Decision 38 COM 7A.45

Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger) (N 573)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 7A.10, adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Welcomes the efforts undertaken by the State Party in the areas of defence and land restoration, demining and reinforcement of the physical presence of forestry agents in the property, and requests the State Party to continue its efforts to implement the corrective measures and strengthen the management structure of the property, by providing the necessary human, material and financial resources for its efficient operation;
4. Expresses its deep concern regarding the degradation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property linked to the illegal activities such as poaching and abusive logging, and requests the State Party to prioritize the combat against these illegal activities;
5. Takes note of the information provided by the State Party according to which an inventory mission is foreseen for 2014 to confirm and quantify the presence of flagship wildlife species (white antelope, dama gazelle and Saharan cheetah) within the property, and reiterates its request to the State Party to invite an IUCN reactive monitoring mission to the property as soon as the results of this inventory are available, to assess its state of conservation, update the corrective measures and establish a timetable for their implementation, and to develop a proposal for the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger;
6. Also requests the State Party to provide more information together with maps concerning the demining activities within the property;
7. Also takes note of information provided by the State Party concerning the absence of extraction activities in and on the periphery of the property and further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015 a detailed report, including a 1-page executive summary on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above-mentioned points, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015;
8. Decides to retain the Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.