Lorentz National Park

• Mining;
• Security limitations;
• Development threats;
• Exploitation of marine resources;
• Absence of a co-ordinating agency;
• Absence of a finalized strategic management plan;
• Park boundaries not physically demarcated;
• Inadequate financing. 

At its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013), the Committee requested the State Party to submit a report on the state of conservation of the property by 1 February 2015, and to invite an IUCN reactive monitoring mission to assess the impacts from road construction and to assist the State Party with developing a conservation strategy that will ensure the conservation and strict protection of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), the report of which would be for examination by the Committee at its 38th session in 2014. The mission to Jakarta and the Provincial capital Jayapura took place from 11 to 18 March 2014. Its report is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/955/documents/. A field visit was not included, due to security concerns.

While recognizing the significant effort by the State Party to improve the management of the property, including through a 65% increase in the property’s management budget over the past three years, the finalization of a Collaborative Management Agreement, and an increase in staff capacity, the mission considers that management capacity and effectiveness remain insufficient. The main concerns in that regard are noted to be as follows, among others:

• The property’s human and financial resources remain insufficient and funding (USD 0.56/ha) is not strategically allocated to the property’s management needs, with 75% allocated to support costs;
• The 2010-2029 Management Plan and the Zonation Document do not adequately reflect the property’s OUV. The zonation of the property is very patchy and extremely difficult to monitor and manage, dominated by use zones, while core zones are often small residual areas;
• No monitoring mechanism exists to facilitate early detection of and response to threats.

The mission further reported as follows:

• The construction of the Habema-Kenyem road through the property has continued for 90 km since the 2011 joint UNESCO/IUCN reactive monitoring mission, with only 22 km remaining to be completed. Construction has currently been halted, pending completion of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The State Party is committed to applying the highest standards to the EIA and to mitigating any impacts of the road through technological and managerial measures, including restoration of damaged areas;
• Recent investigations as to the cause of the Nothofagus dieback are not conclusive and require further investigation;
• Wildlife trade in species from Papua is significant, which could represent a major threat to the property’s OUV. Further investigation is needed to establish the level of poaching in the property.

The State Party has made efforts to address some of the identified issues, in particular to improve management capacity and its commitment to apply the highest standards to the EIA of the Habema-Kenyem road and to mitigate the impacts from the road and restore damaged areas. The recent development of a Collaborative Management Agreement is welcomed, and it is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to formalize this agreement.

The mission considered that despite the known impacts of the Habema-Kenyem road, and notwithstanding the limited recent scientific field survey activities, the OUV of the property remains intact, mainly due to its large scale (2.35 million ha), remoteness, difficult terrain and relative absence of roads. However, it is critical that there is no further development of infrastructure or other development pressure anywhere in the property.

As noted by the mission, the low management effectiveness of the property, while improving, remains a significant concern for its future protection. If the property’s management cannot be significantly improved in the short term, its OUV and conditions of integrity are likely to become increasingly threatened. It is recommended that the Committeeurge the State Party to further increase the number of forest rangers available to the property, as well as the level of funding, including by seeking more national and international partnerships in support of the property, including with the private sector. It is also recommended that the Committeerequest the State Party to urgently revise the management plan and zonation scheme for the property in order to ensure that these adequately reflect its OUV. Furthermore, the State Party’s commitment to mitigate the impacts of the Habema-Kenyem road through managerial measures should include the development and implementation of an integrated monitoring mechanism in order to ensure early detection of and response to emerging threats, such as poaching, illegal logging, and the establishment of illegal settlements.

It is recognized that roads may bring economic and social benefits to small isolated indigenous communities in the property. However, it should be noted that roads can result in many secondary impacts on conservation values. There is significant concern that the construction of the Habema-Kenyem road has continued for 90 km since the 2011 mission, despite the Committee’s request in Decision 35 COM 7B.15 to cease all road construction. The current stop on construction works is well noted, and it is crucial that construction works do not continue prior to a rigorous EIA having been completed, including a specific assessment of direct and indirect impacts on the property’s OUV, in conformity with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment. If effective monitoring and strict control of the road and its impacts, and of any future development pressures, cannot be guaranteed, the danger to the property’s OUV is likely to increase to the point where the property could meet the criteria for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

It is further recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to conduct further investigations to the cause of the Nothofagus dieback disease and to the level of poaching in the property.