Project to support African States Parties to develop a strategy and finalisation of the DSOCR of natural properties

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7A.45, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Regrets that the State Party was unable to implement the corrective measures proposed by the 2009 mission due to insecurity problems in the region controlled by armed groups since 2012;
4. Expresses its deepest concern as regards the conclusions of the 2019 mission according to which the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property is highly questionable, indicating an almost total disappearance of large mammals, and that the integrity of the property is also questionable due to combined heavy pressure from poaching, regional transhumance, illegal fishing and artisanal mining exploitation, as well as a total lack of surveillance and management since 2012;
5. Takes note of the conclusion of the mission that at this stage, it is not possible to affirm that the OUV is irreversibly lost and that additional studies are necessary to qualify and quantify the relic populations of wildlife in order to assess the perspectives for regeneration of the characteristics of the property justifying its OUV;
6. Urges the State Party, with support from its technical and financial partners, to implement the following corrective measures, revised during the 2019 mission:
   a) Define a priority zone in the property based on the monitoring results of wildlife,
   b) Develop and implement before the next dry season an emergency security plan for this zone by reopening the surveillance bases, and the establishment of ground surveillance teams supported by an aerial surveillance system, as well as the establishment of legal procedures to halt all illicit exploitation of the natural resources in this zone, notably poaching, transhumance and illicit fishing and artisanal mining exploitation,
   c) Set up a robust bio-monitoring mechanism for the large and medium-sized wildlife associated with a monitoring device (SMART) for patrols to precisely assess the viability and the potential for regeneration of the mammalian wildlife,
   d) Implement, in cooperation with all the local, national and regional stakeholders, a management strategy for transhumance through the reopening of the legal transfer corridors outside the property,
   e) Implement the existing regional agreements with Cameroon and Chad on anti-poaching and other transboundary criminal activities, such as the Transboundary Tripartite Anti-poaching Agreement and the “Ndjaména Declaration”, and afterwards extend them to Sudan and South Sudan for increased efficacy and coherence;
7. Congratulates the European Union for its continuous support in the conservation of the natural resources in the North-Eastern Protected Areas Complex and launches an appeal to the States Parties of the Convention and the public and private donors to support the Private-Public Partnership (PPP) agreement signed by the State Party with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) for the management of the property and the implementation of the emergency plan;
8. Decides to grant a delay of 4 years to the State Party to see whether it is possible to restore the integrity of the property, collect additional data on the state of wildlife to assess whether a regeneration of the OUV is still possible, and requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission before its 48th session in 2024, to evaluate the results of both the implementation of the emergency plan and bio-monitoring;
9. Notes with concern the petroleum exploration activities in the petroleum block A and requests the State Party to:
   a) Clarify the situation of the petroleum block A and the exploration blocks I, II and III and ensure that no license overlaps the property, in conformity with national legislation and the property’s World Heritage status,
   b) Analyze the direct and indirect impacts on its OUV of all envisaged petroleum projects in the vicinity of the property, with an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) in line with international standards and to submit this EISA to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN before granting any exploitation license, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
10. Reiterates its established position regarding mining and petroleum exploration and exploitation being incompatible with World Heritage status, policy supported by the commitments undertaken by the leaders of the industry, such as Shell and Total, not to engage in such activities in World Heritage properties;
11. Also requests the State Party to carry out the ESIA for the rehabilitation project of the National Road 8 Ndél -Birao to assess the direct and indirect impacts on the property, prioritizing the less prejudicial option for its integrity, with appropriate accompanying measures, and to submit the ESIA to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, before taking a final decision on the project, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
12. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020;
13. Also decides to continue the application of the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism for the property;
14. Further decides to retain Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park (Central African Republic) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7A.46, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Takes note of the conclusion of the joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN mission of January 2019 that the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property is still intact, but it remains threatened by increasing anthropogenic pressures, notably uncontrolled fires, poaching, the destruction of habitats and the increase in agricultural and forestry practices;
