Dja Faunal Reserve
Factors affecting the property in 2023*
- Commercial hunting
- Forestry /wood production
- Illegal activities
- Land conversion
- Livestock farming / grazing of domesticated animals
- Management systems/ management plan
- Mining
- Water infrastructure
- Other Threats:
Risk of loss of ecological connectivity
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
- Mining exploitation project close to the property
- Lack of implementation and full approval and of the management plan
- Agricultural and forest encroachment
- Industrial agriculture of Hévéa in the contiguous zone
- Threats exerted by commercial hunting and deforestation around the property
- Mekin hydroelectric dam
- Poaching
- Risk of loss of ecological connectivity
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2023
Total amount granted: USD 60,000, UNESCO Netherlands Funds-in-Trust; USD 263,700 from Franz Weber Foundation (2012 to 2017); USD 600,000 in the framework of the Central Africa World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI) (2017 to 2021); and USD 250,000 from the Government of Norway for the period 2021-2023.
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2023
Total amount approved : 84,700 USD
| 1997 | Sub-Regional workshop on Strengthening Biodiversity ... (Approved) | 29,900 USD |
| 1992 | Financial contribution for a training workshop on the ... (Approved) | 20,000 USD |
| 1989 | Contribution to field training in Dja National Park (Approved) | 4,800 USD |
| 1987 | Contribution to the adoption and implementation of the ... (Approved) | 30,000 USD |
Missions to the property until 2023**
March 1998: UNESCO monitoring mission; June 2006, December 2009, February-March 2012 and November-December 2015: joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring missions; February 2019 and January 2020: UNESCO advisory missions organized in the framework of CAWHFI to evaluate the ESIA of the Hévéa SUDCAM plantation and the Mékin hydroelectric dam.
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2023
On 24 January 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/407/documents, which provides the following information:
- The reinforcement of staff numbers and capacities, and the rehabilitation of management infrastructures made it possible to increase surveillance between 2020 and 2021. Poaching persists in the property but no recorded incident has targeted elephants, large herbivores or great apes;
- An inventory of large fauna using the same methodology as in 2018 was carried out in 2021. The results show a stabilization in the number of elephants and a slight increase in the populations of gorillas and chimpanzees;
- Various actions have been carried out to raise awareness among local communities and strengthen their participation in the management of the property, in particular through the Stakeholder Forum, the development of income-generating activities and the promotion of cultural values;
- The latex production plant of Sud-Cameroun Hévéa (SUDCAM) obtained ISO 9001 certification in 2021. SUDCAM continues its zero deforestation policy and strengthens its actions to reduce its socio-environmental impacts (non-violation of human rights, prohibition of deforestation, non-discharge of effluents, reduction in the use of pesticides);
- The 2020-2024 Development Plan for the Dja Faunal Reserve and its peripheral zone has been in force since September 2021. The buffer zone for the property has not been created but is envisaged in the implementation of the Development Plan;
- Actions to restore to community forests the concession retroceded by SUDCAM to the State Party are underway;
- Actions are taken to maintain ecological connectivity with the other protected areas of the Tri-National Dja-Odzala-Minkébé Landscape (TRIDOM), in particular the creation of the Ngoyla Fauna Reserve in 2014 and the allocation of two forest concessions to carbon sequestration projects and the creation of community hunting areas;
- The development of the Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) and the Regional Land-use and Sustainable Development Scheme for the Southern and Eastern Territory (SRADDT) are being finalized;
- No large-scale project is underway within the framework of the Integrated Planning and Development Programme for the Dja Mining Loop and the Adjacent Border Zone (PADI-DJA);
- The GEOVIC mining concession is located 25 km from the property and is not active due to a lack of technical and financial partners. The State Party undertakes to require a new environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) respecting the requirements of the Convention if the project is reactivated;
- The State Party undertakes to implement the recommendations of the UNESCO advisory mission on the Mékin hydroelectric dam.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2023
The efforts made by the State Party and its partners to improve the management of the property are welcomed. The strengthening of surveillance, ecological monitoring and awareness-raising efforts among local actors, stabilizing the population of large mammals, is encouraging. However, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to submit the detailed report of the faunal inventory for analysis by IUCN.
Noting that the implementation of the Management Plan for the period 2020-2024 has begun, and that an extension of the buffer zone of the Reserve could be envisaged during its implementation, it is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to the State Party to create a functional buffer zone around the property that is in line with the recommendations of the International Advisory Council for Biosphere Reserves and that it be officially registered in accordance with Paragraph 107 of the Operational Guidelines.
