The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-06/30.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decisions 28 COM 15A.4 and 29 COM 7A.5, adopted at its 28th (Suzhou, 2004) and 29th (Durban, 2005) sessions respectively,
3. Congratulates the State Party and in particular the Amhara Regional State Government for the considerable efforts made to improve the state of conservation and management of the Simien National Park (SMNP) and the substantial progress made towards meeting the benchmarks set by the Committee, in particular its efforts to revise the boundaries of the park through a participatory process in cooperation with all local stakeholders, to include a larger population of the Walia ibex and to exclude villages along its boundary;
4. Further welcomes the initiative of the State Party, in particular the Amhara Parks Development and Protection Authority, to develop an alternative livelihood strategy for local residents in order to achieve in the long term a significant and sustainable reduction in the human population density within the park;
5. Requests the State Party to take the necessary measures in order to meet in the short term (1 to 2 years) the following revised benchmarks recommended by the 2006 UNESCO/IUCN monitoring mission to guide a possible future removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger:
a) Finalize the extension of SMNP to include the Silki Yared - Kiddis Yared Mountains and the Ras Dejen Mountain with the interlinking corridors;
b) Gazetting of the new park boundaries, including the extensions of Lemalimo, Mesarerya, the Silki Yared - Kiddis Yared Mountains and the Ras Dejen Mountain as well as the realignment of the boundary to exclude certain villages;
c) Develop a strategy and action plan, as part of the planned management plan revision, to significantly reduce the impact of livestock grazing on the conservation of the property by introducing no grazing and limited grazing zones based on ecological criteria and by setting up a strict management regime in zones where grazing will still be tolerated in the short to medium term, and secure funding for its implementation;
d) Develop a strategy and action plan, as part of the planned management plan revision to support the development of alternative livelihoods for the people living within the park as well as its immediate vicinity, in order to limit in the medium term their impact on the natural resources of the property, and secure funding for its implementation;
6. Further requests the State Party to implement the other recommendations made by the joint UNESCO/IUCN monitoring mission, in particular with regard to the ongoing revision of the draft management plan for the park and a tourism master plan for the region, the Debark - Mekane Birhan and the Bwahit - Dilyibza roads, the newly constructed lodge, as well as measures to limit the risk of disease transmission between livestock and wildlife;
7. Invites the State Party to request financial assistance from the World Heritage Fund for finalizing the extension requested in the revised benchmarks, and recommends the State Party to seek technical assistance from IUCN and UNESCO experts as well as experts from conservation NGOs working in Ethiopia for the preparation of the above mentioned management plan and tourism master plan;
8. Calls upon international donors to provide further financial and technical support to the State Party in order to ensure, as a matter of priority, the implementation of the strategies requested in the revised benchmarks, as well as to enable the State Party to implement the other recommendations made by the joint UNESCO/IUCN monitoring mission;
9. Requests the State Party to submit a re-nomination of the property (as required by paragraph 165 of the Operational Guidelines) once the extension of SMNP has been finalised and the new park boundaries have been re-gazetted;
10. Further requests the State Party to provide the World Heritage Centre with an updated report by 1 February 2007 on the state of conservation of the property, specifically on progress made in relation to the revised benchmarks for a removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger and other recommendations of the 2006 UNESCO/IUCN monitoring mission, for examination by the Committee at its 31st session in 2007;
11. Decides to retain Simien National Park (Ethiopia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.