Decision 39 COM 7B.26

Doñana National Park (Spain) (N 685bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 7B.79, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
3. Welcomes the decision by the Supreme Court of Spain to cancel the dredging project to deepen the Guadalquivir River, and urges the State Party to make a permanent commitment to cancel the project and not permit any future plans to deepen the Guadalquivir River;
4. Notes with appreciation the temporary suspension to the issuing of a Unified Environmental Authorization for gas extraction and storage projects in the immediate vicinity of the property, until an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) with a detailed evaluation of the possible cumulative impacts is prepared, and strongly urges the State Party to ensure that the potential impacts of those projects to the OUV and integrity of the property are thoroughly assessed, in conformity with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment;
5. Notes with utmost concern that the company México-Minorbis Group has been proposed by the Technical Committee and the Board of Trade as the international mining company to reopen the site of Aznalcóllar, and therefore also urges the State Party to ensure that a clear risk preparedness plan and associated resources are in place prior to the commencement of mining operations, in order to enable a rapid response in the case of any accidents, and that the potential impact on the OUV of the property is also fully assessed;
6. Also notes that a Working Group has been established for the elaboration of the Special Management Plan of the Irrigation Zones to the North of the Forest Crown of Doñana, and requests the State Party to submit the Plan and an EIA to the World Heritage Centre, which fully considers the possible impact on the property’s OUV and ensures the ecological needs for the conservation of Doñana National Park are met;
7. Reiterates its request to the State Party to provide a detailed update on the reported increase in water use for irrigation of rice paddies upstream of the property and reported dam construction on the Guadiamar River and also requests the State Party that further research is conducted to confirm the state of the Doñana aquifer as noted during the mission, and that regular monitoring of the Doñana aquifer be ensured;
8. Further requests the State Party to implement all the recommendations of the 2015 IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission;
9. Requests furthermore the State Party to 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, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017.