Talamanca Range-La Amistad Reserves / La Amistad National Park

• Water infrastructure - Construction of hydroelectric dams near the property in Panama and associated effects (greater human presence near the property, interruption of aquatic species migratory corridor) - Approval of a new hydropower project (Changuinola II or CHAN 140) without prior finalization of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the entire property
• Lack of a long-term biological monitoring program to implement mitigation measures that minimize the negative impacts on the property caused by hydroelectric projects
• Land conversion (Encroachment) and Livestock farming / grazing of domesticated animals (settlements, cattle ranching)
• Planned road construction, which would traverse the property on the side of Panama (issue resolved)
• Illegal activities
• Management systems / management plan

Total amount granted: USD 30,000 from the Rapid Response Facility

On 25 November 2022, the States Parties submitted a joint state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/205/documents/ and reports the following:

• Despite resource constraints, the park authorities continued with training, environmental education and patrolling within the property to monitor and control poaching, illegal logging, settlements and encroachment; budgetary challenges in Costa Rica were partially supported by partnering with a non-governmental organization;
• The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) is used in Costa Rica to systematize data and identify hotspots of threats;
• Costa Rican authorities are cooperating with indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in environmental education activities, accompaniment in patrols, waste collection campaigns, among other activities;
• A Participation Strategy for the Caribbean sector of the property (ACLAC) was produced to ensure participation of the eight indigenous territories that surround the property in the Caribbean sector into the governance of the property;
• Binational patrolling was limited due to the COVID-19-related temporary border closure; regular binational coordination meetings through the Binational Technical Executing Unit for the management of La Amistad International Park (UTEB-PILA) resumed in 2022;
• Following delays due to COVID-19, a draft management plan for the Panamanian side was approved. Finalization, approval and submission to the World Heritage Centre are foreseen within the first half of 2023;
• After submitting the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the property to the World Heritage Centre in early 2022, adjustments were made to ensure consistency between the two States Parties. A revised and approved SEA is submitted for IUCN review. The SEA will allow, through a participatory process, the definition of the best development options, accounting for environmental and sustainability issues related to development plans;
• The Changuinola II hydropower project (CHAN II) has not been resumed, despite the fact that it is recognized as a State necessity, and Panama reaffirms its commitment to prior consultations with the World Heritage Centre should it be resumed, as well as the consideration of the IUCN review of the SEA;
• Monitoring reports on aquatic biodiversity from Palo Seco Protected Forest adjacent to the property produced under concession contracts with the operators of the CHAN I and Bonyic hydropower projects are shared by Panama; for CHAN I further related activities include capture and relocation of species and environmental education;
• The property is one of five transboundary priorities of a major regional project (Linking the Central American Landscape) funded by the Government of Germany; the focus is on land between protected areas; further project support includes SMART training.

The States Parties’ efforts to continue patrols despite resource constraints is welcomed, as is the establishment of partnerships and projects to fill the gaps created by the ongoing budgetary challenges. Costa Rica’s efforts to engage in increasingly participatory approaches are welcomed to facilitate diverse and resilient management and governance going forward. The States Parties should be encouraged to continue to ensure indigenous communities have a meaningful role in management and governance throughout the property.

It is also encouraging that the UTEB-PILA resumed its regular meetings after temporary border closure due to COVID-19. SMART patrolling is welcomed and encouraged as a tool to further systematize and harmonize monitoring and data management on both sides of the border. The planned finalization, approval and submission of the management plan by Panama in the first half of 2023 are noted, and the State Party should be encouraged to complete this process as soon as possible.

It is once more welcomed that the CHAN II hydropower project has not been re-activated, noting Panama’s commitment to consult with the World Heritage Centre, should reactivation be considered. Recalling the Committee’s position that any development of new hydropower projects prior to the finalization and adequate independent review of the SEA for the entire property would represent a danger to the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) in line with Paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines, potentially calling for a broad mobilization to preserve its OUV, including the possible inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger, the State Party of Panama’s reaffirmed commitment to its obligations under the Convention as well as the commitment to pursue development options through a participatory process in line with the SEA, is noted. In this context, the submission of an amended and approved version of the SEA is acknowledged. The IUCN review is ongoing and will be communicated separately to the State Party of Panama.

The continued monitoring enabled under concession contracts with the operators of the two existing hydropower projects in the Palo Seco Protected Forest in Panama (CHAN I and Bonyic) are noted. It is recommended to move beyond project activities by establishing reliable funding mechanisms for long-term monitoring. Such monitoring should focus on informing concrete mitigation measures to ensure the OUV of the property is not negatively impacted.

The property in the territories of both States Parties is for the most part surrounded by a number of protected and conserved areas serving as de facto buffer zones. Nevertheless, recalling that this is not formally designated as a buffer zone for the property, the new regional project (Linking the Central American Landscape) focusing on land between protected areas could play an important role to enhance the connectivity between component parts of the property and therefore its integrity through an additional layer of protection to the property’s OUV, including several indigenous territories in Costa Rica, as well as the Volcán Barú National Park and the Palo Seco Protected Forest in Panama. The States Parties should be encouraged to build on the enhanced protection of these areas through this initiative by identifying and establishing a formal buffer zone for the property.