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State of Conservation Lake Turkana National ... 2023

Lake Turkana National Parks

Kenya
Factors affecting the property in 2023*
  • Illegal activities
  • Land conversion
  • Livestock farming / grazing of domesticated animals
  • Management systems/ management plan
  • Oil and gas
  • Water infrastructure
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Impacts of the Gibe III dam
  • Other planned hydro-electric developments and associated large-scale irrigation projects in the Omo region
  • Oil exploration
  • Wildlife population decline and pressure from poaching and livestock grazing
  • Impacts of the larger development vision for Northern Kenya
  • Management capacity of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and National Museums of Kenya (NMK)
  • Redesigning the boundaries of the property
Threats for which the property was inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger

2018: Potential irreversible loss of the property’s OUV caused by impacts of various development projects on the Omo River (Kuraz irrigation project, Gibe III dam) on water and nutrient flow into Lake Turkana; 2021: Poaching and encroachment leading to steep decline and local extinctions of wildlife populations.

Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger

Drafted

Corrective Measures for the property

Not yet identified

Timeframe for the implementation of the corrective measures

Not yet identified

UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2023

USD 250,000 from the Norwegian government (2021-present)

International Assistance: requests for the property until 2023
Requests approved: 2 (from 2000-2001)
Total amount approved : 35,300 USD
2001 Finalising the nomination files for "Lake Turkana ... (Approved)   10,000 USD
2000 Management Plan Project: "Sibiloi/Central Island ... (Approved)   25,300 USD
Missions to the property until 2023**

March 2012 and April 2015: Joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring missions; March 2020: World Heritage Centre Reactive Monitoring mission

2020 Report on the Reactive Monitoring Mission to the Lake Turkana National Parks (Kenya), 6-11 March 2020
2015 Report on the Reactive Monitoring Mission to the Lake Turkana National Parks (Kenya), 3-7 April 2015
2012 Reactive Monitoring Mission to Lake Turkana National Parks (Kenya), 14 – 22 March 2012
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2023

On 5 April 2022 the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/801/documents/ and reporting the following:

  • A significant drop in tourism revenue was recorded due to the COVID-19 pandemic but financial resources have continued to be secured for operation and management of the property. An oversight of the three components of the property is maintained by the Regional Director and under the command of the Warden Sibiloi. Park staff numbers have increased and multi-agency operations to control livestock encroachment into the property have been periodically undertaken;
  • A strategy to address the challenges affecting the management of the property, including declining wildlife species and populations has been developed through an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Omo River-Lake Turkana Basin;
  • The Inter-Ministerial Committee is also reviewing other matters concerning the property including the boundaries of the property and the bilateral engagements with the State Party of Ethiopia for the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Efforts to engage with the State Party of Ethiopia are reported to have been unsuccessful so far;
  • The State party submitted to the World Heritage Centre, a request for funding to support the development and implementation corrective measures and the finalization of the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR),;
  • Lake water levels in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley including Lake Turkana have been rising in recent years, leading to the production of a scoping report in 2021 titled “Rising Water Levels in Kenya’s Rift Valley Lakes, Turkwel Gorge Dam and Lake Victoria” to assess the socio-economic and ecological impacts and make recommendations on required actions. The report, available online at https://carrzeeorg.files.wordpress.com/2021/11/kenyarisingwatermenr-scoping-report-latest-5-07-21.pdf, identifies key interventions including community sensitization, hydrological monitoring, supporting fisheries, securing and protecting riparian lands;
  • An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) dated June 2020 for “Foundation Stage of the South Lokichar Development for Upstream Oil Production in South Lokichar” is provided.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2023

The State Party’s continued effort to manage the property through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic is appreciated. Recalling that the implementation of the Management Plan has been difficult in the past due to financial and human resource constraints, long-term sustained allocation of resources is required, and an update on the previous Committee request to develop an operational plan and monitoring and evaluation system is still pending. It is also important to further step-up efforts to find a long-term solution with local communities over resource use in the property through community engagement interventions based on consultation and agreement, integrated in the workplans as recommended by the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission.

The establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Omo River-Lake Turkana Basin is noted. It is recommended that the strategy reported to have been developed to address the challenges facing the property is submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, and the State Party also provide further details regarding the proposed timeline and process for the Inter-Ministerial Committee to review the other conservation matters, including the decline in wildlife.

It is regrettable that there has not been successful engagement with results between the two States Parties, and that the State Party of Ethiopia has failed to provide updates on all planned and current development projects in the Turkana Basin including the EIA for the Kuraz Sugar Development Project and the series of dams on the Omo River noted by the 2020 mission, including the Gibe IV (Koysha, under construction) and the planned Gibe V. Lake Turkana being strongly dependent on the Omo River for water inflow, these projects and lack of information on potential downstream impacts on the property are of serious concern. Recalling that the SEA to assess the cumulative impacts of the multiple developments in the Omo-Turkana Basin on the property’s OUV has been pending since 2014 and that the delay may now limit the future options for mitigating negative impacts on the OUV, especially in the light of the continued dam constructions, irrigation projects, and other developments in the basin.

The Committee should urge the States Parties of Kenya and Ethiopia to set up a realistic plan and timeframe to develop the SEA and identify urgently needed mitigation and monitoring measures. There is a pressing concern that failure to mitigate the cumulative impacts of these developments combined with the pressures from poaching, livestock encroachment and illegal fishing could lead to an erosion and eventual loss of the OUV of the property. The workshop requested by the Committee in Decision 44 COM 7A.47 to discuss the impacts of developments in the Lake Turkana Basin and to develop the DSOCR could also agree on the finalization of the SEA. Coordination with UNESCO’s Strategy on DSOCR for Africa is encouraged.

The ESIA for the South Lokichar oil production is for the construction and operation of facilities needed to extract and process crude oil from three oil fields in South Lokichar. It focuses on the identified area of influence as defined by various parameters including water quality and quantity, and it is noted that it does not extend to Lake Turkana or any component of the property. There is however, no update provided on the SEA for the Lamu Port-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Program, which includes the Lamu-Lokichar Crude Oil Pipeline, but also other major developments near the lake such as a resort city. Recalling that the Committee requested the State Party to complete and submit the SEA as soon as possible for review by the Advisory Bodies and that no further components of LAPSSET be implemented until the review has taken place, it is concerning that the SEA has still not been provided.

It is appreciated that the Government of Norway is providing financial support for the development of the DSOCR.Further support to assist with the implementation of some urgent actions to address the current conservation and management challenges in the property, making use of the budget provided by Norway to support natural World Heritage sites on the List of World Heritage in Danger is also under discussion between the State Party and the World Heritage Centre. .

