State of Conservation (SOC)

Requests Approved: 0 (from2001-2001)
Total Amount Ap proved: 170,000USD

Mining; Oil Gas and Exploration; Fishing; Poaching/Hunting; Lack of capacity in conservation techniques; Lack of management mechanism (including legislation); Lack of monitoring system; Lack of presentation and interpretation; Lack of human or financial resources; Lack of institution coordination; Civil unrest. 

At its 27th session, the Committee recommended that IUCN and the World Heritage Centre, in co-operation with the State Party, urgently undertake a mission to the property to evaluate the status of the outstanding value for which it was inscribed on the World Heritage List and the extent to which that value may have been irreversibly compromised by the prevailing threats to the property. The mission to the property was delayed, as there have been problems in identifying the lead person in the State Party for its organization. In the past, the Central African Republic had one single Ministry, which dealt with water and forestry, hunting, fisheries, tourism and the environment. The new Government has split up this Ministry into three Ministries: one for water, forest, hunting and fisheries, a second one for tourism and a third for environment, sustainable development and social economics. The Centre received a letter dated 31 March 2004 by the Minister of Waters, Forests, Hunting and Fisheries inviting the Centre and IUCN to undertake the mission as soon as possible.

The implementation of the US$150,000 Emergency Rehabilitation Plan of the property has remained under suspension following the unrest that followed the unseating of the Government in March 2003. In the letter from the Minister for Water, Forests, Hunting and Fisheries mentioned above, the Centre is informed on the improved political and security situation in the country and a revised Emergency Rehabilitation Plan is submitted as requested by the Committee. The plan will be implemented jointly between the Ministry for Water, Forests, Hunting and Fisheries, the European Union funded project “Conservation et Utilisation rationelle des Ecosystèmes Forestiers d’Afrique Centrale” (ECOFAC), which is in charge of a wildlife management project around the property, and the national non-governmental “Association Pour la Protection de la Faune Centrafricaine”(APFC). The revised plan foresees activities to reinforce surveillance, increase awareness of the local populations for the conservation of the property, an evaluation of the state of conservation of the property, the preparation of a management plan and some activities aiming at the revival of tourism activities. The implementation of the Emergency Rehabilitation Plan is foreseen from May 2004 to June 2005. Further investment will be critical to sustain and develop the activities after completion of this first phase and financial resources need to be mobilised for the continuation of such activities. On 9 April 2004, the Centre met at UNESCO headquarters the Minister of the newly created Ministry of Environment, Sustainable Development and Social Economics. The Minister further informed the Centre that the Central African Republic is in the process of creating an inter-ministerial committee that will oversee the implementation of the Emergency Rehabilitation Plan.

At the time of the 5th IUCN World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa (September 2003), IUCN held an informal meeting with the technical advisor to the Ministry of Water, Forests, Hunting and Fisheries of the State Party, and a former consultant for the ECOFAC project. It was recommended that a mission alone will not be sufficient to overcome the problems at this property, but that a meeting between all stakeholders is required to facilitate the development of a major programme of action and fundraising strategy for the property. Stakeholders should include the relevant national Ministries, ECOFAC project coordinators, IUCN, the Centre and local associations, such as the hunting associations. In the mean time the IUCN Regional Office for Central Africa has developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Central African Republic, which is due to be signed in May 2004. This MoU seeks to provide support from IUCN Regional Office for Central Africa to the State Party in relation to programmes for the sustainable management of the natural resources of that country. Manovo-Gounda St. Floris National Park will be one of the sites targeted to be a beneficiary under the MoU.