1.         Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park (Costa Rica,Panama) (N 205bis)

Year of inscription on the World Heritage List  1983

Criteria  (vii)(viii)(ix)(x)

Year(s) of inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger  N/A

Previous Committee Decisions  see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/205/documents/

International Assistance

Requests approved: 0 (from 1982-1990)
Total amount approved: USD 246,450
For details, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/205/assistance/

UNESCO Extra-budgetary Funds

N/A

Previous monitoring missions

N/A

Factors affecting the property identified in previous reports

Need to review the boundaries

Illustrative material  see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/205/

Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 1991

[Oral report by IUCN and the Secretariat]

 

Analysis and Conclusions of the World Heritage Centre and IUCN

N/A

Decision Adopted: 15 BUR VI.36

The Bureau was pleased to note that as requested by the Committee at its last session, the Panamanian authorities have agreed to the inscription of this transborder national park as a single site on the World Heritage List. The Bureau urged the Costa Rican authorities to clarify their position to the Secretariat on this matter. The Bureau recalled that during its last session in Banff, the Committee also requested the Costa Rican authorities to revise the boundaries of the La Amistad National Park within their country in accordance with the recommendations made by IUCN. The Bureau noted with satisfaction that the Costa Rican authorities have submitted preliminary proposals for new boundaries and that IUCN had reviewed them and suggested modifications to excise three of the Indian reserves and add one wildlife refuge. The Bureau requested the Secretariat and IUCN to continue communications with the Costa Rican authorities in order to finalize the new boundaries of the La Amistad National Park of Costa Rica and submit them to the consideration of the Committee at its forthcoming session.

Decision Adopted: 15 COM VIII

Talamanca-La Amistad (Costa Rica/Panama)

The Committee was pleased to note that in accordance with its request the authorities of Costa Rica and Panama had agreed to a single listing of this site. The Committee was satisfied that the Costa Rican authorities had agreed to the IUCN recommendation to delete three Indian reserves and add one forest and wildlife refuge. In accordance with another IUCN recommendation, the Committee urged the Costa Rican authorities to delete four additional Indian reserves in the north-eastern Atlantic sector and provide to the Secretariat a map showing the new boundaries of the Talamanca-La Amistad Reserves of Costa Rica.

The Committee was deeply concerned that 59,000 ha of the La Amistad National Park of Panama has been given to Texaco for oil exploitation without consulting the Panamanian conservation authorities and in contravention to the law creating the Park. The Committee instructed the Secretariat to contact the Panamanian authorities and express its concern over the prospect of oil exploration inside the Park and suggest that they nominate the site for inclusion in the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee also suggested that a high-level mission to Panama be undertaken on the occasion of the World Park's Congress, to be held in Caracas, Venezuela, during February 1992, in order to call the attention of the relevant authorities to Panama's obligations under the World Heritage Convention.

Decision Adopted: 15 BUR VIII.56

After having taken cognizance of document SC.91/CONF.001/5, the Bureau approved  request for international assistance in the amount of US$ 30,000 submitted by Cuba for the purchase of 183 cubic metres of timber for the restoration of the structural frames and  panelling of a group of XVIIIthe and XIXth century houses situated in the historic centre of Trinidad.

The Bureau wished the architects of the Regional Office for Culture for Latin America and the Caribbean, based in Havana and already involved in the international campaign for the preservation of the Plaza Vieja in that city, to be associated with the restoration work which was to be carried out in Trinidad.

La Amistad National Park (Costa Rica):

The Bureau recalled that the Committee, at its last session, approved US$ 50,000 for this site under two conditions, and instructed the Bureau to determine whether these conditions had been met before deciding whether to award an appropriate amount to Costa Rica.

The Bureau concluded that neither of the two conditions, i.e. completion of the implementation of projects for which funds had already been provided and the revision of the Park's boundaries in accordance with IUCN recommendations, had been completely met.

Hence, the Bureau deferred the decision on awarding any part of the US$ 50,000 until next session of the Committee in December 1991.