Limited information is provided on the progress achieved in implementing the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission recommendations. As requested previously by the Committee, there is a need for substantial effort to implement the mission recommendations that include developing a site-specific Biodiversity Action Plan; seeking peaceful resolution with communities over resource use; conducting a scientific study on livestock grazing and encroachment; establishing long-term monitoring system for hydrological and limnological data; developing a national overarching master plan for development; and creating a buffer zone around the property.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2023
45 COM 7A.10
Lake Turkana National Parks (Kenya) (N 801bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add,
  2. Recalling Decisions 38 COM 7B.90, 39 COM 7B.4, 40 COM 7B.80, 42 COM 7B.92 and 44 COM 7A.47 adopted at its 38th (Saint-Petersburg, 2012), 39th (Bonn, 2015), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 42nd (Manama, 2018), 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
  3. Appreciates the State Party’s continued effort to manage and resource the property through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and reiterates its request to the State Party to guarantee adequate and sustainable resourcing to protect the property and to develop an operation plan as well as a monitoring and evaluation system to implement the Management Plan focused on the preservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and including a co-management system agreed with local communities on resource use;
  4. Reiterates again its deep regret over the continued lack of a consolidated response by the States Parties of Kenya and Ethiopia to the Committee’s past decisions and urges again the State Party of Ethiopia to provide an urgent update on all planned and current development projects in the Turkana Basin, which could negatively affect the property, and to submit the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Kuraz Sugar Development Project, the Gibe IV (Koysha) dam under construction and the planned Gibe V dam for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
  5. Recalling that a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to assess the cumulative impacts from developments in the Omo-Turkana Basin is crucial to plan for the protection of the property’s OUV and has been pending since 2014, also reiterates its request to the State Party of Kenya to convene as soon as possible, a workshop with participation from the State Party of Ethiopia, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, to discuss the cumulative impacts of developments in the Omo-Turkana Basin on the property, including a realistic plan and timeframe for the SEA, to identify urgently needed mitigation measures and to finalize the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), in consideration of the broader UNESCO DSOCR Strategy for Africa and thanks Norway for committing to financially support the process to develop the DSOCR for the property;
  6. Notes with utmost concern that failure to mitigate the cumulative impacts of the developments in the Omo-Turkana basin, combined with the pressures from poaching, livestock encroachment and illegal fishing could lead to an erosion and eventual loss of the OUV of the property;
  7. Requests the State Party of Kenya to submit to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, details regarding the progress in implementation of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Omo River-Lake Turkana Basin, of the various state of conservation matters pertaining to the property, highlighting the challenges facing the implementation of the developed strategy;
  8. Regrets that no update on the revision of the SEA for the Lamu Port-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Program is provided, and therefore reiterates its request to the State Party to complete as soon as possible the revised SEA, taking into account both individual and cumulative impacts that the Program and its projects may have on the OUV of the property, and that no further components of LAPSSET be implemented until the SEA is completed and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
  9. Also requests the State Party of Kenya to provide an update on the progress in implementing all of the recommendations of the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission, in particular to:
    1. Develop a site-specific Biodiversity Action Plan to restore wildlife populations in the property back to levels present at the time of inscription of the property,
    2. Conduct a comprehensive scientific study to assess the current impacts of grazing and develop a viable grazing pressure reduction strategy, based on grazing capacities, to address encroachment,
    3. Establish a co-management system with local communities that stipulates clear regulations regarding use of resources in the property and potentially provides payment for environmental services to local communities;
    4. Establish a long-term monitoring system for the collection and analysis of hydrological and limnological data in Lake Turkana to assess the ecological changes to the lake system and the related impact on the OUV of the property,
    5. Develop a national overarching Master Plan for development in and adjacent to Lake Turkana to avoid any negative impacts on the lake system and OUV of the property,
