Los Katíos National Park

• Armed conflict and security concerns (issue resolved)
• Illegal activities, including extraction of timber and wildlife
• Overfishing in the lowland freshwater systems
• Threats from major infrastructure projects and major linear utilities (electric transmission corridor, ports)
• Management systems/ management plan (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 30 November 2018, 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 provides the following information:

• While forest loss near the property is acknowledged, it has an overall good state of conservation according to recent scientific analysis. The main challenge noted is the need to “improve management schemes associated to prevention, surveillance and control, as well as the strategies of spatial management”;
• Government resource allocations to the property and surrounding areas have been further consolidated, complemented by funds from the European Union and FAO;
• Implementation of a multi-stakeholder partnership Pact for the conservation of the property and its surroundings signed in 2016 has progressed;
• While formal expansion of the national park is not currently considered a priority, alternative mechanisms are being pursued to optimize conservation of surrounding areas that serve as a functional buffer zone. Efforts include the planned creation of regional and local protected areas, as well as enhanced coordination and cooperation with local and regional authorities, indigenous communal landholdings (resguardos) and Afro-Colombian collective territories, and existing protected areas nearby. It is further noted that some areas (Afro-Colombian Collective Territories) also cannot be considered for inclusion in protected area expansion since, unlike Indigenous Reserves, legislation prohibits their overlap with national parks;
• Further progress has been achieved in implementing Use and Management Agreements and the Special Management Regime with the Wounaan community of Juin Phubuur to promote shared management and governance with indigenous peoples and Afro-Colombian communities;
• Promotion of more sustainable fisheries and use of other aquatic biodiversity along the Atrato River and associated wetland systems continues, using a participatory approach;
• The impacts generated by the artificial connection between the Leon and Atrato Rivers is being managed, and restoring the rivers’ original water flow is not considered desirable due to potential new negative impacts on biodiversity;
• There has been no active administrative process since 2014 to develop the proposed electricity transmission corridor near the property, which would link Colombia and Panama, and the property’s management authority is waiting for a response to its communication submitted to the National Authority of Environmental Licenses (ANLA) in 2016;
• Environmental licenses for the port projects of Pisisí and Antioquia were granted by ANLA in 2017 and 2012, respectively, following the applicable Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures;
• The Colombian national parks administration has sent official communications to the neighbouring State Party of Panama to initiate implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in September 2016 to promote transboundary coordination and communication.

The State Party actively sought inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2009 and it is encouraging to see the continued conservation momentum following the removal of the property from this list in 2015. Resource allocation continues to show a positive trend, complemented by multi-lateral cooperation sources. It is important to note, however, that the resource allocation remains modest, in light of the ongoing challenges and vulnerabilities of the property. Reliable financial and human resources will be needed to secure the improvements achieved over the past years in the long term.

The Pact for the conservation of the property signed in 2016 constitutes a promising framework for bringing together governmental and non-governmental actors, indigenous peoples, Afro-Colombian and Mestizo communities, academia and cooperation partners. The demanding implementation process requires continued investment and is critically important to balance conservation with local rights and livelihood needs. The State Party has clearly undertaken significant analysis of the feasibility and necessity of extending the Los Katíos National Park, and has determined that expansion is not a priority at this time. Nevertheless, the expansion of the property could be considered in the future following the development of a scientific assessment in this regard. The existing cooperation measures with surrounding protected areas and local communities amount to a de facto functional buffer zone, and it is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to formalize a buffer zone under the Convention.

The agreements with local resource users are promising instruments to address overfishing and overharvesting of rivers and wetlands and need to be pursued further. The same holds true for the Special Management Regime with the Wounaan community of Juin Phubuur. The State Party is encouraged to further consolidate these efforts and to document and share these learning experiences as good practices.

It is noted that the proposed electricity transmission corridor project has not advanced over the past years, however, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to keep the World Heritage Centre informed of any changes to the status of this project. It is acknowledged that the closure of the artificial connection between the Leon and Atrato Rivers is not a management priority, as it would come with complex consequences for a heavily-used ecosystem, which has evolved over decades following the creation of this channel. The updates on planned port projects are noted, including on the involvement of the Colombian national parks administration. It is noted that in the case of Pisisí Port, the project’s area of influence was determined not to overlap with any protected areas, while for the Antioquia Port, it was concluded that the project planning should consider the wetlands between the Léon and Suriquí Rivers, which constitute a natural biological corridor between the property and other important ecological areas. It is therefore recommended that the Committee request the State Party to also consider any possible indirect impacts on the property in the further planning of the Antioquia Port project, in order to ensure that such impacts are mitigated.

Finally, the efforts to enhance actions of coordination and cooperation with the State Party of Panama in the framework of the 2016 MoU are welcomed and should be encouraged to continue.