Decision 44 COM 7A.30

Nan Madol: Ceremonial Centre of Eastern Micronesia (Micronesia, Federated States of) (C 1503)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7A.43 adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Welcomes the updated information provided by the State Party concerning the efforts to establish an effective management and protection system for the property, and to address the urgent pressures and threats affecting its state of conservation;
4. Notes with satisfaction that funds for a two-year implementation programme are being sought from the US Department of State through its “Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation Large Grants Program”;
5. Notes that the State Party provides very few details on the stonework, which is the key attribute of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and that reinstating fallen masonry is likely to be impossible given the size of the columns and boulders and might be proscribed by their cultural context;
6. Considers that a non-intervention policy cannot be supported if, over time, this will lead to the attrition of attributes, and requests the State Party as a matter of urgency to determine which parts of the stonework can be safely monitored and which parts need interventions to ensure their safety and stability;
7. Also welcomes the development of a Sustainable Conservation Plan that aims to allow the property to achieve sustainability in relation to vegetation management, site management and interpretation through short-, medium- and longer-term actions over five years, but urges the State Party to ensure that this addresses the complex interaction between deterioration of stonework, vegetation and canal management, and requests the State Party to provide feedback on this issue in its future state of conservation report, as masonry stability and resilience is closely related to access issues;
8. Notes with concern that the recent report from the Cultural Site Research and Management (CSRM) Foundation confirms that the property is deteriorating at an alarming rate, despite the progress made to address some of the most urgent pressures, and highlights the fact that vegetation encroachment is the main cause of masonry deterioration, all of which underscores the need for the Sustainable Conservation Plan;
9. Reiterates its request to the State Party to develop a Sustainable Tourism Strategy as soon as possible and submit it to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
10. Regrets that work on the development of a tourist resort on Nahnningo Island (in the buffer zone) has commenced in advance of this strategy and without a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) being developed, also requests the State Party to halt the development of this proposed tourism resort until the HIA has been developed and the issues raised in the ICOMOS technical review have been addressed, and further requests the State Party to submit the HIA to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before work resumes;
11. Strongly encourages the State Party to regularly provide updated information to the World Heritage Centre, and to continue these efforts as a matter of high priority, including:
    1. Establishing a long-term commitment to the post of ‘Property Manager’,
    2. Finalizing and approving legislation LB392 to provide legal protection to the property and establish the Nan Madol Trust,
    3. Completing and finalizing the Sustainable Conservation Plan, Site Management Plan and Interpretation Plan for the property, and submitting them to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies,
    4. Developing the Tourism Plan and implementing a sustainable tourism programme that includes activities and destinations beyond the property, and submitting this plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies,
    5. Establishing processes for HIAs as part of the management system,
    6. Implementing the short-term actions identified for vegetation management in the highest priority areas of the property,
    7. Developing measures to clear the canals and improve their hydrology,
    8. Developing and implementing, as part of the management plan, a system to monitor the health of the mangroves;
12. Notes furthermore the need for continuing international cooperation and partnerships to develop the long-term capacity of the State Party, Pohnpei State and local communities to conserve and manage the property, and encourages the State Party to continue to develop collaborations that will enable the creation of a dedicated capacity-building programme, as recommended by the 2018 Reactive Monitoring mission and the draft Conservation Plan;
13. Requests furthermore the State Party to provide to the World Heritage Centre detailed information on any project that may have an impact on the OUV of the property and on any HIAs carried out according to the 2011 ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for World Heritage cultural properties, and in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, for review by the Advisory Bodies, before any decision is made that would be difficult to reverse and/or any project is implemented;
14. Calls upon the international community to provide technical and financial support for the safeguarding of the property, in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
15. Requests moreover the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 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 45th session;
16. Decides to retain Nan Madol: Ceremonial Centre of Eastern Micronesia (Micronesia (Federated States of)) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.