South China Karst

• Management systems/management plan (property-wide management plan not yet finalized, actions to manage tourism, water quality, agricultural and urban development impacts not implemented)
• Governance (Integrated governance arrangements not implemented)

On 29 November 2018, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, including an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Planned Guiyang‐Nanning High‐speed Railway, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1248/documents. This report highlights progress on a number of conservation issues raised by the Committee at its previous session, as follows:

• Improved coordination of management systems for the property, specifically through the 2015 Protection and Administration Coordinating Committee of South China Karst (SCK) and 2016 Conservation and Management Plan of SCK World Natural Heritage Site (CMP‐SCK);
• Substantial progress in addressing and mitigating impacts from tourism, water pollution, agriculture and urban development as a result of implementation of the CMP-SCK and efforts of the national, provincial and site administrations ;
• The renovation and expansion of the two existing roads crossing Shilin Karst and its buffer zone, potentially negatively impacting the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), has been abandoned, with only maintenance works to be carried out;
• The annexed EIA report of the planned Guiyang‐Nanning High‐Speed Railway, which would cross the Buffer Zone of Libo Karst, concluded that the project would not affect the OUV of the property, with only some influences on the environment in the Buffer Zone, to be managed through mitigation measures and an environmental management plan;
• Detailed information was provided on the relocation processes for Wukeshu Village, including the compensation and resettlement agreement between relocated villagers and the local government, reference to principles of consultation and voluntary relocation, funding for the construction of the new village, and a statement by the villagers confirming voluntary relocation. Following a 2-year public consultation process with local villagers (2007-2009), 92.6% of 422 households had signed the voluntary relocation agreement by July 2018, with 31 families remaining in the old village.

Further to addressing the issues raised within the Committee Decision, the State Party also stated its willingness to comply with the appropriate processes required for a boundary modification of Wulong Karst, in conformity with Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines, as requested by the World Heritage Centre in January 2017.

In response to media articles that report the construction of the Guiyang‐Nanning High‐Speed Railway project appears to have started in 2016, the World Heritage Centre sent a letter to the State Party on 29 April 2019, requesting verification of this information. On 24 May 2019, the State Party responded to the letter confirming construction has proceeded in line with the commitment to conserve and protect the OUV of the property.  

The State Party’s progress towards establishing an integrated, coordinated management system for the serial components of the property, particularly through implementation of the 2016 CMP‐SCK, as well as ongoing progress in addressing impacts from tourism, water pollution, agriculture and urban development, is welcome.

Various measures put in place to monitor upstream water pollution and agricultural activities, and the reported gradual improvement in water quality, are noted. The reported progress on managing tourism impacts is welcome, however it remains unclear how the effectiveness of these management measures is being monitored.

The State Party’s decision to abandon the renovation and expansion of the two existing roads crossing Shilin Karst and its buffer zone, along with its overall commitment to preserving the OUV, is appreciated.

The confirmation that the high-speed railway project is under construction is noted, along with the conclusion of the EIA that the project will not affect the OUV of the property, despite some environmental impacts in the buffer zone. The environmental management plan should ensure that any negative impacts are addressed, and the plan should include appropriate measures to prevent the accidental introduction of invasive alien species that could impact native endangered flora inside the property. Noting that one of the main objectives of the railway is to improve accessibility to the property, the potential for further construction of local tourism facilities to distribute the pressure resulting from increased visitation is of concern. Such increases in tourism pressure and infrastructure could have potential adverse impacts on wildlife habitats in the buffer zone and the property. The Committee should request the State Party to assess, monitor and manage the potential long-term cumulative impacts of increased tourism pressure on the OUV of the property, in alignment with the overall tourism strategy.

The relocation of Wukeshu Village is reported to have been consultative and voluntary and to have included: a 2-year consultation process; the relocation of many households that signed the Compensation and Resettlement Agreement; financial compensation from government; sustainable energy facilities; support for housing and indigenous cultural practices; and employment opportunities. Any relocation programmes should be in line with the policies in the framework of the World Heritage Convention, in particular the 2015 World Heritage and Sustainable Development Policy and relevant international standards. Recalling the Committee’s previous concerns about general tourism impacts on this property, and noting that tourism is the main source of income for Wukeshu, it is critical that ongoing development balances the importance of sustainable, tourism-based livelihoods for local people against the potential for negative impacts on the property’s OUV associated with tourism.