Decision 39 COM 7B.2

Sangha Trinational (Cameroon / Central African Republic / Congo) (N 1380rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 7B.87, adopted by the Committee at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
3. Commends the States Parties of Cameroon, Central African Republic (CAR) and the Congo for having undertaken measures to increase the security mechanisms in and around the property, and warmly welcomes the information provided by the States Parties that no mining activity was present in the Central African and Congolese components of the property;
4. Notes with concern that poaching of protected species and illegal fishing are on the increase in the property, and requests the States Parties to intensify their surveillance efforts by making available the necessary financial and human resources to ensure an optimal surveillance and increase the tri-national patrols, and ensure the strictest enforcement of the laws and punishments to dissuade the network of commercial poaching;
5. Encourages the States Parties to reinforce cooperation with local communities by seeking solutions to manage the man-elephant conflict, the promotion of activities to generate alternative income and capacity strengthening in the management of natural resources;
6. Also requests the States Parties to repeal possible mining permits that encroach upon the property and its buffer zone, to confirm their categorical commitment that no mining exploration or exploitation would be allowed within the property, in accordance with the position of the Committee that these activities are incompatible with World Heritage status and that no mining activity will be permitted in the vicinity of the property because of the possible negative impact on its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and further requests the Cameroon State Party to strengthen its efforts to eliminate all illegal gold mining within the property and to ensure the ecological restoration of the sites;
7. Also notes with concern the road and river transport project that could have an impact on the integrity of the property and reiterates its request to the respective States Parties to carry out a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to identify the possible impacts on the OUV of the property caused by this project, in accordance with the IUCN Note concerning the environmental assessments concerning World Heritage, and to submit them to the World Heritage Centre before approval of the project;
8. Requests furthermore the States Parties to submit the EIA of the optical fibre project planned to pass in the vicinity of the property;
9. Further notes that the granting of two development and forestry exploitation permits in the Special Forest Reserve in the buffer zone of the Central African component presents certain risks for the integrity of the property, and requests moreover the Central African State Party to develop concise specifications with measures to ensure the integrity, in particular by controlling access and surveillance of the Reserve, and also encourages the companies concerned to certify their concession;
10. Requests in addition the States Parties to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property as soon as the EIA of the road and river transport project is available, to evaluate the state of conservation of the property, in particular the potential impacts of the development projects, impacts of the security crisis on the property, the impact of illegal activities such as poaching and the implementation of the recommendations made at the time of inscription of the property (Decision 35 COM 8B.4);
11. Finally requests that the States Parties submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2016, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above points, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017.