Sangay National Park
Factors affecting the property in 1999*
- Ground transport infrastructure
- Illegal activities
- Land conversion
- Livestock farming / grazing of domesticated animals
- Management systems/ management plan
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
- heavy poaching of wildlife,
- illegal livestock grazing,
- encroachment along the Park's perimeter,
- unplanned road construction.
International Assistance: requests for the property until 1999
Total amount approved : 58,500 USD
| 1993 | Equipement for Sangay National Park (Approved) | 28,500 USD |
| 1985 | Public awareness programmes for local communities and ... (Approved) | 30,000 USD |
Missions to the property until 1999**
March 1989: IUCN; June 1999: IUCN expert mission
Information presented to the Bureau of the World Heritage Committee in 1999
Summary of previous deliberations: At its last session (Kyoto, 1998), the Committee was informed that the construction of the Guamote-Macos road was the main threat to this Park and an EIA had not been conducted. Construction has been slow but very destructive of the environment. Only a small section of the road is inside the World Heritage site; the remainder of the road forms the Park’s southern boundary. The Committee noted that in the latter half of 1998, economic constraints had led to a halt in road construction activities and some positive developments with regard to the state of conservation of Sangay were evident: colonization and small-scale mining activities had stopped since 1997; and a 5-year, US$ 1.6 million conservation project, financed by the Government of the Netherlands and jointly implemented by WWF and Fundacion Natura, had begun. The Delegate of Ecuador informed the Committee that his Government had submitted to the Centre several new documents, including the “Strategic Management Plan for the Sangay National Park” and it had not issued any permits for oil exploration in Sangay. The Delegate welcomed a Centre/IUCN mission to Sangay in 1999. The Committee was satisfied to note that IUCN believed that conditions for strengthening the conservation of this site were improving and that it may be possible that the mission foreseen in 1999 may recommend the removal of Sangay from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
New information: Since the conclusion of the last session of the Committee, the Government of Ecuador has, via its letter of 4 March 1999, formally invited a Centre/IUCN mission to Sangay. In addition, on 27 April 1999, the State Party has provided the Centre with a state of conservation report on Sangay that has been transmitted to IUCN for review. The Centre and IUCN, in co-operation with the State Party, and other partners such as WWF and the Fundacion Natura of Ecuador, are in the process of preparing to field a site visit to Sangay in the latter half of 1999. The mission will review the state of conservation of the site, particularly within the framework of the prescriptions of the « Strategic Management Plan for the Sangay National Park » and will submit a detailed state of conservation report, including a recommendation on whether or not Sangay could be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger, to the twenty-third session of the Committee, to be convened in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 29 November to 4 December 1999.
Action Required
The Bureau may wish to thank the State Party for its cooperation in the organisation of the site-visit to Sangay during the latter half of 1999 and request the Centre and IUCN to submit a detailed report on the findings and recommendations of the mission to the twenty-third session of the Committee.
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 1999
Summary of previous deliberations:
Twenty-second session of the Committee – paragraph number VII.5. Twenty-third session of the Bureau – paragraph number IV.4
New information: In response to the invitation of the twenty-third session of the Bureau (5-10 July 1999), the State Party, via its letter of 15 September 1999, has submitted a detailed report on the findings and recommendations of a mission to the site, from 10 to 14 June 1999. The report of the mission is presented in Document WHC-99/CONF.209/INF.13. The mission team comprised IUCN experts and representatives of WWF, Fundacion Natura and the Ministry for the Environment of Ecuador. In response to the recommendation of the twenty-second session of the Committee (Kyoto, Japan, 1998), the State Party had invited the mission. However, it did not have adequate time to review the findings and recommendations of the mission and was thus unable to respond at the time of the twenty-third session of the Bureau. The report of the mission noted several positive developments with regard to the state of conservation of this site and had made a number of recommendations.
However, the mission team suggested that the Committee retain the site in the List of World Heritage in Danger until the outcome of efforts to implement the management plan and restore damage caused by the Guamote-Macas road is assessed. The State Party’s response to the mission’s findings and recommendations was transmitted to IUCN for review and comments. IUCN has made the following observations and suggestions:
· IUCN welcomes the completion of the management plan and activities underway to define strategies for its implementation. It acknowledges the contribution of the Project “Biodiversity Conservation and Participatory Management of Sangay National Park” in establishing base line information necessary for restoring areas damaged by the Guamote-Macas road and commends the Dutch Government for the support and guidance provided for the project.
· IUCN agrees with the State Party’s suggestion that the site be retained on the List of World Heritage in Danger and to continue monitor on-going activities to implement the management plan, including the restoration activities along the Guamote-Macas road.