    6. Create a buffer zone to the property, possibly covering the whole lake and other critical terrestrial areas with complementary legal and/or customary restrictions on its use and development;
  10. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session;
  11. Decides to retain Lake Turkana National Parks (Kenya) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Read more
45 COM 8C.2
Update of the List of World Heritage in Danger (Retained Properties)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined the state of conservation reports of properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger (WHC/23/45.COM/7A, WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add, WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add.2, WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add.3, WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add.4),
  2. Having examined the recommendations of the Advisory Bodies, decides to retain the following properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:
  • Afghanistan, Cultural Landscape and Archaeological Remains of the Bamiyan Valley (Decision 45 COM 7A.51)
  • Afghanistan, Minaret and Archaeological Remains of Jam (Decision 45 COM 7A.52)
  • Austria, Historic Centre of Vienna (Decision 45 COM 7A.55)
  • Bolivia (Plurinational State of), City of Potosí (Decision 45 COM 7A.18)
  • Central African Republic, Manovo-Gounda St Floris National Park (Decision 45 COM 7A.3)
  • Côte d'Ivoire / Guinea, Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (Decision 45 COM 7A.4)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Garamba National Park (Decision 45 COM 7A.5)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Decision 45 COM 7A.6)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Decision 45 COM 7A.7)
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo, Virunga National Park (Decision 45 COM 7A.8)
  • Egypt, Abu Mena (Decision 45 COM 7A.26)
  • Honduras, Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Decision 45 COM 7A.1)
  • Indonesia, Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Decision 45 COM 7A.15)
  • Iraq, Ashur (Qal'at Sherqat) (Decision 45 COM 7A.27)
  • Iraq, Hatra (Decision 45 COM 7A.28)
  • Iraq, Samarra Archaeological City (Decision 45 COM 7A.29)
  • Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls (site proposed by Jordan) (Decision 45 COM 7A.31)
  • Kenya, Lake Turkana National Parks (Decision 45 COM 7A.10)
  • Libya, Archaeological Site of Cyrene (Decision 45 COM 7A.33)
  • Libya, Archaeological Site of Leptis Magna (Decision 45 COM 7A.34)
  • Libya, Archaeological Site of Sabratha (Decision 45 COM 7A.35)
  • Libya, Old Town of Ghadamès (Decision 45 COM 7A.36)
  • Libya, Rock-Art Sites of Tadrart Acacus (Decision 45 COM 7A.37)
  • Madagascar, Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Decision 45 COM 7A.11)
  • Mali, Old Towns of Djenné (Decision 45 COM 7A.22)
  • Mali, Timbuktu (Decision 45 COM 7A.23)
  • Mali, Tomb of Askia (Decision 45 COM 7A.24)
  • Mexico, Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California (Decision 45 COM 7A.2)
  • Micronesia (Federated States of), Nan Madol: Ceremonial Centre of Eastern Micronesia (Decision 45 COM 7A.53)
  • Niger, Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Decision 45 COM 7A.12)
  • Palestine, Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir (Decision 45 COM 7A.39)
  • Palestine, Hebron/Al-Khalil Old Town (Decision 45 COM 7A.38)
  • Panama, Fortifications on the Caribbean Side of Panama: Portobelo-San Lorenzo (Decision 45 COM 7A.19)
  • Peru, Chan Chan Archaelogical Zone (Decision 45 COM 7A.20)
  • Romania, Roșia Montană Mining Landscape (Decision 45 COM 7A.56)
  • Senegal, Niokolo-Koba National Park (Decision 45 COM 7A.13)
  • Serbia, Medieval Monuments in Kosovo (Decision 45 COM 7A.57)
  • Solomon Islands, East Rennell (Decision 45 COM 7A.16)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Aleppo (Decision 45 COM 7A.40)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Bosra (Decision 45 COM 7A.41)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient City of Damascus (Decision 45 COM 7A.42)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Ancient Villages of Northern Syria (Decision 45 COM 7A.43)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Crac des Chevaliers and Qal’at Salah El-Din (Decision 45COM 7A.44)
  • Syrian Arab Republic, Site of Palmyra (Decision 45 COM 7A.45)
  • United Republic of Tanzania, Selous Game Reserve (Decision 45 COM 7A.14)
  • United States of America, Everglades National Park (Decision 45 COM 7A.17)
  • Uzbekistan, Historic Centre of Shakhrisyabz (Decision 45 COM 7A.54)
  • Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Coro and its Port (Decision 45 COM 7A.21)
  • Yemen, Historic Town of Zabid (Decision 45 COM 7A.47)
  • Yemen, Old City of Sana’a (Decision 45 COM 7A.49)
  • Yemen, Old Walled City of Shibam (Decision 45 COM 7A.50)
3.    Recalls that the following properties were inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger at its 18th extraordinary session (UNESCO, 2023):
  • Lebanon, Rachid Karami International Fair-Tripoli (Decision 18 EXT.COM 5.1)
  • Ukraine, The Historic Centre of Odesa (Decision 18 EXT.COM 5.2)
  • Yemen, Landmarks of the Ancient Kingdom of Saba, Marib (Decision 18 EXT.COM 5.3)
Read more
Draft Decision: 45 COM 7A.10

