Page 12 - Biodiversity and Conservation Framework

Biodiversity & Conservation Framework

Drivers Pressures State Impact

Increased demand for Altered rainfall patterns Altered flow regimes Reduction in
food, energy, water Construction of dams downstream within and downstream water
Changing consumer Water abstraction and across political resources
demands diversion boundaries Loss of freshwater
Increased urban living Water pollution Loss of freshwater biodiversity
Increased international Conversion of forests and connectivity Increase in non-native
trade wetlands to agricultural species replacing
and urban land
Increase in illegal natives
economies e.g., wildlife Invasive species Reduced livelihoods
trade Wilidlife poaching
Climate change
Political context
Development history
Responses
Environmental flows Reduced invasive
across political boundaries Restored ecosystems species
Restored wholescale Improved biodiversity Improved water
connectivity resource distribution

Enabling environment
Transboundary water agreements
Donor support Evidence of transboundary cooperation as a 'win-win' Initiations with capacity
Investment and financing opportunities Biodiversity-positive project requirements Multi-stakeholder participation
Dispute resolution mechanisms

Figure 1: Transboundary Waters & Freshwater Biodiversity—DPSIR Conceptual Flow Diagram (adopted from IUCN 2022)

Rivers and wetlands are the most threatened and least CIWA provides a range of interventions to support the
protected ecosystems in Africa. These are important areas protection and restoration of Africa’s biodiversity as key to
for improved protection, management, restoration, and ensuring its long-term health. The program already strengthens
investment. The destruction and degradation of national governments and regional institutions (such as RBOs)
biodiversity and healthy ecosystems leave the land more and implements a collaborative approach across boundaries that
vulnerable to climate impacts; the protection of these is increases the effectiveness of attaining natural resource
important to enhance long-term resilience and sustain management and biodiversity conservation goals. CIWA has
livelihoods that are dependent on the provision of both the technical expertise and convening power of the World
ecosystem goods and services. Other key pressures on Bank yet is not limited to implementing through government
these transboundary waters and biodiversity include agencies or with IDA financing. This means that, if a strong
increased demand for food, energy, water, changing regional institution exists, CIWA can work in basins where one
consumer demands, urbanization, increased international or more countries have limited capacity to implement standard
trade (including illicit economies such as the illegal wildlife World Bank projects and can take on small opportunistic
trade), and climate change. These are illustrated in the operations to catalyze them for larger support.
Drivers-Pressures-State-Impacts-Responses (DPSIR)
Framework (Figure 1). Through its projects and initiatives, CIWA already supports a
range of biodiversity-related activities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Project examples include the development of a MSIOA, which
CIWA’s comparative advantage is part of a systematic strategy by the OKACOM, and
in the transboundary waters— advanced modelling for improved decision-making for Inner
biodiversity conservation nexus Niger Delta ecosystem services.¹⁵ Other key interventions in
support of direct benefits include the implementation of best
practice feasibility studies and ESIAs, and the development and
CIWA is very well positioned to support SSA to address implementation of integrated watershed management
biodiversity-related challenges in the transboundary strategies and plans, including interventions to support improve
waters management space. CIWA’s technical knowledge water quality in lakes and river systems and NBS such as
of transboundary water resource management and riverbank restoration projects. CIWA also supported
development positions the program to support diversification of freshwater ecology-dependent livelihoods
stakeholders to address some of their most complex through sustainable natural resource harvesting, addressing
challenges in water security. CIWA is therefore in an ideal water quality and GESI challenges, and analytical work to
position to play a convening role between key stakeholders facilitate improved understanding of GDEs. Key indirect
to align and coordinate efforts to protect, manage, and benefits include strengthening RBOs and national water
restore nature that could sustain critical benefits, including management agencies, supporting CSOs to strengthen
food and water security, sustainable livelihoods, disaster informed decision-making, development of decision-making
risk reduction, and carbon sequestration. These include platforms to share information, and supporting improved rural
food and water security, sustainable livelihoods, disaster livelihoods to reduce dependencies on unsustainable natural
risk reduction, and carbon sequestration." resource exploitation practices.

08 ¹⁵ https://www.ciwaprogram.org/blog/enhancing-niger-basins-ecosystem-through-modeling-and-improved-decision-making/