VII.32 Manovo-Gounda-St.Floris National Park (Central African Republic)
The Committee recalled that it inscribed this property on the World Heritage List in 1988, following assurances given by the State Party in respect of its commitment to improve the conditions of integrity of the Park, notably with regard to poaching and illegal grazing. A 10- year project, financed by the European Union (EU) at a cost of US$ 27 million, and launched soon after the inscription of this site on the World Heritage List, was expected to show positive results in the future.
The Committee was seriously concerned that uncontrolled poaching by heavily armed groups, from within and outside of CAR has resulted in security problem, leading to the deaths of four Park staff in early 1997. According to IUCN, 80% of the Park's wildlife has been illegally harvested for commercial purposes. Deteriorating security conditions have brought tourism to a halt and the 10-year EC Project appears to have generated very few tangible benefits for the conservation of the site. The efforts of the Government of CAR to assign site management responsibility to a private Foundation were welcomed and the Foundation was encouraged to continue its efforts to raise funds and strengthen management of this vast World Heritage area.
The Committee decided to inscribe the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger and requested the Centre and IUCN to contact the State Party and the private Foundation to prepare a detailed state of conservation report and a rehabilitation plan for this site.