· IUCN assigns high importance to the State Party’s proposal to evaluate the effects of the inclusion of the site in the List of World Heritage in Danger. IUCN recommends that the scope of such an evaluation and its application be extended beyond this site and include other sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. IUCN is of the view that a series of such evaluations could contribute to changing the negative perceptions associated with the inclusion of sites in the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 1999
23 BUR IV.A.4
Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
The Bureau recalled that the Committee, at its last session (Kyoto, 1998) was informed that the construction of the Guamote-Macos road was the main threat to this Park and an EIA had not been conducted. Construction has been slow but very destructive of the environment. Only a small section of the road is inside the World Heritage site; the remainder of the road forms the Park’s southern boundary. The Committee noted that, in the latter half of 1998, economic constraints had led to a halt in road construction activities and some positive developments with regard to the state of conservation of Sangay National Park were evident: colonization and small-scale mining activities had stopped since 1997; and a 5-year, US$ 1.6 million conservation project, financed by the Government of the Netherlands and jointly implemented by WWF and Fundacion Natura, had begun. The Delegate of Ecuador informed the Committee that his Government had submitted to the Centre several new documents, including the “Strategic Management Plan for the Sangay National Park” and it had not issued any permits for oil exploration in Sangay. The Delegate welcomed a Centre/IUCN mission to Sangay in 1999.
The Bureau was informed that in response to an invitation from the Government of Ecuador, via its letter of 4 March 1999 to the Centre, a mission led by IUCN experts and comprising paticipants from WWF, Fundacion Natura and the Ministry for the Environment of Ecuador had visited Sangay National Park from 10 to 14 June 1999. The report of the mission was tabled as Information Document INF.17. This report noted a number of positive developments at this site, but considered that it should stay on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Bureau noted that the mission report has been made available only at the time of its session and that the State Party needed time to review the report and respond to the findings and recommendations of the report.
The Bureau invited the State Party to submit its response to the findings and recommendations of the mission report to the Centre before 15 September 1999. The Bureau requested the Centre and IUCN to review the response from the State Party and submit a set of recommendations on the state of conservation of Sangay, including whether or not Sangay should be retained in the List of World Heritage in Danger, for examination by the Committee at its twenty-third session in Marrakesh, Morocco, from 29 November to 4 Decemebr 1999.
23 COM X.A.5
SOC: Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
X.5 Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
The Committee was pleased to note that, in accordance with the recommendation of its twenty-second session (Kyoto, 1998), the State Party had invited a mission to the site. The mission had been undertaken by IUCN experts and representatives of WWF, Fundacion Natura and the Ministry for the Environment of Ecuador, from 10 to 14 June 1999. The State Party did not have adequate time to respond to the mission's findings at the time of the twenty-third session of the Bureau (5-10 July 1999). Hence, the Bureau had requested that the State Party provide a detailed report on the findings and recommendations of the mission to the site before 15 September 1999. The report of the mission, presented in Document WHC-99/CONF.209/INF.13, noted several positive developments with regard to the state of conservation of this site and made a number of recommendations. However, the mission team suggested that the Committee retain the site in the List of World Heritage in Danger until the outcome of efforts to implement the management plan and restore damage caused by the Guamote-Macas road is assessed. As requested by the July 1999 session of the Bureau, the State Party provided its views on the mission's findings and recommendations. In reviewing the position of the State Party, IUCN has made the following observations and suggestions:
- IUCN welcomes the completion of the management plan and activities underway to define strategies for its implementation. It acknowledges the contribution of the Project "Biodiversity Conservation and Participatory Management of Sangay National Park" in establishing base line information necessary for restoring areas damaged by the Guamote-Macas road and commends the Dutch Government for the support and guidance provided for the project;
- IUCN agrees with the State Party's suggestion that the site be retained on the List of World Heritage in Danger and be continuously monitored, particularly with regard to ongoing activities to implement the management plan, including the restoration activities along the Guamote- Macas road;
- IUCN assigns high importance to the State Party's proposal to evaluate the effects of the inclusion of the site in the List of World Heritage in Danger. IUCN recommends that the scope of such an evaluation and its application be extended beyond this site and include other sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. IUCN is of the view that a series of such evaluations could contribute to changing the negative perceptions associated with the inclusion of sites in the List of World Heritage in Danger.
The Committee decided to retain this site in the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee commended the State Party's positive and constructive approach to the inclusion of this site in the List of World Heritage in Danger and using the Committee's decision to increase international support for the conservation of the site. The Committee commended the support of the Government of the Netherlands to the conservation of this site and invited donors to assign high priority to support projects to strengthen conservation of World Heritage sites in Danger. Furthermore, the Committee, in accordance with the suggestion of the State Party that has been endorsed by IUCN, called for evaluations of the impacts of the inclusion of Sangay and other natural properties in the List of World Heritage in Danger. Such an evaluation could provide lessons for the future and highlight the instrumental role of the Danger Listing in enhancing the conservation of sites.
The Committee may retain this site in the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee may commend the State Party’s positive and constructive approach to the inclusion of this site in the List of World Heritage in Danger and using the Committee’s decision to increase international support for the conservation of the site. The Committee may commend the support of the Government of the Netherlands to the conservation of this site and invite donors to assign high priority to support projects to strengthen conservation of World Heritage sites in Danger. The Committee may also, in accordance with the suggestion of the State Party that has been endorsed by IUCN, call for evaluations of the impacts of the inclusion of Sangay and other natural properties in the List of World Heritage in Danger. Such an evaluation could provide lessons for the future and highlight the instrumental role of the Danger Listing in enhancing the conservation of sites.
Ecuador
Documents examined by the Committee
23COM (1999)Exports
* :
The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).
** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.
