Decision 44 COM 7B.85

Rwenzori Mountains National Park (Uganda) (N 684)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.95, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama,2018),
3. Notes with satisfaction the conclusion of the 2019 Reactive Monitoring mission that the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property has been maintained;
4. Notes however with concern the assessment of the Reactive Monitoring mission that the proposed cable car project would impact both the scenic value of the property, as well as its fragile ecosystems and biodiversity, and if approved, would constitute a clear case of ascertained danger to the OUV, in line with Paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines and therefore, urges the State Party not to further pursue this project;
5. Expresses concern about the results of the 2019 elephant census raising questions on the viability of the population and also urges the State Party to assess the viability of the remaining elephant population within the property and to develop an action plan for its conservation, which includes re-establishing the wildlife corridors between the property and the neighbouring National Parks in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
6. Notes the increasing number of hydropower projects in the vicinity of the property and requests the State Party to undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the Rwenzori water catchment, including the property, to assess the indirect and cumulative impacts on the OUV arising from the existing and planned small scale run-of-river hydropower infrastructures and to ensure that Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for any future small scale hydropower development proposed in the catchment of the property, fully assess the potential impacts in relation to the OUV in line with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment;
7. Also requests the State Party to inform the World Heritage Centre about any plans to reopen the Kilembe mine, and that a detailed EIA, in line with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, be carried out and submitted to the World Heritage Centre before taking any decision that would be difficult to reverse;
8. Further requests the State Party to implement the recommendations of the 2019 mission, in particular to:
   1. Revise the Tourism Strategy for the property to ensure that it fully considers the protection of its OUV and prioritize low impact tourism activities that utilize existing infrastructures and facilities,
   2. Revise the General Management Plan to fully address the OUV of the property, and ensure coordination with other strategies and studies, including the requested tourism strategy and SEA,
   3. Develop and implement a wildlife monitoring plan to ensure the regular monitoring of key wildlife species as recognized in the Statement of OUV for the property. Such a plan should follow standardized census methodologies that is repeatable to allow the monitoring of population trends;
9. Requests furthermore the State Party to monitor the impacts of climate change on the OUV of the property and submit a disaster risk management plan and climate change adaptation plan to the World Heritage Centre once it is available;
10. Requests moreover the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, 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 46th session.