Landscapes of Dauria

• Mining (Mongolia)
• Management systems / management plans (Transboundary management coordination) (Mongolia and Russian Federation)
• Illegal activities (Short of coordinated capacities to prevent and minimize the effects of hunting, poaching and other threats to the integrity of the property) (Mongolia and Russian Federation)
• Financial and human resources (Short of resources and capacities allocated to the management of the protected areas) (Mongolia and Russian Federation)

N/A

The States Parties of the Russian Federation and Mongolia submitted separate state of conservation reports on 1 and 11 February 2022 respectively, which are available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1448/documents/ and provide the following updates:

• The State Party of Mongolia confirms that the Onon-Ulz Dam project has been suspended and that no activity will be implemented until an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project, which was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is conducted;
• Research undertaken by the State Party of the Russian Federation concluded that the Onon-Ulz dam project is likely to have an irreversible impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, notably through a significant loss of water in the lower reaches of the Ulz River and in the Torey Lakes, especially during the dry season, resulting in a significant decrease in bird populations, including relict gull, swan goose, white-naped crane, and great bustard, as well as impacting local communities through reduced water quality;
• In March 2021, a roundtable on the risks of dam construction on the Ulz River was organised with the participation of relevant authorities and local communities. The project is stated to also have a likely indirect negative impact on Lake Baikal World Heritage property (Russian Federation);
• A trilateral online meeting of the China-Mongolia-Russia International Protected Area Agreement (DIPA) working group took place in 2021, during which the State Party of the Russian Federation proposed a transboundary EIA for the Onon-Ulz Dam project and a drainage project in the Kerulen river;
• The property has experienced a prolongued dry period due to the climatic cycle in the region, resulting in a decrease in the area of wetlands and migratory birds within the property. However, the ecosystems in the property are experiencing changes characteristic of the initial stage of long-term wet climatic periods;
• Within the framework of the DIPA, cooperative censuses for aquatic and semi-aquatic birds and Mongolian Gazelles were carried out in 2021, and the obtained data were shared among the States Parties;
• Possibilities for the future expansion of the transboundary property were proposed to be discussed at the next meeting of the DIPA working group in 2022;
• The State Party of the Russian Federation added 39,000 hectares of land to the strictly protected area of the Daursky Nature Reserve (DNR) in 2021 and is further considering a future expansion of the buffer zone to include wetlands of the Borzya River;
• The management plans for the Ugtam Nature Refuge and the Mongol Daguur Strictly Protected Area components of the property in Mongolia are still in the process of revision. The new plans will be adopted once finalised.

On 2 March 2022, the World Heritage Centre informed the State Party of Mongolia that it had received third-party information indicating a possible resumption of on-site construction work of the Onon-Ulz Dam project. On 9 May 2022, the State Party of Mongolia replied to reiterate that there had been no progress on the construction, which was suspended pending the finalisation of an EIA, expected to be completed by September 2022.

On 19 May 2022, the World Heritage Centre informed the State Party of the Russian Federation that it had received information from third parties concerning the approval of a gold mining prospecting licence on the headwaters and tributaries of Imalka River in the Russian Federation. The concession area is reportedly situated only 900 meters from the border of the property in Mongolia. No response has been received from the State Party of the Russian Federation at the time of writing this report.

The confirmation by the State Party of Mongolia that the Onon-Ulz Dam project has been suspended and no activities will be implemented until the EIA for the project is conducted is noted, despite reports of resumed construction. The information that the project would have serious impacts on surrounding local communities and the OUV of the property, in particular in the dry season, is of utmost concern, especially considering the potentially significant impacts of the project to the Ulz Basin and the Torey lakes, and that recent climatic conditions have already affected bird species, including those that migrate through the East Asian-Australasian Flyway and represent a key attribute of the property’s OUV. The State Party of Mongolia should be urged to maintain the suspension of any activities associated with the project until the EIA for the project is submitted to the World Heritage Centre. The EIA should be undertaken in consultation with the States Parties of the Russian Federation and China, to assess the potential impacts of the project on the OUV of the property and include an assessment of the potential impacts on the Lake Baikal World Heritage property, taking also into consideration future climate scenarios and the potential for the project to compound the negative impacts of climate change to the property’s OUV.

Cooperation between States Parties in monitoring the key bird species and Mongolian Gazelle under the DIPA framework is welcomed and should be encouraged to continue. Noting the significance of the transboundary watersheds in supporting the OUV of the property, States Parties, including the State Party of China, should be further encouraged to develop measures to ensure the preservation of the hydrological regime of these transboundary watercourses, consistent with the conservation of the OUV of the property, including through comprehensive assessment and monitoring of the hydrological regime in the transboundary region, and actions to ensure the natural hydrological balance of the property, including mitigation and adaptation to the predicted impacts of climate change. Furthermore, noting proposals to discuss the future expansion of the property under the DIPA, the States Parties should be encouraged once again to consider a potential future expansion of the property. Considering the importance of effective transboundary cooperation, it is regrettable that reports on the state of conservation of the property were submitted separately by each State Party. A joint report on the state of conservation of the property is therefore encouraged to be submitted for examination by the Committee at its 47th session, in accordance with the Committee’s previous requests.

The third-party information about the approval of a gold mining prospecting licence in the Russian Federation, reportedly situated only 900 metres from the Mongolian border of the property, is of the utmost concern. The area is a known winter habitat of Mongolian Gazelle and several rare birds of prey, and the associated lakes act as important refuges for aquatic fauna during prolonged droughts. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party of the Russian Federation not to proceed with the planned gold prospection activities, given the importance of this area to support the property’s OUV.

It is noted with concern that the management plans for the Ugtam Nature Refuge and the Mongol Daguur Strictly Protected Area components of the property in Mongolia are still in the process of revision. The State Party of Mongolia should be requested to expedite the process of finalising the management plans, and encouraged to strengthen resources and capacities for the effective implementation of the updated management plans, once adopted.