Decision Adopted: 15 COM XII.A-B

A. Technical co-operation

The Committee approved the following requests:

 

US$

1.

The Madara Rider (Bulgaria)

35,000

 

Purchase of equipment for drilling, measurement and urgent cleaning of the monument 

2.

Saint-Stephen Church in Nessebar (Bulgaria)

15,000

 

Restoration of mural paintings of Saint-Stephen Church 

3.

Pyramid Plateau at Giza (Egypt)

30,000

 

Costs for three international experts (an economist, an archaeologist and a landscape designer) in the elaboration of a Master Plan

4.

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and the Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)

25,000

 

The Committee, in accordance with Article 23 of the Convention, approved this project for supplying technical documentation and equipment and materials

5.

Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary (Peru)

40,000

 

Contribution for the period April-December 1992 for the preparation of a Master Plan 

6.

Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal)

45,000

 

Purchase of two all-terrain vehicles

 

Furthermore, the Committee recommended that the Secretariat request the Senegalese authorities to provide details of schedules and technical modalities for the implementation of measures to mitigate the environmental impacts of the road construction project in this Park

7.

Ichkeul National Park (Tunisia)

40,000

 

Consultancy, equipment, design and construction costs for a centre to improve presentation of the Park to visitors 

8.

Garamba National Park (Zaire)

15,000

 

Purchase and shipment of three all-terrain motor cycles for patrolling of the Park

9.

Virunga National Park (Zaire)

40,000

 

Purchase of one motor-boat and of spare parts for two boats already purchased and freight charges.

The Committee deferred its decision on the following requests:

10.

Talamanca-La Amistad Reserves (Costa Rica)

The Committee recalled that at its last session it approved US $ 50,000 for this site to be released on the condition that projects financed by funds already approved are completed. The Committee noted the implementation of those projects remained at the same level as reported at its last session. Hence the Committee instructed the Bureau to re-examine the situation at its next session before deciding to award the US$ 50,000 approved by the Committee in 1990.

11.

Hal Saflieni Hypogeum (Malta)

The Committee requested the State Party to submit to the next session of the Bureau a technical report justifying the need for the installation of an air-­conditioner in the hypogeum of this site.

12.

Simien National Park (Ethiopia)

 

Recognizing that reconstruction work in this Park, which was abandoned by Park staff in 1985, could begin soon, the Committee decided to set aside US$ 50,000 from the 1992 budget for the re-habilitation of the Simien National Park. The Committee authorized the Chairman to use these funds to support appropriate projects to be developed by the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation organization, in consultation with IUCN and the Secretariat.

B. Training

The Committee, in accordance with Article 23 of the Convention, provided financial assistance to the following international or regional training courses:

1.

International Course on the Preservation and the Restoration of Monuments and Historic Sites (University of Bahia, Brazil)

60,000

 

The Committee recommended that the funds be used to support the participation of specialists from Latin American and Caribbean States Parties to the Convention and that States Parties which had not received fellow­ships in the past be given preference during 1992. The Committee also recommended the authorities organizing the course to submit the list of trainees selected for the course for the approval of the Secretariat.

2.

Regional Training Seminar for Francophone Africa on the Management of National Parks, in 'W' National Park of Niger(ENGREF/France and FSA/Niamey, Niger)

30,000

3.

Mobile Regional Training Course for Protected Area Managers from South-Central Asia (Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehra Dun, India)

30,000

 

The Committee requested that the Secretariat obtain written approval of the Ministry of Environment and Forests of India for the organization of this course. 

 

The Committee welcomed the offer from the Delegation of USA to make available the equivalent of US$ 30,000, in Indian Rupees, through the Indo-US Sub-Commission on Science and Technology which is already supporting similar training courses. The Committee recommended that the Secretariat, in co-operation with the USA and Indian authorities, take the necessary steps to use the offer made by the Delegation of USA so that part or whole of the amount approved by the Committee for this course could be saved to support other international assistance projects.