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Parliamentarians who support the environment, which has led indirectly to the establishment of morethan ten laws, decrees and conventions related to environment.Improving governance of large dams in West AfricaThe benefits derived from large dams in West Africa are not equally shared among local stakeholders.While the development of dams has fostered national development they also pose social andenvironmental challenges, particularly at the local level by disrupting means of subsistence (naturalresources) and production systems, and by increasing in conflict amongst local populations.In partnership with IIED, IUCN aimed to work with local stakeholders to achieve good governance ofthese reservoirs at the local, national and regional levels. IUCN promoted the participation, dialogueand agreement with all stakeholders, in particular the representatives of users and civil society in theidentification, construction and exploitation of dams. At the local level, IUCN raised awareness andfacilitated participatory processes to improve the management of dams. At the regional level, IUCNpromoted dialogue among stakeholders on large hydraulic infrastructure.The dialogues led to the official adoption of civil society’s contribution by the Economic Community ofWest Africa Countries (CEDAO) in December 2011, and the creation of a regional directive that will bestatutory for all countries in the region. This process has also influenced the Authority of the NigerBasin and its Water Charter. At the local level, IUCN also facilitated similar processes in Burkina Faso(Kompienga Dam), Mali (Sélingué Dam) and Senegal (Confluent/Niandouba), with tangible resultssuch as the creation of a roadmap where all actors have been involved, the reactivation of the localwater committee in Sélingué and the creation of an actors’ platform in the Anambé Dam.Enhancing wetland protection in UgandaWetland resources in Uganda have suffered the tragedy of the commons: all people rely on wetlandsbut few take responsibility for managing wetlands. The situation was made worse by the fact thatwetlands were not included in Uganda’s protected areas network, and the local government was illequippedto take on the management role. Current statistics indicate that Uganda’s wetlands had a3% decline in 2010.IUCN’s main goal has been to strengthen the Ugandan National Protected Area network by expandingits coverage to include the country’s biologically important wetland ecosystems.IUCN promoted the development and piloting of suitable PA management regimes in tworepresentative wetland systems: Bisina-Opeta (covering approximately 124,000 hectares) and LakeNakivaale-Mburo (approximately 27,000 hectares) system, which are also Ramsar sites. Six wetlandCommunity Conservation Area (CCA) models were designed to optimize the effective managementand sustainability of the expanded PA networks, which were included into local level planningprocesses.As concrete results on the ground, the Nakivaale-Mburo Ramsar wetland site has registered relevantresults, such as better fish catches, a marked recovery of the lake by two kilometres of the formerlyreceded length. Communities have indicated that wildlife such as the crane and hippos had returned.IUCN also influenced various national level policy processes that support protected areasmanagement including the Wetland Bill (2012) and the Wildlife Policy.Implementing Aichi Targets in South America: from Policy to Regional and National ActionSouth America, the most bio-diverse region in the world, faces several threats to conserve its naturalcapital, such as loss of habitat, invasive species, and traffic of natural resources. Various actors useIUCN governance tools, such as rights-based approaches, governance types for protected areas,increased participation of indigenous peoples and local communities, to address these drivers andthrough scaling-up processes from the local to the international levels.In the framework of Aichi Targets, IUCN is encouraging the integration of National Committees in theimplementation of these targets, both at the practical and political levels in countries like Ecuador andBrazil. IUCN was involved in sub-regional processes, supporting the Andean Community (CAN) in2009 for a South American dialogue to discuss the CBD 2010 Target. IUCN also supported the CBDSecretariat in the implementation of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan SouthAmerican Capacity Building Workshop in 2011.347