Lorentz National Park

• Mining
• Human resources (Security limitations)
• Ground transport infrastructure (Development threats)
• Fishing/collecting aquatic resources (Exploitation of marine resources)
• Management systems/management plans (Absence of a co-ordinating agency, Absence of a finalized strategic management plan, Park boundaries not physically demarcated)Financial resources (Inadequate financing)
• Other climate change impacts (Nothofagus dieback)
• Illegal activities

On 23 November 2016, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, a summary of which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/955/documents. The report provides an update on issues previously noted by the Committee, as follows:

• The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Habbema-Kenyam road has been revised to consider IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, and has been submitted with the report. It was approved by the Governor of Papua Province in 2015;
• A review of the zonation of the property is on-going and will involve a wide range of stakeholders, including local communities. The revised zoning system will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre as soon as it is approved;
• Research into the causes of the Nothofagus dieback continues. Results obtained so far indicate that road construction is not likely the major contributing factor. Climate change and parasitic fungi are assumed to be the primary causes;
• Large-scale poaching has so far not been recorded at the property. Limited hunting by local people occurs to meet their needs for traditional use and cultural ceremony. Nevertheless, preventive measures have been increased, including routine patrols and awareness raising campaigns.

The ongoing review of the zonation of the property is welcomed, as is the participation of a wide range of stakeholders, including local communities. The current zoning system is very complex and it is recommended that the revised zoning system should be simpler to manage, while taking into account not only the traditional uses and values of local communities, but also the conservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property.

It is noted that no large-scale poaching has been recorded at the property. The State Party’s efforts to nonetheless increase preventive measures are noted with appreciation, and it is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to implement the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in its patrols, in order to enable an efficient use of limited resources, and to ensure that the data collected on patrols are consistent and easily interpreted by park management. It is also recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide further information on patrol activities, including how much of the property is covered, and which species are being monitored, recalling that the World Heritage Centre and IUCN previously raised concerns about the potential threat posed to the property by the trade in wildlife species from Papua Province.

The continued research into the causes of the Nothofagus dieback is also welcomed, and it is noted that road construction, although it may be a contributing factor, is not considered a primary cause, given that dieback is found to occur randomly and sometimes at great distances from any road. The study submitted with the State Party’s report suggests that dieback may be a natural factor in the population dynamics of Nothofagus species, which nevertheless appears to be exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. Given that the high-altitude forests of the property are dominated by Nothofagus, it is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to continue to monitor the dieback, but also the Nothofagus’ natural regeneration, in order to further the understanding of Nothofagus population dynamics and their response to the impacts of climate change.

Considering the sensitive high-altitude ecosystems of the property, including the alpine peat lands around Lake Habbema, the construction of the Habbema-Kenyam road continues to be a significant concern. The revised EIA concludes that significant environmental impacts from the road might potentially affect the property. While it further states that the road is “environmentally feasible”, the basis for that conclusion is not clear, as there is no discussion of the severity of impacts before and after implementation of the measures foreseen in the Environmental Management Plan of the EIA document. With the EIA approved by the Governor of Papua Province in 2015, it is unclear what the current state of advancement of road construction is, and how any impacts are being managed. Recognizing that the property appears to already be seeing the impacts of climate change, the road is considered to pose a significant additional risk to the fragile alpine ecosystems of the property. It is therefore recommended that the Committee request the State Party to invite an IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, in order to assess the current status of road construction and the effectiveness of the Environmental Management Plan in avoiding impacts on OUV and mitigating any residual impacts.