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State of Conservation (SOC)

Island of Saint-Louis (2011)

UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds

Total amount provided to the property: USD 139,000 (France-UNESCO Cooperation Agreement)

International Assistance granted to the property

Requests Approved: 0 (from1997-1997)
Total Amount Ap proved: 11,500USD

1997 Preparation for the Nomination of Saint Louis Island and the ...   11,500  USD
Missions**

2006 : World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM mission ; 2007: France-UNESCO Cooperation Agreement mission ; 2009: World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/ICCROM reactive monitoring mission.

Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports

a) Lack of monitoring and control mechanism;

b) The lack of a conservation and management plan;

c) New construction and architectural modification and urban projects affecting authenticity and integrity;

d) Inappropriate housing restoration;

e) Environmental disorder due to the modification of the mouth of the Senegal River;

f) Extremely poor state of conservation of numerous derelict buildings endangering occupants;

g) Lack of a site manager. 

Corrective Measures
Current conservation issues

On 29 January 2011, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report to the World Heritage Centre on the following issues:

a) Lack of the conservation and management arrangements

The State Party reports that the municipality of Saint-Louis intends to set up a technical office for the management of heritage. Further, while the Safeguarding Committee is still planned, it has not been established yet. 

b) Limited resources for effective operation of the Safeguarding Committee and for the office of the site manager

The State Party reports that it is in the process of borrowing a loan of approximately 12 million Euro from the French Development Agency to implement a project for “Tourism Development in Saint-Louis and its Region”, aiming at supporting a sustainable conservation of the public and private heritage in Saint-Louis. The project is currently under development and the report states that it should be finalized by mid-February 2011. The project will be managed by the Municipality of Saint-Louis.

c) Lack of building control and building permits mechanisms

The State Party reports that there are four levels of control for building permits. The municipal urban planning service checks the conformity of applications with construction regulations, the Direction of the Cultural Heritage checks the conformity with heritage regulations, the municipality issues the permit, and the local Heritage Office monitors the building works, providing advice or alerting, if needed.

d) Lack of coordination amongst initiatives being developed at the property

The State Party reports that the proposed Safeguarding Committee will take charge of the coordination. However, this committee has not yet been established.

e) Lack of the management plan, taking into account conservation decisions, tourism plans and the local communities who are the major actors and beneficiaries of the implemented actions

The State Party reports that the above-mentioned tourism development project will contain an element for the development of a management plan thus integrating concerns for conservation, tourism and community needs. 

f) Potential construction of a port at the south mouth of the Senegal River

The State Party reports that at present there is no official project or plan for a new port and that it will inform the World Heritage Committee before moving forward with any project for a new port.

Conclusion

The World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies note that the State Party is moving forward with the loan from the French Development authorities for a tourism project that will focus on the conservation of the heritage of Saint-Louis and consider that such a project shows the commitment of the State Party to the sustainable development of the property based on the need to sustain the Outstanding Universal Value. 

The World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies note that no Site Manager has been appointed yet by the State Party for the management of the property, and that the Safeguarding Committee has not yet been established. It is only through these mechanisms that the State Party will be able to control both the day-to-day activities at the property, as well as eventual work to be carried out as part of the project for “Tourism Development in Saint-Louis and its Region”. The World Heritage Centre and Advisory Bodies also emphasize the need for the State Party to submit any detailed proposals that are part of this tourism project to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies, prior to their approval.

There also note that the national and municipal levels of government urgently need to establish clear and complementary responsibilities for the protection of the property.

They wish to draw the Committee’s attention on the degradation of state of conservation of much of the historic urban fabric and the replacement of traditional buildings with new, non-conforming constructions.

Decision

  • Adopted

  • Draft Decision

35COM7B.43
Link to the decision

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-11/35.COM/7B,

2. Recalling Decision 34 COM 7B.51, adopted at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010),

3. Welcomes the effort made by the State Party in securing resources for the conservation of the property through negotiating a 12 million Euro loan with the French Development Agency;

4. Expresses its strong concern about the ongoing degradation and collapse of historic urban fabric and the construction of non-conforming buildings, affecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;

5. Reiterates its request to the State Party to consolidate the conservation and management arrangements for the property, and in particular to:

a) Enact a decree to establish the Safeguarding Committee so that it can start operations at the earliest possible opportunity,

b) Appoint the site manager for the property so that he/she can begin work at the earliest possible opportunity,

c) Ensure sufficient human, financial and technical resources for all of the necessary conservation and management activities at the property,

d) Implement building control and building permit mechanisms in coordination with the Municipality of Saint-Louis,

e) Ensure adequate coordination amongst initiatives being developed at the property between different institutional stakeholders at the national, regional and local level;

6. Requests the State Party to ensure that the site manager and the Safeguarding Committee are a part of the decision-making structure of the project for "Tourism Development in Saint-Louis and its Region";

7. Urges the State Party to immediately begin the preparation of the management plan in coordination with the municipality;

8. Encourages the State Party to clarify through a Memorandum of Understanding or other means, the specific roles, responsibilities, duties, and capacities of governmental institutions at the national and municipal levels;

9. Invites the State Party and the municipality to provide the World Heritage Centre with detailed information regarding any major projects foreseen on the Island of Saint-Louis and its buffer zone for review by the Advisory Bodies, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;

10. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2013, a report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 37th session in 2013.

