Decision 40 COM 7A.45

Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger) (N 573)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/16/40.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 39 COM 7A.12 adopted during its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
3. Warmly welcomes the confirmation of GEF funding enabling the implementation of the third phase of the project for Co-Management for the Natural Resources of the Air and Ténéré (COGERAT), expected to start in 2016;
4. Also warmly welcomes the efforts undertaken by the State Party in the implementation of the corrective measures, but considers that important efforts are still necessary to implement them all;
5. Reiterates its concern with regard to the lack of human and logistical means to ensure the sovereign function of the Management, Surveillance and Ecological Monitoring Unit of the property and requests the State Party to accelerate the recruitment of forestry agents, and ensure adequate funding of the Management Unit to better control the exploitation of the natural resources within the property;
6. Notes with concern the continuing problem of gold panning in the region of Agadez, close to the property, as well as the illegal circulation of weapons of war leading to an increase in poaching threats and timber harvesting;
7. Also requests the State Party to provide detailed information and data on poaching and timber harvesting in the perimeter of the property, as well as the actions carried out to combat these threats;
8. Notes with satisfaction the encouraging results obtained during the ecological monitoring mission of December 2015, but also considers that the efforts undertaken are not sufficient to obtain a satisfactory level of information to evaluate the status of these species throughout the property and reiterates its request to the State Party to implement all the recommendations of the 2015 IUCN reactive monitoring mission, in particular those concerning the preparation and implementation of a five-year programme to monitor the state of conservation of the dorcas gazelle, the dama gazelle and their habitats, as well as an action plan on the corrective measures defined in consultation with the State Party during the mission;
9. Again urgently requests the State Party to carry out the necessary studies with a view to preparing a Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), for examination by the Committee at its 42nd session in 2018;
10. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2017, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the corrective measures and the above points, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017;
11. Decides to retain Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.