Wetlands themselves are disappearing fast, and the international body that tracks the fate of species, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, or IUCN, has raised concerns about more than 100 species of dragonflies and damselflies.

The Equator Initiative gave CHIEHA the opportunity to present concerns and issues during the World Parks Congress in 2003 in Durban, South Africa, where CHIEHA established critical partnerships with local and national organizations, which became pivotal in future policy discussions with entities such as IUCN, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism's (MET) Parks and Wildlife Authority and many more.

In November 2004 the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and NASA announced the formation of a partnership to use NASA's data, images, and remote sensing capabilities to help the IUCN in its efforts to conserve biodiversity around the world.