A Review of Rapid Appraisal Tools for Use in Natural Resource Management Planning and Project Design and Execution

This report is a review of and guide to RRA methods and approaches used in natural resource management projects. It is directed at those who wish to use RRA but find it difficult to choose among different methods, to decide about the time and resource requirements, or to identify and resolve potential limitations. The introduction discusses problems with other methods, what the RRA tool kit can and cannot offer and methodological issues for the use of RRA. Chapter 2 lists the methods and briefly discusses their appropriate application. The final chapter discusses methods in more detail, including: interviewing (key informants, groups, question design and sampling techniques), interactive tools for RRA and participatory planning, minimum data sets and proxy indicators and packages of RRA tools in specific approaches. There is also an extensive bibliography and a discussion of training resources.