Decision 40 COM 7B.76

Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection (Panama) (N 1138rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/16/40.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 7B.84, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
3. Welcomes the adoption of a resolution authorizing the removal of the livestock from the property, which should allow to address the significant delay in this issue, and requests the State Party to proceed with the livestock removal as a matter of utmost priority;
4. Notes with concern that no significant progress has been achieved in the implementation of a number of key Committee requests, in particular those related to regulations to ensure that no coastal development is permitted within the boundaries of the property and the management of fisheries, and considers that a continued absence of effective regulations and management programmes in that regard would constitute a potential danger to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines;
5. Reiterates its requests to the State Party to:
   1. Ensure that the Coiba Fund becomes fully operational as a matter of priority and the decision-making power of the Executive Council is strengthened, by including representatives from the tourism sector and the local communities from the coastal areas opposite the property,
   2. Rigorously ensure that no development will be permitted within the boundaries of the property, and that cumulative impacts on the property’s OUV caused by developments on the mainland are effectively addressed,
   3. Complete, implement and enforce the management plan for the Special Zone of Marine Protection (SZMP) as a matter of priority, which should include clear regulations related to fisheries management, including no-take zones and seasonal closures of critical areas, such as Hannibal Bank, Montuosa Island and Uva Island, and to provide an electronic copy and three printed copies of the draft management plan for the SZMP, for review by the World Heritage Centre and IUCN;
6. Also requests the State Party to invite an IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to evaluate impacts of unregulated fishing, assess progress with the implementation of the 2014 mission recommendations and provide technical advice regarding the urgent implementation of the outstanding recommendations in the context of the new institutional framework;
7. 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.