Decision 44 COM 7B.195

Pantanal Conservation Area (Brazil) (N 999)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Expresses its utmost concern that severe drought since 2019 has resulted in wildfires that have impacted around 4.3 million hectares, around 32% of the wider Pantanal biome, which includes the property, resulting in negative impacts on biodiversity, climate and the local economy, and affecting sensitive forest areas and various species of fauna that are attributes of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) including threatened species;
3. Acknowledging that an assessment of the specific impacts of the wildfires on the property has not yet been possible, requests the State Party to assess the impacts of the wildfires on the OUV of the property and to submit this to the World Heritage Centre when available;
4. Welcomes the reported response measures taken by Federal, State and Municipal government authorities in collaboration with the Chico Mendes Institute, private sector, NGOs and volunteers to address the fires, assess impacts and strengthen future fire-fighting capacity as part of a new national strategy and, noting also the potential for climate change to further exacerbate extreme weather conditions such as drought and resulting wildfires, also requests the State Party to actively continue management measures to address any impacts of wildfires on the OUV of the property and facilitate the recovery of impacted fauna and flora, as well as to further strengthen fire prevention and mitigation measures;
5. Recognising the impacts of fires on a number of natural World Heritage properties, encourages the State Party to exchange knowledge and best practice of fire management strategies in natural World Heritage properties with other States Parties of the Convention facing similar threats;
6. 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.