Ennedi Massif: Natural and Cultural Landscape

Factors identified at the time of inscription in 2016:

• Need to strengthen the legal protection status of the property and to extend the property to include all attributes of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV)
• Inadequate management plan and lack of management authority
• Need for a zonation which allows full protection of the key areas for biodiversity
• Need to guarantee the full participation of the local communities and of their traditional authorities in the management of the property

N/A

On 24 January 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1475/documents/ and provides the following information:

• The Directorate of Classified Sites was established in the Ministry of Culture and Promotion of Diversity (MCPD). Management entities for the property were improved. A Site Manager now leads the recently created Site Management Unit, which is overseen by the Local Site Management Committee. A National Inter-Ministerial Committee for World Heritage Sites provides coordination between different national ministries;

• Operational management of the property by the African Parks Network (APN) continues based on a 5-year business plan. Monitoring of animal populations informs conservation strategies and a team of 40 eco-guards ensures surveillance of the property and counters poaching. The arrangement between APN and the State Party is coordinated by a Board of Directors, composed of representatives of APN, the MCDP, the Ministry of the Environment and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Tourism Development and Handicrafts. A Governing Council is chaired alternately by the governors of the two provinces in which the property is located;
• Meetings commenced in 2022 between government ministries, technical and financial partners, the site management team and local communities to revise the management plan;
• In February 2020, 11 red-necked ostriches were translocated to the property;
• During 2021, an archaeological and an environmental anthropology studies were initiated to establish a plan for the protection and enhancement of the rock art of the Ennedi Massif, and to gain a socio-ecological understanding of pastoral life within a 60 km radius of the Guelta d'Archei;
• A collaborative APN and Department of Archaeology technical field mission investigated about 200 rock art, iron and steel, prehistoric, necropolis and settlement sites, reporting on their state of conservation, including any damage caused by vandalism, climatic factors and the activities of animals. No vandalism of rock art sites has occurred since 2017;
• Awareness-raising and training sessions for local communities have been carried out and a local convention will be adopted to reinforce existing measures.

The State Party report regrettably once more provides little new information on the state of conservation of the property or on the actions taken to implement the requests of the Committee at the time of inscription (Decision 40 COM 8B.15). In this regard, it is important to recall again that the 2016 Advisory Bodies’ evaluation of the nomination considered the inscription of the property to be premature since it did not meet the protection and management requirements of the Operational Guidelines, the need to further document attributes under criterion (ix) and the fact that the proposed boundaries were considered inadequate to protect all attributes of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV).

The actions taken by the State Party and its partner APN are noted, especially the efforts to put in place basic surveillance and resourcing for the property, undertaking field visits and ecological monitoring, implementing studies, and working with local communities who live in and around the property. However, little or no information is provided on the following key issues raised in the aforementioned Committee Decision at the time of inscription:

• While the establishment of a management unit is noted, it is unclear if the legal protection status of the property has been strengthened. The report refers to the 2016 legislation, which was considered not to meet the requirements of the Operational Guidelines at the time of inscription. The report also refers to a 2019 Decree, however no details are provided on whether this replaces the 2016 Decree and how it strengthens the legal protection;
• No information on a zonation system for the property is provided. It needs to be recalled that the Reserve is a multiple use area, where the use of natural resources by local communities is allowed. Therefore, it is important to establish zonation in order to ensure that sensitive areas protecting key attributes of the OUV are given a more robust protection status. In this respect, the importance of the establishment of a detailed botanical inventory of the site, to identify all important refugia and areas for relict flora that directly inform the zoning of the property and ensure adequate levels of protection should be reiterated;
• There is a further need to clarify the institutional management regime of the property and the responsibilities of the ministries in charge of culture and environment, as well as the role of the management unit and the operational partner APN;
• No concrete information is provided on the specific measures taken to address the various threats identified at the time of inscription nor on the measures taken to guarantee the participation of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLC) in the management of the property. While it is noted that the recruited staff is from the region, further empowerment of local communities in the formal management of the site including the responsibility for conservation activities is needed, particularly given the emphasis on the importance of traditional management practices. No further details are provided regarding the preparation of a “local convention”;
• No cartographic documentation and mapping of the sites so far inventoried has been submitted. This information is important as a baseline for protection, conservation and management purposes;

It is important that the aforementioned points are addressed and clearly integrated in a revised management plan for the whole property that meets the requirements of the Operational Guidelines. Whilst the reported business plan is noted, no details of its content were provided. The requested management plan should be finalised as a matter of priority to ensure a cohesive management framework for the property going forward.

No information is provided on the request to extend the northern boundaries of the property to include all attributes of OUV including the rock art sites. Recalling the fact that the boundaries as inscribed were considered not appropriate to protect the full range of attributes of OUV, the State Party should again be requested to revise and extend the boundaries as per previous decisions. It is recommended that the State Party consult with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies before finalizing the proposal for the boundaries of the Natural and Cultural Reserve of Ennedi to guarantee that all important areas are included and that an appropriate buffer zone is foreseen and to submit a request for boundary modification for examination by the World Heritage Committee as requested in Decisions 42 COM 7B.64 and 44 COM 7B.71.

The information that no vandalism of rock art has occurred since 2017 is welcomed. However, the requested detailed report of the extent of the damage and measures taken to rehabilitate vandalized rock art sites was not provided. The reported field visits to sites of cultural heritage in the property are noted but it is unclear if these missions are recent or the same as those already reported. The State Party should be requested to present more details on the status of biodiversity, including flagship species such as the relic crocodile population, as well as on the planned species reintroductions.