Efforts to reconvert the reassigned SUDCAM concession into community forests are welcomed, but due to its ecological importance, it is recommended to ensure that this community management will guarantee the conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), in particular the biodiversity and the protection of the great ape populations. It is also recommended that efforts to maintain ecological connectivity with the other protected areas of the Tri-national Dja-Odzala-Minkébé Landscape (TRIDOM) be strengthened in order to guarantee the integrity of the property and the wider landscape in the long term, in particular through the implementation of the agreement in principle for taking into account the migration corridors of large mammals in the development of the SRADDT. The World Heritage Centre could accompany this process, thanks to funding from the Government of Norway.
ISO 9001 certification of SUDCAM's latex production plant is noted. However, it does not represent an environmental certification and it is important to ensure independent certification of the SUDCAM plant to meet international environmental standards, as recommended by the 2019 UNESCO advisory mission, and repeatedly requested by the Committee in its previous decisions.
The information concerning the current status of the GEOVIC mining project is noted and the commitment of the State Party to require a new ESIA respecting the requirements of the Convention in the event of a relaunch of the project is welcomed. Noting that no large-scale projects are underway in the immediate periphery of the property, it is recommended that the State Party be reminded that any new project must be subject to an ESIA before its approval, including a specific assessment of the potential impacts on the OUV of the property.
Despite positive progress, considerable delays have been observed in the implementation of the various decisions of the World Heritage Committee. It is therefore recommended that the State Party accelerate in particular the implementation of the recommendations of the UNESCO advisory missions (SUDCAM in 2019 and Mékin in 2020) and ensure the finalization of strategic documents such as the SRADDT as well as the SESA confirmed in the Decision 40 COM 7B.79 and reiterated in Committee Decision 44 COM 7B.173, and to submit them to the World Heritage Centre for evaluation by IUCN in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2023
45 COM 7B.5
Dja Faunal Reserve (Cameroon) (N 407)
The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
- Recalling Decisions 33 COM 7B.1, 34 COM 7B.1, 35 COM 7B.1, 36 COM 7B.1, 40 COM 7B.79, 43 COM 7B.29 and 44 COM 7B.173adopted respectively at its 33rd (Seville, 2009), 34th (Brasilia, 2010), 35th (UNESCO, 2011), 36th (Saint Petersburg, 2012), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions,
- Commends the State Party for the improvement of surveillance efforts, the continuation of ecological monitoring, the reinforcement of staff numbers and capacities, the rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the management team, the application of laws in terms of wildlife crime, raising awareness of local communities and the development of community-based alternatives to poaching, and thanks the donors who continue to support the conservation of the property, in particular the European Commission and the Government of Norway;
- Notes with satisfaction that no incident related to the poaching of elephants, large herbivores and great apes has been recorded since 2020, and that the wildlife inventory carried out in 2021 indicates that the density of large mammals has stabilized since the last inventory carried out in 2018;
- Requests the State Party to submit the detailed wildlife inventory report to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN and to continue its surveillance and ecological monitoring efforts as well as the coordination of the interventions of the various stakeholders by strengthening the fight against poaching and the involvement of local communities in consultation meetings such as the Stakeholder Forum to improve the effectiveness of the management of the property;
- Takes note of the validation of the Development Plan (2020-2024) for the property and its peripheral zone, and reiterates its request to create a functional buffer zone for the property, in consultation with the local communities and the various entities involved, and which is in line with the recommendations of the International Advisory Council on Biosphere Reserves;
- Welcomes the State Party's decision to convert the forest concession retroceded by the SUDCAM company into community forests, requests it to undertake all the actions required to establish a participatory management model for this area with the local communities while ensuring management that will ensure the conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), including biodiversity and the protection of great ape populations, and further reiterates its request to ensure that SUDCAM continues to implement sustainable and responsible production standards for the rubber sector, including independent certification of the latex processing plant to meet international environmental standards;
- Reiterates the importance of maintaining ecological continuity between the south-eastern part of the property with the other protected areas of the Tri-national Dja-Odzala-Minkébé Landscape (TRIDOM) in order to guarantee the long-term integrity of the property, and reminds the State Party of the need to ensure that this wider landscape is taken into account in strategic documents such as the Regional Land-use and Sustainable Development Scheme for the Southern and Eastern Territory (SRADDT), development plans, and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP) of private sector operators;
- Regrets that the SRADDT as well as the Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) confirmed in Decision 40 COM 7B.79 are not yet finalized and urges the State Party to finalize these documents and submit them to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
- Taking note of the information that the mining project of the GEOVIC Company has not currently restarted, welcomes the commitment of the State Party to require a new Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, before any decision relating to the project;
- Also notes that no large-scale project is currently under way within the framework of the Integrated Development and Management Programme of the Dja mining loop and its adjacent border area (PADI-DJA) and reiterates that any new project must be subject to an ESIA before its approval, including a specific assessment of potential impacts on the OUV of the property, in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context;
- Also requests the State Party to expedite the implementation of the recommendations of the UNESCO advisory missions to SUDCAM in 2019 and to the Mékin hydroelectric dam in 2020, and to provide detailed information on the measures taken to mitigate socio-environmental impacts;
- Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, 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 47th session.
