana
Índice de empoderamiento indígena en el sector forestal Amazónico (Indigenous Empowerment Index in 
the Amazonian Forest Sector)
Informe sobre los planes de desarrollo regional y municipal que reconocen y apoyan la implementación 
de actividades de MFC a través de los planes de vida para el desarrollo sostenible de las comunidades 
indígenas en la Amazonía
Línea de Base de Suministro de madera en el Perú
Nota conceptual para el componente del catastro forestal del SNIFFS
Nota conceptual para implementar el módulo. de promoción y competitividad del sistema nacional de 
información forestal y fauna silvestre
Paquete de proyectos de inversión pública para agencias forestales nacionales y subnacionales 
presentados para su aprobación en INVIERTE.PE, para la sostenibilidad de la gobernanza forestal y la 
industria
Participación de las Comunidades Nativas en la Cadena de Valor de la Madera y el Sector Forestal en la 
Amazonía Peruana
Pro-Bosques Mid-term evaluation 63
Plan de capacitación a usuarios del MC-SNIFFS
Plan de Control y Vigilancia Comunitaria desarrollado para los Gobiernos Locales y Regionales de 
Loreto y Ucayali (Community Control and Oversight Plan Developed for the Local and Regional Governments of 
Loreto and Ucayali)
Plan de fortalecimiento de capacidades en manejo forestal comunitario, desarrollado y en 
implementación con comunidades y organizaciones indígenas
Plan de fortalecimiento de capacidades para consolidar las redes e iniciativas de control y vigilancia 
comunitaria en regiones seleccionadas (Loreto y Ucayali)
Plan nacional y multisectorial integrado para promover y apoyar el manejo forestal comunitario com una 
oportunidad económica para que las comunidades indígenas se inserten en el mercado (An Integrated 
National and Multi-Sectoral Plan to Promote and Support Community Forest Management as an Economic 
Opportunity to Improve Market Access for Indigenous Communities)
USAID/Pro-Bosques/NORAD
Expanded Scope of Work 
Informe de Identificación de Mejores Oportunidades Comerciales Para La Castaña en las Compras 
Públicas
Plan estratégico de control y vigilancia del paisaje Tahuamanu, Madre de Dios
Propuesta de Incorporación de un Mayor Rango de Especies Maderables de los Títulos Habilitantes de 
Madre de Dios al Mercado, Promoviendo la Mejora Tecnológica y su Suministro Legal
Reporte de implementación de mecanismos de interoperabilidad entre el MC-SNIFFS con el Sistema de 
Información Gerencial del OSINFOR (SIGO 3.0)
Reporte de la implementación de mecanismos de interoperabilidad entre el MC-SNIFFS con la 
Plataforma de Monitoreo de Cambios sobre la Cobertura de Bosques (GEOBOSQUES) del Ministerio 
del Ambiente (MINAM)
OECD
Applying Evaluation Criteria Thoughtfully
Estándares de calidad de evaluaciones
OCDE criterios de evaluación