Los Katíos National Park

• Armed conflict (issue resolved)
• Illegal extraction of natural resources
• Threats from major infrastructure projects (electric transmission corridor)
• Lack of control of management agency

• Illegal logging;
• Unauthorized settlements;
• Fishing and hunting;
• Threats from major infrastructure projects.

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4628

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4628

On 1 December 2016, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/711/documents/ and includes detailed documentation of the management responses to Decision 39 COM 7A.19. The key activities are summarized hereafter:

• Further consolidation of the security situation and law enforcement through structured coordination between the public forces, regional environmental authorities and the park administration;
• Significant governmental budget increase from 2015 to 2016 with additional project funding;
• Consolidation of participatory efforts to integrate the property with regional and local planning schemes;
• Further assessment of the options to expand the national park and the property, and to link it with the emerging regional protected area system;
• Progress in defining functional buffer zones in the surroundings of the property jointly with regional authorities. Eventually, most of the surroundings are expected to be comprised of conservation areas, community councils and indigenous communal landholdings (resguardos);
• Formalization of a pact specifically dedicated to the conservation and management of the property between various sectors, levels of government and civil society in June 2016;
• Conclusion of user agreements and partnership agreements with several resource-dependent communities and the Association of Displaced People of Cacarica, as well as specific fishing agreements within the property, involving communities and park administration, and supported by civil society organizations and universities;
• Formalization of a “Special Management Regime” (REM in Spanish) between the traditional authorities of the Wounaan community of Juin Phubuur inside of the property and the park administration, described as a legal and technical “joint planning instrument”;
• Rapid assessment of the ecological and socio-economic effects of the canal between the Leon and Atrato Rivers through the freshwater system in the property, built decades ago to float logs;
• Continuation of efforts to involve the park administration and fully consider the property in the assessment procedures for the planned electricity transmission corridor;
• Two new port projects are planned, Puerto PISISI and Puerto Antioquia, which will need to consider the property in the corresponding impact assessments;
• Efforts to enhance coordination and cooperation with the neighbouring State Party of Panama, in particular as regards the contiguous World Heritage property of Darien National Park, could reach a new level through the formalization of a Memorandum of Understanding.

Following the property’s removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2015, the State Party has further increased its investment and presence on the ground and, thereby, improved the security situation, law enforcement and cooperation with indigenous peoples, Afro-Colombian and Mestizo communities. Despite the government regaining control in the area, some ongoing illegal logging serves as a reminder of the need to secure law enforcement.

Bilateral and multilateral projects support the State Party, with further projects under discussion. While additional external support is encouraged, it should complement rather than replace governmental budgets to ensure reliable and predictable resources in the medium and long term. The pact bringing together various governmental institutions and civil society actors constitutes a remarkable formal consolidation of the partnership approach in a region heavily affected by longstanding and severe conflict. The user agreements with several community councils and other partners to address overfishing and overharvesting of the wetlands, lagoons and rivers are important contributors to the sustainable management of resources, which are critically important both to the communities’ livelihoods and to the conservation values of the property. However, as acknowledged by the State Party, these resources cannot comprehensively be managed at the scale of a relatively small protected area.

The “Special Management Regime” agreed between the park administration and the traditional leaders of the Wounaan community of Juin Phubuur stands out as a rare and positive example of active reconciliation between indigenous rights and aspirations and governmental biodiversity conservation objectives inside of a World Heritage property.

The possible expansion to the north of Los Katíos National Park and the property by including the current Serrania del Darien National Protection Forest Reserve (Colombia), the ongoing efforts to embed the property within the emerging regional protected area system, and the establishment a functional buffer zone as integral elements of a participatory land use planning approach are laudable and should be further encouraged. Enhanced coordination and cooperation with the State Party of Panama is likewise highly desirable, and both State Parties should thus further pursue ongoing efforts.

The updated information regarding the planned electricity transmission corridor between Colombia and Panama confirms the strong commitment of the State Party to fully respect applicable impact assessment procedures, including specifically as regards the protected area and World Heritage status of Los Katiós. If the planned project goes ahead, adequate assessment on potential impacts on the property’s OUV will be required. The same holds true for the newly reported port projects (Puerto PISISI and Puerto Antioquia) despite their physical location outside of the property.

The State Party notes that the artificial canal between the Leon and Atrato Rivers within the property not only changed the freshwater ecology of some of the lowlands of Los Katíos but has also attained importance in the local economy. As the closure of this human-made canal would also be very costly, further assessment considering the full complexity is needed to underpin pending decision-making.

Overall, it can be concluded that following the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, the State Party has continued to systematically follow up on past Committee decisions. It is recommended that the Committee commend the State Party for pursuing its systematic management response and request it to continue its efforts and to address all pending issues.