Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park

• Heavy poaching;
• Lack of management plan;
• Possible transfer of the management of the site to a private foundation

The Bureau may wish to recall that the Committee, at its twelfth session (1988, Brasilia), inscribed this property on the World Heritage List, following assurances given by the State Party in respect of its commitment to improve the conditions of integrity of the Park, notably with regard to poaching and illegal grazing. Moreover, the Committee had expressed the wish that a 10-year project, to be financed by EEC/FED at a cost of US$ 27 million, which had been launched at the time of inscription of this site on the World Heritage List, would soon show positive results. Two of the Committee members had however, expressed a reservation about the timing of this site's inscription on the World Heritage List.

At present, an emergency situation exists in the Park due to uncontrolled poaching by groups originating from within CAR, and from CAR's borders with Sudan, and Tchad. Poaching groups are heavily armed, enter the Park at will, set up camp and move large quantities of meat. No effective anti-poaching force exists in the Park and four Park staff had been killed in early 1997. In 1996, tourism came to a halt due to deteriorating security conditions and the EEC/FED Project has not provided any tangible benefits. The Government of CAR has given most of the site management responsibility to a private Foundation, which is hoping to raise US$ 700,000 in the first year of its operations. The Director of the Park and an assistant belonging to the Foundation are attempting to manage this vast area and have contacted the Centre to express their wish to include this site in the List of World Heritage in Danger.