35COM8E
Link to the decision

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-11/35.COM/8E,

2. Adopts the retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value, as presented in the Annex I of Document WHC-11/35.COM/8E, for the following World Heritage properties:

- Afghanistan: Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam; Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley;

- Bahrain: Qal'at al-Bahrain - Ancient Harbour and Capital of Dilmun;

- Benin: Royal Palaces of Abomey;

- Botswana: Tsodilo;

- Cameroon: Dja Faunal Reserve;

- Central African Republic: Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park;

- China: Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas;

- Germany: Upper Middle Rhine Valley;

- India: Manas Wildlife Sanctuary;

- Kenya: Lake Turkana National Parks; Lamu Old Town;

- Malawi: Chongoni Rock-Art Area;

- Mali: Old Towns of Djenné;

- Pakistan: Fort and Shalamar Gardens in Lahore;

- Peru: Chan Chan Archaeological Zone;

- Philippines: Rice Terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras;

- Senegal: Island of Saint-Louis;

- South Africa: iSimangaliso Wetland Park; Robben Island; Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape; Cape Floral Region Protected Areas; Vredefort Dome;

- Togo: Koutammakou, the Land of the Batammariba;

- Turkey: Historic Areas of Istanbul;

- Uganda: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park; Rwenzori Mountains National Park;

- United Republic of Tanzania: Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara;

- Yemen: Old Walled City of Shibam; Old City of Sana'a;

- Zimbabwe: Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas;

3. Decides that retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value for World Heritage properties in Danger will be reviewed in priority;

4. Further decides that, considering the high number of retrospective Statements of Outstanding Universal Value to be examined, the order in which they will be reviewed will follow the Second Cycle of Periodic Reporting, namely:

- World Heritage properties in the Arab States;

- World Heritage properties in Africa;

- World Heritage properties in Asia and the Pacific;

- World Heritage properties in Latin America and the Caribbean;

- World Heritage properties in Europe and North America.

Draft Decision: 35 COM 7B.41

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-11/35.COM/7B,

2. Recalling Decision 34 COM 7B.51, adopted at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010),

3. Welcomes the effort made by the State Party in securing resources for the conservation of the property through negotiating a 12 million Euro loan with the French Development Agency;

4. Expresses its strong concern about the ongoing degradation and collapse of historic urban fabric and the construction of non-conforming buildings, affecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;

5. Reiterates its request to the State Party to consolidate the conservation and management arrangements for the property, and in particular:

a) to enact a decree to establish the Safeguarding Committee so that it can start operations at the earliest possible opportunity,

b) to appoint the site manager for the property so that he/she can begin work at the earliest possible opportunity,

c) to ensure sufficient human, financial and technical resources for all of the necessary conservation and management activities at the property,

d) to implement building control and building permit mechanisms in coordination with the Municipality of Saint-Louis,

e) to ensure adequate coordination amongst initiatives being developed at the property between different institutional stakeholders at the national, regional and local level;

6. Requests the State Party to ensure that the site manager and the Safeguarding Committee are a part of the decision-making structure of the project for “Tourism Development in Saint-Louis and its Region”;

7. Urges the State Party to immediately begin the preparation of the management plan in coordination with the municipality;

8. Encourages the State Party to clarify through a Memorandum of Understanding or other means, the specific roles, responsibilities, duties, and capacities of governmental institutions at the national and municipal levels;

9. Invites the State Party and the municipality to provide the World Heritage Centre with detailed information regarding any major projects foreseen on the Island of Saint-Louis and its buffer zone for review by the Advisory Bodies, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;

10. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2013, a report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 37th session in 2013.

Island of Saint-Louis
State Party:
Senegal
Date of Inscription: 2000
Nomination records (Year): 1998, 2007
Category: Cultural
Criteria: (ii)(iv)
Documents
Original Documents
WHC-11/35.COM/7B
Other Documents
View inscribed site documents, nomination file, reports, decisions, ...
Exports
Word File
SOC Reports
SOC Reports by year
2013
2011
2010
2009
2008
2006
2005
Detailed List of SOC reports
Threats*
Housing
Human resources
Management activities
Management systems/ management plan
Water (rain/water table)
Other Threats:
Extremely poor state of conservation of numerous derelict buildings endangering occupants

* : 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.