Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape

• Management systems/Management Plan (Need to define the protection offered by the buffer zone; Lack of an overall management structure with resources)
• Legal Framework (Lack of legal protection for the property that covers cultural as well as natural attributes) (issue resolved)
• Mining (Mining or extractive industry) (issue resolved)

On 30 November 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1440/documents. Progress with a number of conservation issues raised by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in this report, as follows:

• The Administration Office of the World Heritage Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain and its surrounding sacred landscape, a dedicated authority for the management and conservation of the property and its buffer zone, was established on 1 January 2020;
• The Administration Office commenced operations in April 2020, guided by legally adopted operational guidelines and with a staff of 12. This office operates as a division of the Ministry of Culture, and the Khan Khentii State Protected Area Administration transferred its custodianship of areas that fall within the World Heritage property to the Administration Office;
• Cultural and historical features in the buffer zone are being identified, researched and registered in a database to assist with the further clarification of the nature of protection that the buffer zone should offer to the property. A preliminary survey of the intangible cultural heritage of the inhabitants of the property was likewise conducted and registered, among others;
• The buffer zone has been marked with five 1.7m-tall stelae in five locations;
• A process to complete a Management Plan is in process, led by the Administration Office. This process was initiated with a consultation meeting, attended by high-level governmental and academic stakeholders. The draft Management Plan, which includes clarification of the protection offered to the property by the buffer zone, a framework for future research activities and risk assessment protocols, was submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review as an annex to the State Party’s report. The ICOMOS Technical Review has been transmitted to the State Party for follow-up action;
• The State Party reports no new conservation or development issues that could negatively impact on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).

The State Party has implemented all the conservation actions to which it committed in its previous state of conservation report. It has clarified the jurisdiction of the various administrations over the property and has simplified and strengthened the management structure for the property. The establishment of the Administration Office for the property and its surrounding sacred landscape is an important step in managing the property and safeguarding its OUV. First conservation activities by the Administration Office have already been completed.

The Administration Office has also completed a draft Management Plan for the property, which has been positively reviewed by ICOMOS. It is noted that the draft Management Plan includes a summary of amendments made to the 2014 Law on the Protection of Cultural Heritage, which comprises an injunction on mining, agricultural and industrial activities, and building infrastructure at historical and cultural memorial sites and their buffer zones, including World Heritage properties. The draft Management Plan also includes conservation programmes that cover preventative and active measures.

The ICOMOS Technical Review of the draft Management Plan has, however, highlighted some shortcomings that should be addressed before it is implemented, by including:

• Monitoring of the state of conservation, protection and management of the property and its buffer zone through the use of key indicators;
• A detailed policy and plans for tourism/pilgrimage infrastructure development and visitor control;
• A detailed action plan (mid-term or short term) with the timetable, actions, priorities and duration, estimated budget and sources, implementing agencies and monitoring indicators.

It is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to address these issues before resubmitting the final draft for review and implementing the Management Plan.

The State Party has satisfactorily addressed all the requests made by the World Heritage Committee at the time of inscription of the property on the World Heritage List (Decision 39 COM 8B.15). The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies conclude that there is no need for a further review by the Committee at this time, but the Committee may nonetheless recall the provisions of paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, should the State Party consider major projects within or in the vicinity of the property in the future.