Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo

• Erosion and siltation/ deposition
• Housing
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
• Land conversion
• Legal framework
• Management systems/ management plan
• Fragile state of the property and accelerated degradation by environmental factors, lack of maintenance and limited conservation planning
• Erosion
• Lack of established boundaries and buffer zones
• Absence of a conservation and management plan
• Encroachments and urban pressure
• Tourism pressure (particularly at Portobelo)

• Fragile state of the property and accelerated degradation by environmental factors, lack of maintenance and limited conservation planning
• Erosion
• Lack of established boundaries and buffer zone
• Absence of a conservation and management plan
• Encroachments and urban pressure
• Tourism pressure (particularly at Portobelo)
• Insufficient legislation for the preservation of built heritage and regulations combining the two components of the property

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4763

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4763 

Updated and adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/7183
Revised timeframe proposed for adoption in the draft Decision below

On 24 January 2019, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/135/documents/ and provides assessment of the implementation of the corrective measures and progress towards the achievement of the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), as follows:

• The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) financed project “Support for the conservation and management of cultural heritage” will be implemented over a four-year period 2019-2023. The project management unit was expected to function as of February 2019;
• Within this framework, the National Institute of Culture (Instituto Nacional de Cultura - INAC) is contracting services to draft the terms of reference for the Management Plan of the property, which will include four other instruments: Tourism Promotion Plan; Economic Sustainability Plan; Public Use Plan and Carrying Capacity Study; Interpretation Plan of Portobelo fortresses. The bidding process is expected for the second half of 2019;
• IDB funds will also be allocated for the construction of the Visitor Center of San Lorenzo, which will control visitor access and comprise tourist facilities distributed in 1.200 sqm located 7km from San Lorenzo Castle. The bidding process is expected for 2019 and construction for 2020;
• Consolidation projects for the fortifications of San Geronimo and San Fernando with funds of the INAC continued;
• Stabilization works in San Lorenzo Castle and in the slopes adjacent to Portobelo fortress were undertaken, as well as the relocation of houses from areas of high landslide vulnerability in Portobelo;
• The delimitation of the Historic Monumental Complex of Portobelo were redefined and Law 91/1976 updated. The San Lorenzo Castle component falls under the Protected Forest and Protected Landscape of San Lorenzo (Law 21/1997) whereas the Portobelo area falls within the National Park of Portobelo;
• The museography for the site museum (old customs office) of Portobelo was designed and implementation is expected for 2020;
• Other issues are also reported, such as capacity-building activities on stonemasonry restoration, the rehabilitation of the access road to San Lorenzo, and the soon completion of the new facilities of the technical office of the Patronato of Portobelo and San Lorenzo.

Due to the lack of funding from the State Party and delay in the disbursement of the loan granted by IDB, the State Party was unable to fully implement the set of corrective measures and achieve the DSOCR. A new revision of the timeframe for implementation is proposed for the period of 2019-2023, along with an overall financial estimation. It takes into account coordination between the IDB and the INAC, contracting procedures, and the potential delay caused by the forthcoming change of national government in mid-2019.

While the State Party demonstrates a clear understanding of the actions required for the implementation of the corrective measures, it remains a matter of extreme concern that, due to the lack of sustainable funding from the State Party, a revision of the timeframe for implementation is proposed for the third time. It should be recalled that the lack of funding prevented the State Party to ensure implementation of the corrective measures as first adopted by the World Heritage Committee in Decision 36 COM 7B.102 for the period 2012-2015, which subsequently led to the revision of the timeframe for the period 2016-2019 as per Decisions 40 COM 7A.3 and 42 COM 7A.10. The Committee has expressed, since the adoption of the DSOCR, its concern about the need for sustained government funding in implementing the corrective measures and has frequently urged the State Party to secure funds. However, limited progress was made in this regard and resources allocation has remained largely unaddressed for the past eight years, putting the property at risk of losing important attributes of its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). It is therefore recommended that the Committee regret that the implementation of the corrective measures was postponed again and urge the State Party to respect the newly proposed timeframe in order to ensure that the DSOCR be finally achieved in its entirety in 2023.

While funding through a loan from IDB is welcomed, it remains of extreme concern that the State Party focusses the implementation of the corrective measures exclusively on this exclusive source of funding, while some other urgent measures - such as the completion of emergency measures at San Lorenzo, San Jeronimo, San Fernando and Santiago fortresses, the definition of boundaries and buffer zones, and the implementation of the territorial and urban development plan for Portobelo – still need to be implemented.

The IDB project foresees mainly the improvement of infrastructure and tourist facilities. In this context, it should be recalled that tourism pressure was one of the factors that led to the inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger and that an integral approach to the conservation and management of the property is required, this is particularly important regarding the potential impact of the proposed visitor center of San Lorenzo. Additionally, awareness raising activities within surrounding communities to identify opportunities for eco and cultural tourism should be privileged, as a mean to contribute to the improvement of their living conditions, in full coherence with the conservation measures as foreseen in the adopted DSOCR. Further, it is opportune to recall the State Party that new constructions which may have an impact on the OUV of the property should be informed to the World Heritage Centre before irreversible decisions are made, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

Finally, a considerable number of corrective measures foreseen for 2018 remained not concluded, as follows:

• The Management Plan, firstly scheduled to be finalized by December 2018, is now expected for 2023 according to the new timeframe;
• The reactivation of the National Commission of World Cultural and Natural Heritage is pending;
• Only partial consolidation plans and works were undertaken;
• Despite the definition of limits for Portobelo, boundaries and buffer zones for the entire property were not defined;
• The situation regarding encroachment and urban pressure remains unchanged, as the Plan de Ordenamiento Territorial of Portobelo prepared by the Ministry of Housing has not been implemented and no funds are allocated for its execution.

These are essential corrective measures that have been awaiting implementation for many years and without which the DSOCR cannot be achieved. It is therefore recommended that the Committee also urge the State Party to address these issues as a matter of priority, especially regarding the definition and protection of buffer zones for the entire property and the preparation of an integral Management Plan.