4. Notes with satisfaction the efforts deployed by the two States Parties to revitalize transboundary cooperation, initiate awareness-raising campaigns with the neighbouring communities, organizing surveillance patrols and ensuring ecological monitoring using the SMART tool, however, expresses once again its concern as regards the incessant threats affecting the property;
5. Regrets that no information has been provided by the State Party of Guinea on the mining projects of the Zali Mining SA (ex WAE) and SMFG Societies, both located in the vicinity of the property, and requests that the new Mining Convention between the SMFG and the Government be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN before its signature, to ensure that its implementation will not impact on the OUV of the property;
6. Expresses its deep concern regarding the granting of an environmental conformity certificate and an exploitation license to the Zali Mining SA (ex WAE) for the mining block immediately adjacent to the property; and urges the State Party of Guinea to immediately withdraw this environmental conformity certificate and the exploitation license that has been granted, and that a revised version of the ESIA carried out in 2015 be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, before taking any new decision on the granting of an environmental conformity certificate;
7. Also takes note of the information provided by the State Party of Guinea that the new exploration license for the SAMA Resources is located outside the boundaries of the property and the buffer zone of the Biosphere Reserve and that an ESIA is ongoing to assess the impacts of the project, including on the OUV; and also requests the State Party to submit, as soon as available, the results of the ESIA to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN before the granting of an environmental conformity certificate to this Society;
8. Reiterates its position, that mining exploration and exploitation is incompatible with World Heritage status, policy supported by the position statement of the International Council on Mines and Metal (CIMM) not to undertake such activities in World Heritage properties;
9. Adopts the following corrective measures, as updated during the 2019 mission, and further requests the States Parties to implement them:
   a) Ensure that the current and future Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), (including those of the Zali Mining and SAMA Resources Societies), for mining projects located in the mining enclave and in the immediate vicinity of the property, be carried out in conformity with the highest international standards, submitted to an independent and expert evaluation, and in close consultation with all the key stakeholders,
   b) Also ensure that these ESIA qualify and quantify the potential effects of these projects on the property, at each stage of their cycle, including construction and exploitation, taking account of their synergetic and collateral impacts, linked also to the transformation in situ of the iron-ore and its transportation, as well as to the socio-economic changes to be expected,
   c) Submit these ESIA to the World Heritage Committee before any decision approving their conclusions and recommendations is taken,
   d) Guarantee that no mining exploration or exploitation license encroaches on the property and that no new mining exploration or exploitation license located around the property is granted without a prior Strategic Environmental Impact Assessment and that it is submitted for prior advice to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN to evaluate the impacts, including synergetic impacts, of these projects,
   e) Correct and establish the property boundaries on the ground in the strategic and vulnerable areas and submit an updated high-resolution map of the boundaries of the property to the World Heritage Committee,
   f) In Guinea, ensure that the parts of the hevea plantation that encroach on the property be re-incorporated into the property and rehabilitated,
   g) Strengthen the management capacity of the Centre for Environmental Management of Mount Nimba and Simandou (CEGENS) and the OIPR (Ivorian Office for Parks and Reserves) by: 1) providing a sustainable operating budget for the management of the site, and 2) increasing the capacity of the surveillance agents, their presence on the ground and their technical means, notably rolling stock and techniques, and control their efficacy,
   h) Implement a functional buffer zone (or an equivalent measure) around the property, in collaboration with the local communities, to enable effective conservation of the OUV of the property by, for example, resorting to the establishment of communal forests,
   i) Establish a harmonized ecological monitoring system between the CEGENS and the OIPR, in both parts of the property, to enable a better knowledge of the state and the evolving tendencies of the OUV of the property as a whole,
   j) Together with the IUCN and the World Heritage Centre, identify a list of critical habitats and remarkable and/or flagship species to be the subject of more specific monitoring,
   k) Finalize and implement the management plans of the parts of the property located in both countries, harmonized with that of the East Nimba Nature Reserve, Liberia, and prepare a master plan establishing a common vision for the whole property. This framework will serve public and private donors in conservation activities for the property and a sustainable socio-economic development of its periphery,
   l) Establish a permanent funding mechanism for conservation actions for the property and the sustainable socio-economic development of its periphery, funded, among others, by contributions from the private sector, as the case may be;
10. Congratulates the two States Parties for funding obtained for improvement in the management of the property, and capacity-building of the staff, expresses its concern as to the lack of sustainable funding in support of the activities linked to transboundary cooperation, and reiterates its request to the States Parties to prepare a follow-up to the Nimba Project on the integrality of the property;
