Decision 44 COM 7A.55

Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras) (N 196)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7A.4 adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Welcomes the State Party’s and its governmental and non-governmental partners’ ongoing inter-institutional efforts to protect and conserve the property, enhance biodiversity and strengthen indigenous territorial governance, and encourages the State Party to continue the implementation of the corrective measures and ensure that adequate funding is available to allow this;
4. Also welcomes the advances on the land titling process in the cultural zone of the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve and the progress to regularise land use rights in its buffer zone through awarding family usufruct contracts and requests the State Party to ensure the process is completed in line with the established timelines;
5. Notes the State Party’s progress to achieve the targets established to reach the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), however, notes with concern that many challenges remain, and urges the State Party and its partners to ensure that collaborations, financial and technical resources and political will are sustained and increased to reach the targets set out in the corrective measures in order to achieve the DSOCR;
6. Further welcomes the State Party’s re-stated commitment to advance on the preparation of a Significant Boundary Modification (SBM) for the property, however, also notes with concern that formal consultation on boundary modifications with indigenous and Afro-Honduran territorial councils has not yet started, and also requests the State Party to secure technical and financial resources required for the necessary consultation processes and development of the proposal of a SBM as a crucial step towards achieving the DSOCR, and in particular to:
   1. Coordinate the many governmental sectors and institutions involved at various levels,
   2. Seek support from the World Heritage Centre, Advisory Bodies and other States Parties, as appropriate,
   3. Guarantee full consideration of the archaeological heritage of the property and corresponding actors;
7. Noting with utmost concern the near completion of the Patuca III Hydroelectric Power Plant without the current and potential impacts of the project on the OUV of the property having been properly assessed, recalls the commitment of the State Party to develop a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the power plant, and also urges the State Party to expedite this process so that a specific assessment of the impacts of the power plant on the OUV of the property can be developed in the appropriate format and can be used to develop the necessary mitigation measures;
8. Also notes that certain mitigation measures have already been put in place for the Hydroelectric Power Plant, however, recommends that the State Party ensure that these are specifically aimed at preventing impacts on the OUV of the property, and also encourages the State Party to revise these measures once the results of the SEA are available;
9. Further requests 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;
10. Decides to retain Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.