MPA EZ–the CCIF MPA Financial Management Tool
Demonstration of MPA EZ – the CCIF MPA Financial Management Tool, by Sarah Conway and John Claussen of the Conservation and Community Investment Forum (May 18, 2009). The CCIF MPA Financial Management Tool is a pragmatic platform for managing MPAs that is financially driven but rich in a variety of other information as well. It rooted in the belief that financial modeling and business planning offer the ideal organizing mechanism for the establishment and management of MPAs; this approach ensures that both the conservation logic and operational model are well thought-through and financially feasible. The platform includes an online tool on the CCIF website, as well as an MS Excel version of the tool. The online tool consists of a wizard-like series of html forms that collect MPA-specific profile, cost, and revenue data and information in four different sections: MPA Profile, Revenue, Costs, and Resource Optimization Analysis. The outputs provide practitioners with an overview of the current financial situation (e.g., size of the funding needed to cover annual and cumulative expenses and the net present value of all funding that are required to support the MPA/ecosystem over a 10-year period), how to ensure that resource allocation is in-line with the management objectives, how to use financial and physical resources in a more efficient manner, and how to develop sustainable financing portfolios. The website will incorporate training materials and include a comprehensive wiki component including general and regional definitions and(in the future) best practices, thought pieces, and other related resources. Learn more about the CCIF MPA Financial Management Tool at http://ccif.digitalclouds.net/costmodel/authentication/login.