Evaluative criteria are rarely used to assess the merit, value, or worth of environmental peacebuilding initiatives, creating a significant knowledge gap. In other words, despite the growing recognition of environmental peacebuilding as a crucial field, evaluative thinking remains conspicuously absent from its core practices.

This gap hinders the integration of lessons learned, the identification of areas for improvement, and the recognition of good practices. It complicates the comparison of outcomes across different initiatives and regions, making it harder to replicate or scale up successful strategies. It does not foster accountability and transparency, essential to ensuring that stakeholders can trust the processes and outcomes. Without a normative framework for their evaluation, the true potential of environmental peacebuilding initiatives will remain untapped, diminishing their overall effectiveness and impact.

Considering their infrequent application in environmental peacebuilding initiatives, how can evaluative criteria be customized to address the distinct socio-political and ecological challenges of various contexts and improve outcomes?