Evaluation of the Lost Peatlands of South Wales project
In October 2021, ERS was commissioned by Neath Port Talbot Council to undertake a longitudinal evaluation of the £2.8m Lost Peatlands of South Wales project. This programme was delivered in partnership between Neath Port Talbot Council (lead partner), Rhondda Cynon Taf Borough Council, Swansea University and local community organisation, Coed Lleol. This initiative, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund takes a multi-faceted approach to environmental conservation and community engagement in natural heritage in the South Wales region.
Our mixed methods evaluation has consisted of:
Semi-structured qualitative interviews with partners and stakeholders to understand the wider context and project rationale
Quantitative analysis of programme monitoring data
E-surveys for project volunteers and local community members
Outdoor focus groups with local school pupils who had taken part in project-funded environmental awareness-raising sessions
Our outdoor focus groups were fun, creative and highly engaging. We held these sessions in the natural environment surrounding the peatlands, ensuring that participants were immersed in the very ecosystem under restoration. This immersive setting allowed for a more comprehensive understanding of the pupils' interactions with the environment.
The above data supported the ERS research team to compile an interim report that assessed the progress of the project in achieving target outputs and outcomes. Our robust, strategic question design and message-based reporting structure allowed us to communicate how the project could further improve its delivery for each different project aim and stakeholder group.