Sangha Trinational

• Civil unrest
• Poaching
• Mining
• Road and river transport project
• Optical fibre project in the vicinity of the property
• Forestry exploitation permits in the buffer zone

Total amount granted: 250,000 Euros from 2008 to 2013 and 700 000 Euros from 2016 to 2021 through the Central African World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI) funded by the European Union

On 30 November 2020, the States Parties submitted a joint report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1380/documents, which provides the following information:

• Improvement in the management of the property by harmonizing the use of SMART and IMET tools, operationalizing the control room and a rapid intervention team, increasing the number of staff dedicated to the anti-poaching fight, capacity building and swearing-in of 25 eco-guards, monitoring of legal proceedings against poachers as well as the development of an integrated multi-actor anti-poaching strategy;
• In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, surveillance and police efforts have declined as unemployment and insecurity increase pressure on the property;
• The updating of development plans continues in Cameroon and the Central African Republic while validation is awaited in Congo. Cross-border cooperation is being strengthened through the tri-national structures put in place;
• The integrity of the property is maintained despite agricultural pressure, illegal gold mining, poaching and illegal logging. The annual rate of loss of plant cover is estimated at 0.03%;
• In the buffer zone of the property, no mining permits exist in Congo and permits have not been renewed in Cameroon. In the Central African Republic, an artisanal mining zone is being created in the buffer zone with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) accompanied by an environmental and social management plan have been produced;
• Cooperation efforts with indigenous populations have intensified. In Congo, six decrees were issued in application of Law No. 5-2011 promoting the rights of indigenous peoples. In Cameroon, the multi-stakeholder body responsible for implementing the memorandum of understanding with the Baka communities has been operational since September 2019. In the Central African Republic, a memorandum of understanding for the creation of a conflict management mechanism was signed in November 2020. Within the property, efforts to train staff on indigenous peoples' rights and good behaviour have intensified;
• In Cameroon and Congo, all forest concessions in the buffer zone are certified OLB and TLTV in Cameroon and FSC in Congo. The two forest concessions in the buffer zone in the Central African Republic are not certified, but management agreements have been signed and EIAs drawn up. States Parties have committed to defining strategic guidelines to minimize the effects of forestry activities on ecological connectivity;
• No follow-up has been given by the Economic Community of Central African States to the development project for the waterway on the Sangha;
• A memorandum of understanding for tourist traffic in the property was signed on 17 October 2019 and human and financial resources are being mobilized to establish an ecotourism strategy.

On 24 March 2021, the World Heritage Centre sent a letter to the State Party of the Central African Republic requesting information on the aforementioned artisan mining project. On 20 May, the Embassy of the United States of America in the Central African Republic indicated that the project is located outside the buffer zone of the property, that it is not a new mining operation but a multi-stakeholder activity aimed at improved management of the natural resources and reduced pressure on the protected areas of Dzangha-Sanga.

In November 2020, the report “Embedding human rights in nature conservation: from intent to action - report of the Independent Panel of Experts of the Independent Review of allegations raised in the media regarding human rights violations in the context of WWF's conservation work” was published and highlights human rights concerns with reference to the management of the property.

Improvement of management efficiency by consolidating cross-border cooperation, updating the property's development plans, harmonizing management and monitoring tools, strengthening monitoring capacities, monitoring legal proceedings and the signing of a memorandum of understanding for tourist circulation is all positive.

Continuing dialogue with indigenous and local populations, training staff in human rights issues and indigenous peoples, putting in place legal and operational provisions for the recognition of their rights as well as their involvement in management of the property are welcomed. Recalling the concerns raised in the independent review initiated by WWF International, it is recommended that States Parties be requested to ensure that any concerns are addressed in accordance with relevant international standards, the World Heritage and Sustainable Development Policy, and taking into account the recommendations of the independent review.

The decrease in patrol efforts linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, together with the persistence of illegal activities such as poaching, gold panning and logging are of concern, and it is recommended to intensify surveillance efforts to control any illegal activity within the property and ensure the ecological restoration of degraded sites.

The limited decrease in vegetation cover is noted. However, faunal censuses remain sparse and variable in the property and do not allow an assessment of the state of conservation of populations, especially mammals. It is recommended to harmonize these censuses in order to obtain precise and comparable data over time on the characteristic species of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).

In the buffer zone of the property, the rescinding of the three mining permits in Cameroon and the absence of mining activities in Congo are welcomed. The reported establishment of a new artisanal mining area with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) near the property in the Central African Republic is a cause for concern. However, noting the clarification provided by the Embassy of the United States of America that the project aims to better manage natural resources and reduce pressure on protected areas, it is recommended that the State Party provide clarifications on the potential impacts of this project on the OUV of the property.

In addition, the World Heritage Centre has received information on the allocation of oil exploration blocks in the northern region of the Congo. One of them could encroach upon the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, an integral part of the property. A letter, which has remained unanswered to date, was sent to the State Party on 1 August 2019 to obtain information in accordance with paragraph 174 of the Operational Guidelines. It is recommended that the Committee recall the incompatibility of oil, mining and gas exploration and exploitation with World Heritage status and that it urges the State Party of Congo to immediately revoke any permits that would infringe on the property.

The lack of progress in the development project for the waterway on the Sangha is noted. Furthermore, it is regrettable that the States Parties have not provided any information regarding the EIA and the progress of the Ouesso-Bangui road project. It is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to States Parties not to undertake these projects until EIAs are completed and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN.

The certification of forest concessions in the buffer zone of the property in Cameroon is a step forward, however this certification only targets the legality of production and does not provide for measures to ensure the conservation of biodiversity. The situation of the two forest concessions in the buffer zone of the property in the Central African Republic remains of concern. Only the EIA of the Operating License for a concession has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre but it does not adequately assess the impacts of the activity on the OUV of the property and points to the increase in environmental damage locally. It is recommended to request the State Party of the Central African Republic to provide adequate assessments of the impacts of these activities on the OUV of the property, to avoid any activity incompatible with the preservation of the OUV and to prioritize the certification of these two  concessions. The commitment of States Parties to define strategic directions to minimize the effects of forestry activities on ecological connectivity is welcomed and it is recommended to promote certification that minimizes the impacts on biodiversity by all forest concessions in the buffer zone.