The Sundarbans

• Pollution of marine waters
• Changes to oceanic waters (High level of salinity, sea level rise)
• Water infrastructure (Reduction in freshwater inflows, dredging of the Pashur River)
• Management systems/management plan (Overall governance and management of the property)
• Storms (Loss of monitoring capacity due to cyclone damage)
• Illegal activities (Tiger poaching)
• Forestry/wood production (Unsustainable harvesting of timber and non-timber forest products)
• Non-renewable energy facilities (Thermal Power Plant project such as the Rampal power plant development project)
• Others: Need for an assessment of cumulative impacts on the property via a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)

Total amount granted: USD 32,590 from Switzerland following a Special Appeal by the Sector for External Relations of UNESCO; 2017: USD 32,527 from the UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust for technical support to the Sundarbans World Heritage property

On 31 January 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/798/documents/ and reports the following:

• The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for the south-west region of Bangladesh and its corresponding Strategic Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) were finalized in January 2022, following a national-level stakeholder meeting in October 2021, and are undergoing Government endorsement. No decision on any large-scale industrial and/or infrastructure developments in the vicinity of the property has meanwhile been made;
• The construction of Maitree Super Thermal Power Project (STPP, formerly Rampal power plant) is ongoing and is being monitored against the Environmental Management Plan (EMP);
• Funding allocation for the implementation of the National Oil Spill and Chemical Contingency Plan (NOSCOP) and the preparation of a localized contingency plan are underway;
• The Mongla Port Authority is implementing a Vessel Traffic Management Information System and the Standard Operational Procedures for disaster management for the port;
• The second India-Bangladesh Joint Working Group (JWG), postponed since 2020, is scheduled for February/March 2022. Upstream freshwater flow is being negotiated through the India-Bangladesh Joint River Commission (JRC);
• Traffic through the Shela River has been reduced as the navigability of an alternative route of Mongla-Ghosiakhali channel (outside the Sundarbans) has been increased;
• Conservation measures in the property are being strengthened further through Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tools (SMART) patrols, which are leading to a decline in wildlife-related offences. A drone-based monitoring system is in place since March 2021, and the moratorium on commercial logging in the property was extended until 2022;
• In October 2021, an action plan, a management plan and a fund management guideline for dolphin conservation were approved. Several other activities for the conservation of dolphins in the Sundarbans have also been implemented, and the State Party will conduct dolphin surveys in relation to the proposed Barisal (Taltoli) and Payra Thermal (Kolapara) power plants;
• In 2021, the Wildlife Victims Compensation Rules were enacted to address human-wildlife conflict in and around the Sundarbans;
• A new 2021–2030 Integrated Management Plan for the Sundarbans is in development, which will emphasize local community involvement and participation in the management and explore alternative income generation activities;
• The recommendations of the 2019 World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission are being implemented.

The World Heritage Centre requested the State Party to officially submit the SEA and its SEMP, in accordance with Decision 44 COM 7B.91, on 2 February, 22 February and 25 April 2022, which were submitted by the State Party on 15 February 2023.

On 10 May 2023, the World Heritage Centre sent a further letter to the State Party conveying third party concerns over the assessment of industrial development and large infrastructure activities to which the State Party responded to with a report submitted on 3 July 2023, which could not be reviewed for inclusion in the present report.

The State Party has continued to make positive efforts towards enhancing the protection of the property and has made progress in implementing the 2019 mission recommendations. In particular, the reported positive results from SMART patrols and the actions related to dolphin conservation are welcomed. The reported plans to strengthen community involvement in the management of the site and address alternative income options are also encouraging, and the State Party should ensure adequate consultations with communities take place in developing these plans.

Recalling that the SEA has been requested by the Committee since 2014 (Decision 38 COM 7B.64), the completion of the SEA and SEMP in 2021 is appreciated, although they were only submitted to the World Heritage Centre in 2023. While it is positive that the scope of the SEA includes the wider southwest region of Bangladesh, the Committee requested the SEA to specifically assess potential impacts in relation to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), and it is noted that there is no distinction between the impacts identified under the different development scenarios for the wider region and specific impacts on the OUV of the property. Conclusions and mitigation measures appear to be based on assumptions (e.g. the tiger population will experience “healthy growth” under a “high-growth” development scenario if there is a “considerable reduction of anthropogenic pressure and improved management practice, suitable habitat improves […] and poaching is brought to a minimum”), and therefore their justifications and feasibility are unclear. The SEA also reports that the scale of the potential impact on the OUV is unknown and requires further research, and that there is a clear risk of direct, indirect and cumulative impacts from developments in the study area over the next 20 years if appropriate and adequate mitigation measures are not taken, and that there remains a need to analyse potential risks and impacts in more detail. Factors such as climate change, freshwater availability, land conversion, or socio-economic benefits to local communities are not fully considered.

Noting therefore that further research is required to more explicitly determine the potential impacts on the OUV of the property, including the scale, it is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to undertake further studies to specifically assess the potential risks and impacts of different scenarios on the OUV, which also consider factors such as climate change and freshwater flow, and that the findings of further studies inform future decision making to ensure the long-term protection of the OUV and avoid adverse impacts from large-scale industrial development in the vicinity of the property. The State Party should also be requested to keep the World Heritage Centre informed of any proposals for major projects that may impact on the OUV in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, including further development of the Mongla Port and any other development that might further increase traffic on the Pashur River, and to ensure the appropriate assessment of impacts in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context.

Effective transboundary cooperation through the JWG and JRC is vital to address water flow to the property, and the States Parties of Bangladesh and India should be requested to continue strengthening this coordinated effort, including in relation to the Sundarbans National Park in India.

Recalling that the NOSCOP was approved in February 2020, it is concerning that funding for its implementation has still not been secured, and it is vital that implementation can start as soon as possible. The development of a localized contingency plan, as requested by the Committee in Decision 44 COM 7B.91, should also be accelerated to ensure immediate and coordinated actions to mitigate impacts in case of emergency.