 The article aims to advance empirical and theoretical understanding of the influence of national political context on the impacts of conservation interventions through study of an international aid project in a large transboundary PA in West Africa. The study uses multilevel regression analysis to analyze the variable effects of changes in enforcement, a central mechanism through which the protected ecosystems in Sudan, Ossahili and Africa project sought to achieve its objectives in the W National Parks, WNP, of Benin and Niger. The results suggest that state-led PA enforcement will have more positive social ecological impacts in better governed, more decentralized countries and that conservation policy centered on park should therefore devote greater attention to engagement with higher levels of governance. This article was authored by Daniel C. Miller, Michael Min and Bryson Zinn.