CMA Events & Training

A one-day seminar on the value of evidence-based
decision making

Identifying the precise question and then answering it will establish needs, set goals, monitor progress and evaluate success. But what is the right question? To help guide you we will be bringing together a wide range of researchers and practitioners from the natural environment, heritage and health & wellbeing sectors.

This event is a full day seminar which will include:
 Keynote speakers
 Interactive workshops
 Lunch and optional evening meal
 Networking opportunities
 Optional overnight accommodation available on-site

Topics being covered include: How is evidence being used, from policy development to local decision making.
 What evidence should be captured, how to go about it and how to present it.
 What tools already exist to either provide the evidence or help set the scene.
 The value of evidence to secure funding or demonstrate economic benefits.

Who should attend?
This one day seminar, organised by the Countryside Management Association, is for anyone involved in planning a grant application, reviewing a service, evaluating the success of a project or just looking to put the best available evidence at the heart of their decision-making process. It is suitable for:
 Project managers and development officers
 Heads of service and programme managers
 Rangers, wardens and other frontline staff
 Team leaders and volunteer co-ordinators
 Conservationists and biodiversity officers
 Parks and green space consultants and policy advisers
 Fundraising managers and grants officers

Venue Details
The seminar will take place at the historic Folly Farm in Pensford, a restored 18th Century farmhouse and outbuildings set within a 250 acre nature reserve. For those staying overnight, a more informal, practical view on the subject of evidence gathering in relation to the Farm is being arranged for the next day as part of a guided walk around the nature reserve. This will be led by the owners of Folly Farm, Avon Wildlife Trust.

Costs
For members of CMA, WACCM, SCRA and CIEEM the cost of the seminar is £150 per delegate. For non-members working for a charity / not-for-profit organisation it is £160 and all other organisations, including local authorities, it is £170. This includes a light lunch and evening meal, all refreshments during the day (pay as you go bar in the evening), overnight accommodation, breakfast on the Thursday and the site visit.

Day delegates are welcome. The cost for members of CMA, WACCM, SCRA and CIEEM is £70 per delegate. For non-members working for a charity / not-for-profit organisation it is £80 and all other organisations, including local authorities, it is £90. This includes a light lunch and all refreshments during the day.

There are 50 places available on the seminar and they will be sold on a first come, first served basis. We are offering a reduced registration fee for a small number of places for people who are unwaged or low income – please get in touch if you would like to apply.

Seminar Programme

Wednesday 18th September
09:30 Coffee and Registration
10:00 Welcome by Dan Barnett, Chair of the Countryside Management Association
10:05 Gary Kass Deputy Chief Scientist, Natural EnglandChanging Landscapes in Environmental Delivery
10:40 Michael Hughes Independent Policy Researcher and Adviser
Speaking truth to power: using research evidence to improve policy and practice
11:15 Break for tea/coffee and networking
11:30 Lucy Hares Programme Manager, Heritage Lottery Fund
The case for HLF investment: evidence, impact and outcomes.
12:05 Dr Anne Miller - Associate Director (Research), Environmental Sustainability
Knowledge Transfer Network
Making the case for nature – the business benefits of biodiversity
12:50 Q&A / Discussion Panel
13:15 Lunch and networking
14:00 Breakout session – pre-selected
1. Understanding the Visitor Experience – Dr Alison Millward
This session will
 Draw on recent work at Epping Forest to understand how people use the space and how public feedback can inform future management
 Give hints and tips on conducting visitor observation studies and visitor surveys
2. An Evaluator’s Toolkit - Claire Moyes
This session will:
 Give you an understanding of the different ways of evaluating projects and programmes
 Help you decide what information to collect and how to go about it
15:00 Afternoon tea / coffee and networking
15:15 Breakout session – pre-selected
3. Getting it Right from the Start – Ian Baggott
This session will:
 Give you a clear understanding of the differences between inputs, outputs, outcomes and impacts
4. Ecosystem Services in the Public Sector—A N Other—WORKSHOP TBC
This session will:
 Reveal what is going on with biodiversity offsetting within local authorities
 Enable you to prepare for developing your own ecosystem services
16:15 Feedback from the Breakout Sessions
16:40 Closing remarks from Mike Anderson, Seminar Organiser
16:45 Seminar Close

Evening programme
17:00 Countryside Management Association AGM (optional for non-CMA members)
Incorporating the presentation of this year’s Honorary Fellow award
18:30 Pre-dinner drinks (honesty bar)
19:00 Evening dinner for Full Delegates (smart dress please, no jeans or t-shirts)

Thursday 19th September

09:00 Breakfast for Full Delegates
10:15 Guided Tour of Folly Farm

Reserve your places now. For a booking form please Email Heather Tarrant email at cma@writtle.ac.uk

18th July 2013 Killerton Broadclyst, Exeter, EX5 3LE

Killerton is a National Trust Property with a fine 18th-century house surrounded by parkland. The estate is self-sufficient, receiving little direct funding from The National Trust and this has promoted a fantastic entrepreneurial spirit.

10.00 Arrival and refreshments
10.30 Introduction to Killerton
11.30 SW AGM
12.15 Lunch. Please support the café onsite or bring a packed lunch.
13.00 Site visit to view orchards, yard and production facilities.
15.30 Feedback and refreshments
15.45 Departure

CMA Members £0
Non-members £ £35(includes free membership)

To book contact CMA Administration:
Writtle College, Lordship Road, Writtle, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 3RR
Tel: 01245 424116
e-mail: cma@writtle.ac.uk

17thy July Grin Low Country Park, Buxton, Derbyshire

19th June Hanson Environmental Study Centre, Milton Keynes

9.30 am – 3.30 pm

Lower Woods Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust Reserve, near Wickwar, South Gloucestershire

The training day will cover the diversity of the often overlooked species groups of mosses, liverworts, lichens, macro- and micro-fungi. You will learn how to identify these groups using books and guides. Furthermore, you will hear about their importance in woodland ecology and their use as environmental monitors, as well as their conservation through appropriate habitat management.

The whole day will be spent outdoors, so please come prepared with appropriate clothing and footwear – Lower Woods can be very muddy! Please also bring a packed lunch as well as notebook and pen.

The training day will be delivered by Justin Smith, BSc (Hons) MIEEM, who has studied fungi for over 25 years, and lichen and bryophytes for over 10 years. He has undertaken extensive surveys on these species groups in the UK and around the world, and can draw on a vast experience of delivering fungi forays and identification courses, e.g. for Bristol University, IEEM, and local Wildlife Trusts.

A minimum of 10 participants is required to run this course, so please book before 24th May to help make sure it can take place.

CMA Members £20
Non-members £55 (includes free membership)

To book contact CMA Administration:
Writtle College, Lordship Road, Writtle, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 3RR
Tel: 01245 424116
e-mail: cma@writtle.ac.uk