On 2015, 19 leaders of National Systems of PAs met in Peru (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Uruguay &Venezuela). One of their main objetives was to make a Declaration about the relevance of PAs for climate change (CC), & present it at the UNFCCC COP21 held in Paris in 2015.

18 leaders agreed to sign a Declaration that states:

-PAs contribute to  stabilize greenhouse gases' concentrations

-CC makes PAs and biodiversity vulnerable

-PAs contribute to CC adaptation, vulnerability reduction & to increase the resilience of ecosystems

-PAs are one of the most effective strategies for deforestation & ecosystem degradation

And commited to:

1) Manage PAs considering regional and sub-regional interactions & coordination with the UNFCCCC

2) Strengthen PAs systems through implementation of the CBD’s, Aichi Target 11

3) Promote participatory management with local communities

4) Work with local communities & recognize traditional knowledge

5) Integrate PAs in adaptation, mitigation & sustainable development strategies

6) Promote awareness of PAs key role on CC

The Latin American Technical Cooperation Network on National Parks, other Protected Areas, Wild Flora and Fauna, known as REDPARQUES, is a network of public and private institutions working on Protected Areas (PAs) and conservation of flora and fauna. This Network was the basis for the development of political commitment surrounding the Declaration on PAs and climate change (CC).

REDPARQUES was created in 1983, responding to the need to improve Latin American PAs management and the willingness to share technical knowledge and experiences on the matter.   

Since its creation, REDPARQUES has significantly contributed to the development of institutional capacitites of PAs' agencies and PA's staff, offering an opprotunity to discuss, share scientific and technical information and to promote regional strategies for PAs. 

Lastly, this network has strengthened the communication and the bonds between different National Systems of protected areas, which, at the same time, has boosted the creation of national/regional agendas related to the United Nationals Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity (Aichi Targets) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (Sustainable Development Goals - SDGs). 

The purpose of this building block is to train wetlands institutions and personnel on contemporary wetlands conservation skills, knowledge, tools, methods and approaches to be able to deliver on Nile River Basin transboundary wetlands conservation effectively and efficiently. The capacity building approach involves both online or virtual training, on-site learning exchanges, field-based training, thematic face-to-face modules workshop methods and learning forums. It covers themes such as wetlands and livelihoods, wetlands and climate change adaptation, wetlands management planning, environmental flow assessments and wetlands valuation. Stakeholders include Nile Basin state parties, wetlands communities and non-state actors. It also involves networking of state and non-state actors working on Nile River Basin wetlands for coordinated endeavors devoid of duplication and securing of desired critical mass for greater impact. Finally, it involves communication outreaches through multiple media on imperative of Nile Basin wetlands and associated biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Transboundary wetlands integrated planning is ongoing and aims at developing a road map for wise use of transboundary wetlands for ecological integrity and livelihoods climate resilience. The transboundary wetlands integrated plans involve specific transboundary wetlands inventories, stakeholders mapping, wetlands ecological and socio-economic challenges, strategic goals and interventions and action planning and costing and development of multi-stakeholder implementation plan and associated transboundary governance structure. Additionally, EbA related interventions such as riparian areas protection, watershed soil and water conservation, water sources protection and landscape greening are captured. The stepwise process includes 1) Description of site features, 2) Evaluation of features and selection of key features, 3) Formulation of long-term objectives for each key feature and 4) Formulation of short-term operational objectives for each key feature. In the case of Sio-Siteko wetlands (Kenya, Uganda), a discussion forum helped to identify key issues among stakeholders and their vision. Management objectives therefore focus on the values and interests of the stakeholders rather than exclusively on the ecological values.

This building block is to avail critical information on transboundary wetlands for informed action. The information being gathered includes wetlands status and extend, prevailing biodiversity, wetlands ecosystem services and contribution to regional economies, wetlands potential in carbon sequestration, wetlands potential as green infrastructure and wetlands potential in climate change adaptation. Nile Basin Initiative and its partners have done and continue to undertake vulnerability assessments. One example is the hotspot methodology (UNEP 2013) to identify key ecosystems or regions that may be especially vulnerable to climate change. The hotspots were identified using 10 selection criteria: water shortages, availability of surface water sources, groundwater shortages, environmental degradation, population dependency, ecosystem dependency, groundwater regime, mean annual rainfall, socioeconomic benefit and contribution to the sustainability of the Nile Basin. Six hotspot areas identified as a result of this exercise—the Nile delta, Nile Valley, Ethiopian plateau, Nile confluence, the Sudd wetlands and Mt. Ruwenzori. Additionally, climate information services are provided for climate proofing of infrastructure investments.