Draft Decision: 45 COM 7B.5
The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
- Recalling Decisions 33 COM 7B.1, 34 COM 7B.1, 35 COM 7B.1, 36 COM 7B.1, 40 COM 7B.79, 43 COM 7B.29 and 44 COM 7B.173 adopted respectively at its 33rd (Seville, 2009), 34th (Brasilia, 2010), 35th (UNESCO, 2011), 36th (Saint Petersburg, 2012), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions,
- Commends the State Party for the improvement of surveillance efforts, the continuation of ecological monitoring, the reinforcement of staff numbers and capacities, the rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the management team, the application of laws in terms of wildlife crime, raising awareness of local communities and the development of community-based alternatives to poaching, and thanks the donors who continue to support the conservation of the property, in particular the European Commission and the Government of Norway;
- Notes with satisfaction that no incident related to the poaching of elephants, large herbivores and great apes has been recorded since 2020, and that the wildlife inventory carried out in 2021 indicates that the density of large mammals has stabilized since the last inventory carried out in 2018;
- Requests the State Party to submit the detailed wildlife inventory report to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN and to continue its surveillance and ecological monitoring efforts as well as the coordination of the interventions of the various stakeholders by strengthening the fight against poaching and the involvement of local communities in consultation meetings such as the Stakeholder Forum to improve the effectiveness of the management of the property;
- Takes note of the validation of the Development Plan (2020-2024) for the property and its peripheral zone, and reiterates its request to create a functional buffer zone for the property, in consultation with the local communities and the various entities involved, and which is in line with the recommendations of the International Advisory Council on Biosphere Reserves;
- Welcomes the State Party's decision to convert the forest concession retroceded by the SUDCAM company into community forests, requests it to undertake all the actions required to establish a participatory management model for this area with the local communities while ensuring management that will ensure the conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), including biodiversity and the protection of great ape populations, and further reiterates its request to ensure that SUDCAM continues to implement sustainable and responsible production standards for the rubber sector, including independent certification of the latex processing plant to meet international environmental standards;
- Reiterates the importance of maintaining ecological continuity between the south-eastern part of the property with the other protected areas of the Tri-national Dja-Odzala-Minkébé Landscape (TRIDOM) in order to guarantee the long-term integrity of the property, and reminds the State Party of the need to ensure that this wider landscape is taken into account in strategic documents such as the Regional Land-use and Sustainable Development Scheme for the Southern and Eastern Territory (SRADDT), development plans, and Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP) of private sector operators;
- Regrets that the SRADDT as well as the Strategic Environmental and Social Assessment (SESA) confirmed in Decision 40 COM 7B.79 are not yet finalized and urges the State Party to finalize these documents and submit them to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
- Taking note of the information that the mining project of the GEOVIC Company has not currently restarted, welcomes the commitment of the State Party to require a new Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) in accordance with the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context , before any decision relating to the project;
- Also notes that no large-scale project is currently under way within the framework of the Integrated Development and Management Programme of the Dja mining loop and its adjacent border area (PADI-DJA) and reiterates that any new project must be subject to an ESIA before its approval, including a specific assessment of potential impacts on the OUV of the property, in accordance with the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context;
- Also requests the State Party to expedite the implementation of the recommendations of the UNESCO advisory missions to SUDCAM in 2019 and to the Mékin hydroelectric dam in 2020, and to provide detailed information on the measures taken to mitigate socio-environmental impacts;
- Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, 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 47th session.
CameroonExports
* :
The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).
** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.
