VII.15 Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
At its last session (Merida, 1996), the Committee reiterated its concerns regarding road construction, poaching and colonisation and its call for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the road construction project. The Bureau, at its twenty-first session in June 1997, was informed that colonisation, and small scale mining activities had been stopped, a new management plan was nearing finalisation and that several conservation projects funded by WWF had begun.
The Committee decided to retain Sangay National Park in the List of World Heritage in Danger and urged the Centre, in collaboration with IUCN, agreement with the State Party and possible support from WWF, to plan and organise a site visit to address the problem of the Guamote Macas road construction and other threats to the integrity of the site.
The Delegate of Ecuador welcomed the decision by the Committee to field a mission to the site and stated that the construction of the road is currently paralyzed and that the impact studies still have to be completed.