State of Conservation (SOC)

Requests Approved: 0 (from1988-1999)
Total Amount Ap proved: 108,800USD

2003: ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission; 2006: joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS reactive monitoring mission.

a) Construction of TRANSCARIBE, a new public transportation system and its impact on the wall;

b) Lack of a regulatory conservation management system for the property;

c) Impact of the harbour public works on the fortifications of Cartagena;

d) Need for urban regulations for the protected area;

e) Lack of a Management Plan.

The State Party submitted a state of conservation report on 30 March 2012 which succinctly responds to the Decisions made by the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010).

a) Delimitation of the property

The State Party submitted the demarcation of the group of monuments located within the Historic Centre which follows, as previously reported, the delimitation proposed by the Special Protection and Management Plan (PEMP). This will be reviewed within the framework of the Retrospective Inventory process of the Periodic Reporting Exercise for Latin America and the Caribbean. As for the forts located outside this area, their delimitation continues to be pending, although efforts have been made in the development of management and protection plans.

b) Conservation study and conservation action plan for the ensemble of walls and the fortified city

This report was submitted to the World Heritage Centre in December 2010. The report considers actions to be implemented at part of the property, which include strengthening of residential and touristic activities, including restoration of historic areas for housing, changing inappropriate use of buildings and implementing strategic projects in different areas. Among these, the restoration of several buildings is foreseen as well as the recovery and adaptation of public spaces. There are plans also to improve educational facilities and services, as well as enhancement of touristic infrastructure and services, particularly through the recovery of public spaces. Special actions are foreseen to improve the connection between the Historic Centre and its surroundings.

c) Special Plan for Management and Protection (PEMP)

The State Party reports that the document is under final review by the Ministry of Culture. The financial tools to secure resources for implementation have yet to be finalized but it is expected that the document would be submitted by the end of April 2012 to the World Heritage Centre. The legal approval of the Plan is pending, however the State Party reports that upon obtaining it, the implementation of projects and provisions made will start. No timeframe has been provided on when this is expected to occur.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note that until the delimitation of all component parts of the property is complete, the process cannot be fully considered.

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies also note that the development of the Special Protection and Management Plan has been finalized, but however express their concerns that a lengthy approval process will preclude the possibility to systematically implement the provisions made. They finally note that it is critical that the boundaries of all component parts of the property are clearly identified so that the integrity of the property is maintained.