Decision 41 COM 7B.26

South China Karst (China) (N 1248bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 8B.9, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
3. Welcomes progress achieved by the State Party to integrate planning, governance and management across the whole serial property, including the finalization of the Conservation and Management Plan of South China Karst (CMP-SCK) and the establishment of the Protection and Administration Coordinating Committee for South China Karst World Heritage Sites (PACC);
4. Notes with appreciation the efforts made by the State Party to address impacts from tourism, water pollution, agriculture and urban development, considers that the implementation of the CMP-SCK should enable the State Party to make further progress in this regard, and urges the State Party to closely monitor the effectiveness of the measures taken, in particular to ensure that the promotion of tourism as an alternative livelihood to agriculture does not exacerbate the current impacts and threats from tourism development and high levels of visitation in the property;
5. Notes with concern the two planned tourist roads that would cross the property at Shilin Karst, which according to the State Party would have a negative influence on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and also urges the State Party to not proceed with these projects;
6. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN, the results of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the planned Guiyang-Nanning High-speed Railway (GN Railway) that would cross the buffer zone of Libo Karst, including a specific section focusing on the potential impact of the project on the OUV, before making any decisions that would be difficult to reverse, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
7. Takes note of the relocation of Wukeshu Village, and also requests the State Party to provide detailed information about the processes followed, in particular to ensure that the relocation was carried out with the consent of the population concerned;
8. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2018, 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 43rd session in 2019.