Decision 42 COM 7B.84

Iguaçu National Park (Brazil) (N 355)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 40 COM 7B.70, adopted at its 40th session (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016),
3. Notes the information provided by the State Party regarding the Baixo Iguaçu dam and the affirmation that specific impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) have been taken into account in the authorization process for this project, regrets that no specific assessment of the impacts on the OUV of the property has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre prior to proceeding with the project, and reiterates its request to the State Party to urgently submit this assessment to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, and to ensure that the construction of the dam complies with all recommendations of the 2015 IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission;
4. Also notes the development of specific operational requirements which would ensure that impacts from existing dams on the Iguaçu River on the water flow would be mitigated by the operation of the new dam, and the development of monitoring programmes and action plans for conservation of aquatic fauna, however, requests the State Party to ensure, in cooperation with the State Party of Argentina, that an overall comprehensive monitoring system is in place, both for aquatic fauna and water flow, which would allow oversight of the implementation of requirements and action plans and assess their effectiveness with regards to mitigation of possible negative impacts on the OUV of the two properties, and to submit a preliminary analysis of the effectiveness of these measures with its next report to the World Heritage Committee;
5. Notes with appreciation the confirmation that the Colono Road remains closed, that currently the proposed Bill that would provide a legal basis for its reopening is not scheduled for discussion in the Senate, reiterates its position that the situation where Bill 61/2013 remains pending continues to represent a potential threat to the property, and also requests the State Party to inform the World Heritage Centre as soon as the proposed Bill is scheduled for discussion in Senate, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
6. Welcomes the increased collaboration between the States Parties of Argentina and Brazil in the management of the adjacent properties Iguazú National Park and Iguaçu National Park, and further requests both States Parties to continue their efforts in this field and to clarify whether additional actions are planned in order to further formalize this transboundary cooperation, following the signing of a letter of intent between Administración de Parques Nacionales de Argentina, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), the Iguazú National Park in Argentina and the Iguaçu National Park in Brazil in 2016;
7. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2019, 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 44th session in 2020.