The World Heritage Committee,
- Having examined Document WHC/16/40.COM/7A.Add,
- Recalling Decision 39 COM 7A.15, adopted at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
- Commends the State Party for its commitment to secure the Leuser Ecosystem by putting in place a moratorium on palm oil and mining, as well as a temporary suspension of all land clearing operations by palm oil and mining companies in the Leuser Ecosystem while a review of their licenses is being conducted, which will consider key wildlife habitats among other aspects;
- Considers that the designation of buffer zones should include key areas for wildlife in the Leuser Ecosystem as well as ecological corridors connecting these areas with the property to ensure these are legally protected, and encourages the State Party to seek the advice of the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to identify the areas in the Leuser Ecosystem that are crucially important to ensure the integrity of the property;
- Welcomes the State Party’s commitment to avoid any new road developments in the property and the confirmation that no mining licenses overlap with the property, and that illegal traditional mining sites in Kerinci Seblat National Park have been closed and are in the process of being rehabilitated;
- Urges the State Party to ensure that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the geothermal development license adjacent to Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park includes a specific assessment of impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, in accordance with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, and to submit a copy of the EIA to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN, prior to making a decision to approve the development;
- Requests the State Party to provide detailed population data of Sumatran tiger, elephant and rhino, as well as occupancy data for all three species and Sumatran orangutan, including clarification of methodologies used for their statistical analyses, in order to enable an assessment of progress achieved towards the targets defined in the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);
- Also requests the State Party to provide details on the data collected through the application of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in order to enable an assessment of the significance of forest crimes, illegal agricultural activities, and poaching/wildlife trade, and their impacts on the OUV of the property;
- Noting that the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the road network in the Bukit Barisan Mountain Range is expected to be available for public consultation by end 2016, reiterates its request to the State Party to submit the SEA, by 1 February 2017, to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN;
- 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 above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 41st session in 2017;
- Decides to retain the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.