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add,
  2. Recalling Decisions 38 COM 7B.90, 39 COM 7B.4, 40 COM 7B.80, 42 COM 7B.92 and 44 COM 7A.47, adopted at its 38th (Saint-Petersburg, 2012), 39th (Bonn, 2015), 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016), 42nd (Manama, 2018), 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
  3. Appreciates the State Party’s continued effort to manage and resource the property through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and reiterates its request to the State Party to guarantee adequate and sustainable resourcing to protect the property and to develop an operation plan as well as a monitoring and evaluation system to implement the Management Plan focused on the preservation of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and including a co-management system agreed with local communities on resource use;
  4. Reiterates again its deep regret over the continued lack of a consolidated response by the States Parties of Kenya and Ethiopia to the Committee’s past decisions and urges again the State Party of Ethiopia to provide an urgent update on all planned and current development projects in the Turkana Basin, which could negatively affect the property, and to submit the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Kuraz Sugar Development Project, the Gibe IV (Koysha) dam under construction and the planned Gibe V dam for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
  5. Recalling that a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to assess the cumulative impacts from developments in the Omo-Turkana Basin is crucial to plan for the protection of the property’s OUV and has been pending since 2014, also reiterates its request to the State Party of Kenya to convene as soon as possible, a workshop with participation from the State Party of Ethiopia, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, to discuss the cumulative impacts of developments in the Omo-Turkana Basin on the property, including a realistic plan and timeframe for the SEA, to identify urgently needed mitigation measures and to finalize the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), in consideration of the broader UNESCO DSOCR Strategy for Africa and thanks Norway for financially supporting the process to develop the DSOCR for the property;
  6. Notes with utmost concern that failure to mitigate the cumulative impacts of the developments in the Omo-Turkana basin, combined with the pressures from poaching, livestock encroachment and illegal fishing could lead to an erosion and eventual loss of the OUV of the property;
  7. Requests the State Party of Kenya to submit details regarding the progress and timeline for review by the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Omo River-Lake Turkana Basin of the various state of conservation matters pertaining to the property, and to also submit a copy of the strategy reporting to address the challenges facing the property, to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
  8. Regrets that no update on the revision of the SEA for the Lamu Port-Southern Sudan-Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor Program is provided, and therefore reiterates its request to the State Party to complete as soon as possible the revised SEA, taking into account both individual and cumulative impacts that the Program and its projects may have on the OUV of the property, as well as on Lamu Old Town World Heritage property, and that no further components of LAPSSET be implemented until the SEA is completed and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
  9. Also requests the State Party of Kenya to provide an update on the progress in implementing all of the recommendations of the 2020 Reactive Monitoring mission, in particular to:
    1. Develop a site-specific Biodiversity Action Plan to restore wildlife populations in the property back to levels present at the time of inscription of the property,
    2. Conduct a comprehensive scientific study to assess the current impacts of grazing and develop a viable grazing pressure reduction strategy, based on grazing capacities, to address encroachment,
    3. Establish a co-management system with local communities that stipulates clear regulations regarding use of resources in the property and potentially provides payment for environmental services to local communities;
    4. Establish a long-term monitoring system for the collection and analysis of hydrological and limnological data in Lake Turkana to assess the ecological changes to the lake system and the related impact on the OUV of the property,
    5. Develop a national overarching Master Plan for development in and adjacent to Lake Turkana to avoid any negative impacts on the lake system and OUV of the property,
    6. Create a buffer zone to the property, possibly covering the whole lake and other critical terrestrial areas with complementary legal and/or customary restrictions on its use and development;
  10. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session;
  11. Decides to retain Lake Turkana National Parks (Kenya) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Previous 2021
Report year: 2023
Kenya
Date of Inscription: 1997
Category: Natural
Criteria: (viii)(x)
Danger List (dates): 2018-present
Documents examined by the Committee
WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2022) .pdf
Initialy proposed for examination in 2022
arrow_circle_right 45COM (2023)
Exports
Previous 2021

* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.


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