Decision 42 COM 7B.88

Pitons Management Area (Saint-Lucia) (N 1161)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7B;
2. Recalling Decision 40 COM 7B.77, adopted at its 40th session (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016);
3. Takes note of the initiation of the integration of the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) study into the legal and regulatory frameworks of Saint Lucia, urges the State Party to ensure that the LAC Regulations are developed as a matter of priority and requests the State Party to submit the completed LAC Regulations to the World Heritage Centre as soon as they are available;
4. Notes the ongoing dialogue between the developers of the Freedom Bay project and the Department of Physical Development regarding the compatibility of the development within the parameters of the LAC study and also requests the State Party to provide detailed information on this and any other projects being considered for implementation, including the Sugar Beach development project, and ensure that they are fully compliant with the provisions of the LAC study;
5. Reiterates its request to fully reflect the conclusions of the LAC study in the planned revision of the Management Plan, and to submit the revised Management Plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, once available;
6. Welcomes the State Party’s decision not to consider any proposed geothermal drilling areas within the boundaries of the property and further requests the State Party to ensure that the property remains off-limits for any future geothermal development activities, including exploration and exploitation, and that a new Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) is completed, in line with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, in the event that the project proceeds to the exploitation phase;
7. Requests furthermore the State Party to:
   1. Accelerate the demarcation of the policy area boundaries defined by the LAC study to protect the integrity of the property from visual impacts,
   2. Formalize the status of the buffer zone of the property as a formal World Heritage buffer zone through a Minor Boundary Modification, in conformity with Paragraphs 163 and 164 of the Operational Guidelines,
   3. Clearly define the types of activities permitted in this buffer zone, ensuring their compatibility with the conservation of the property’s OUV;
8. Requests moreover 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.