11. Also regrets that the widening and tarmacking project of the Danané – Lola road has begun without taking into account measures to mitigate the impacts of this project, expresses also its keen concern as to the impacts of this project on the OUV of the property and requests furthermore the State Party of Guinea to immediately undertake urgent measures to mitigate the impacts of this activity;
12. Requests moreover the States Parties to finalize, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, the proposed Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) developed during the 2019 mission, and to submit it for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020;
13. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, an updated joint report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020;
14. Decides to retain Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (Côte d'Ivoire,Guinea) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7A.48, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Congratulates the State Party for the evacuation of the illegal occupants of the ecological corridor between the highlands and lowlands which answers a major concern of the World Heritage Committee and notes that it is crucial to guarantee the ecological connectivity between the highland and lowland sectors for the restoration of the integrity of the property;
4. Requests the State Party to develop a rehabilitation plan for this zone to facilitate the regeneration of natural vegetation and to submit to the World Heritage Centre all information, including maps, to assess the impact of encroachment on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
5. Expresses its concern as regards the continued reduction in the surveillance coverage of the property and encourages the donors to continue their financial and technical support to consolidate the important conservation efforts undertaken by the State Party for the entirety of the property;
6. Notes with satisfaction the capacity-building activities for new guards, the increase in bonuses and salaries as well as the development of infrastructures to strengthen surveillance and improve the difficult work conditions of the ICCN guards and also requests the State Party to continue these efforts;
7. Commends the State Party for the implementation of community conservation projects encouraging the autonomy of the local communities and the recognition of the rights and traditional means of subsistence of the local communities, and particularly those of the indigenous Batwa, and also encourages it to continue these actions in this direction;
8. Further requests the State Party to submit the results of the wildlife inventory to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
9. Reiterates its request to the State Party to prepare, in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, indicators for the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) project, once the results of the wildlife inventory are available;
10. Urges the State Party to continue the implementation of the corrective measures, as updated by the 2017 mission;
11. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020;
12. Decides to continue the application of the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism;
13. Also decides to retain Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7A.54, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Takes note of the efforts made by the State Party to implement the corrective measures, and the positive collaboration with the local communities through the involvement of the valley leaders in raising awareness and monitoring of the property, but considers that further progress is needed in view of the magnitude of the threats to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
4. Notes that ecological monitoring has confirmed the presence of several characteristic species of the OUV, but reiterates its deep concern that other species appear to be extinct locally and requests the State Party to continue ecological monitoring efforts;
5. Also requests the State Party to develop and implement as a matter of urgency the General Management Plan of the property and the monitoring plan, as well as a strategy to combat the spread of invasive species;
6. Expresses its concern about the proliferation of exploration and exploitation permits for uranium, oil and gold in the immediate vicinity of the property, as well as the pursuit of illegal gold panning and further requests the State Party:
   1. To provide further information (location maps, concessions, permit details) on these different mining projects,
   2. To ensure that the impacts of these projects on the OUV of the property are assessed in the framework of Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments (SEIA), in accordance with the IUCN World Heritage Advisory Note on Environmental Assessment before new permits are granted,
   3. To submit, as soon as available, a copy of these SEIAs to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN,
   4. Not to grant new mining exploration or exploitation permits around the property without a SEIA being conducted to assess the OUV impacts of the property, including the cumulative effects of those projects;
7. Regrets that the report submitted by the State Party does not provide detailed information on poaching and logging in and around the property, as well as on actions taken to combat these threats, and request furthermore it to provide maps showing the location, severity, and extent of the main identified threats;
8. Reiterates its encouragement to the State Party to seek the advice of the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to prepare a Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);
9. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 44th session in 2020;
10. Decides to retain Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.