Decision 45 COM 7B.88

Kaeng Krachan Forest Complex (Thailand) (N 1461rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 8B.5, 40 COM 8B.11, 43 COM 8B.5 and 44 COM 8B.7 adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes the State Party’s firm commitment to transboundary conservation and reiterates its encouragement to the State Party to identify opportunities to collaborate with the State Party of Myanmar in transboundary conservation and management of the highly significant nature conservation values of the region, with a view to considering a future extension of the property;
4. Expresses its appreciation to the State Party for having invited an IUCN Advisory mission to the property and encourages the State Party to implement the mission recommendations, including those aimed at ensuring compliance of the property with the Operational Guidelines;
5. Notes the State Party’s evolving legal and policy framework applicable to national parks and wildlife sanctuaries and requests the State Party to enhance participatory management and governance arrangements enabled by the new legislation in place since 2019, through meaningful participation of local communities;
6. Notes the establishment of Protected Area Committees (PACs) in all units of the property which include community representatives and welcomes the appointment of an overarching PAC for the entire forest complex foreseen for the current fiscal year;
7. Welcomes the focus of the State Party on engagement with the Ban Bang Kloy community and requests the State Party to continue to work closely, and in full consultation, with the affected indigenous peoples and local communities to address the longstanding conflicts following a rights-based approach;
8. Expresses its utmost concern about a proposal to construct a dam within Mae Nam Phachi Wildlife Sanctuary adjacent to the property and in an area initially nominated as part of the property and key for its integrity, which is likely to negatively impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and may further amplify the difficult relationship with the local communities, and requests the State Party to inform the World Heritage Centre about the status of the proposed project before making any decision that would be difficult to reverse, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and to ensure that potential environmental and social impacts are assessed in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, including to consider a no-project option;
9. Notes with concern the unclear protection status of the Kui Buri Forest Reserve and the Army Reserve Zone, a critically important ecological corridor between the Kui Buri and Kaeng Krachan National Parks within the property and requests the State Party to inform the World Heritage Centre of the legal protection status and management system of this corridor, and to consolidate its protection status and management system building upon scenarios identified in the nomination dossier, including the possible inclusion into the Kui Buri National Park, in full consultation with all stakeholders and rightsholders;
10. Noting the absence of a formally inscribed buffer zone for the property, requests the State Party to determine and formalize a buffer zone tailored to the local situation around the property through the Minor Boundary Modification procedure as soon as possible;
11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2024, 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 47th session.