The World Heritage Committee,
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Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7A,
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Recalling Decision 38 COM 7A.40,adopted during its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
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Takes note of the fact that “Operation Bonobo” seems to be gradually bringing tangible results in terms of securing the property, restoring the authority of the park management and curbing the widespread poaching by armed gangs and uncontrolled military;
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Welcomes the significant efforts of the State Party, in cooperation with its financial and technical partners, to put in place basic park management operations and implement the corrective measures, taking into account the significant challenges related to the size of the property, its remoteness and its poorly developed infrastructure;
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Calls on the donor community to ensure a long-term engagement, in order to build up management capacity and infrastructure of the property and support its ecological restoration, and urges the State Party to take more financial responsibility to cover recurrent costs and speed up the efforts to set up a sustainable financing mechanism;
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Requests the State Party to continue to implement the corrective measures, as updated by the 2012 reactive monitoring mission, to rehabilitate the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
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Reiterates its request to the State Party to undertake inventories of flagship species to quantify the state of the OUV of the property and the Desired state of conservation for removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), as well as to establish a realistic timeframe for its achievement;
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Notes the lack of progress in securing a biological corridor between the two components of the property, and also requests the State Party to increase its efforts to ensure the ecological continuum between the two components of the property in order to sustain its long term integrity;
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Expresses its utmost concern that the State Party, despite repeated requests at its 36th, 37th and 38th sessions, has not provided detailed information regarding the oil exploration and exploitation projects in the central basin that risk encroaching onto the property, and urges the State Party to provide this information immediately and to annul any concessions, which would overlap with the property;
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Reiterates its position that oil, gas and mineral exploration and exploitation are incompatible with World Heritage status;
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Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2016, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016;
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Decides to continue to apply the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism;
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Also decides to retain Salonga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.