Three Parallel Rivers of Yunnan Protected Areas

• Water infrastructure (major hydropower development on all main rivers and related infrastructure)
• Mining (within and near the property)
• Management systems/management plan (absence of overall serial property-wide management system and plan including tourism planning; unclear property boundaries and absence of demarcation)
• Major visitor accommodation and associate infrastructure (tourism infrastructure conflicting with conservation objectives)
• Commercial hunting (apparent decline in wildlife populations suspected to be a result of trade in wildlife and wildlife derivatives)

N/A

On 22 November 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1083/documents/ and reports the following, including to address the 2013 IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission:

• Mineral resource extraction is strictly prohibited within the property and buffer zone and is monitored to prevent the reoccurrence of illegal mining; measures include the use of satellite images, video surveillance and patrols on the ground, as well as integrated management information systems operated by the Yunnan Provincial Forestry and Grassland Administration (YFGA);
• Former mining sites continue to naturally regenerate supported by enforced prohibition of access and selected reforestation measures. Since 2021, the Yunnan Province has taken measures including allocating funding, building a database of restoration experts, and formulating standards and procedures to promote the restoration of post-mining sites in the property and buffer zone;
• The institutional arrangement in place involves counties, townships, villages and conservation stations with local residents serving as forest rangers; supervision and evaluation is conducted by the National Forestry and Grasslands Administration (NAFGA);
• Since the 2013 Reactive Monitoring mission recommendation to conduct a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), YFGA allocated funding and tasked a team to review applicable guidance and initiate consultation. Due to COVID-19, online exchange with IUCN is preferred over an IUCN Advisory mission encouraged by the Committee in this context;
• Further progress on the Conservation Management Plan (CMP) includes ongoing consultations involving various administrative levels, experts and the public; a consolidated and ratified version will be shared with the World Heritage Centre. The multiple protected area categories imply involvement of the State Council, NAFGA and the Yunnan provincial government;
• Management effectiveness assessment (MEA) efforts are evolving but are not yet operational;
• Some components of the property are in the process of becoming national parks with strong implications in terms of the legal and policy frameworks, planning and MEA;
• The Dulong River power transmission line project, which crosses the Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve component of the property and its buffer zone to benefit the Dulong ethnic community, was completed in May 2022 and trial operation initiated. The geographical space determined that any route selected would cross the property and buffer zone, that site selection is the “best option that will suffice the power needs of the communities (...) and mitigate the impact on the OUV of the property and its buffer zone” [OUV: Outstanding Universal Value];
• No other requests for power generation projects within the property or its buffer zone have been received, and any power transmission project within these areas will be identified based on the needs of resident communities.

The State Party’s position to strictly prohibit mineral resource extraction in the property and its buffer zone, and corresponding reported monitoring and enforcement, are welcomed, including measures to prevent illegal mining from reoccurring. Similarly, the further clarifications on the approach taken regarding active and passive restoration of former mining sites are welcomed. It is recommended the State Party systematically continue regeneration measures, including to monitor the regenerating sites and inform future measures.

The considerable complexity of managing a large serial property with multiple administrative layers is appreciated. The ongoing reforms, including the State Party’s efforts to create overlapping national parks under the umbrella of its emerging national park system, come with an opportunity to further enhance the clarity and coherence of the governance and management approach to the property. The SEA requested by the Committee would serve as a valuable tool and framework to guide decision-making beyond the level of individual development projects and the level of single components of the property. Recalling that the Committee urged the State Party to further improve and finalise the SEA so that the results can inform management and decision making for future developments, it is regrettable that progress on the SEA remains limited. In light of the State Party’s initial request for further advice, and that travel restrictions are for the most part lifted, it is again recommended that the State Party be encouraged to invite an IUCN Advisory mission to address the SEA. Such mission would also enable helpful dialogue regarding the ongoing institutional reforms and the reported creation of national parks overlapping with the property, as well as on the ongoing elaboration of the CMP prior to its submission to the World Heritage Centre as requested by the Committee. It would also provide an opportunity to discuss the evolving overarching MEA system.

The reported completion in 2022 of the Dulong River power transmission project, which crosses a large section of the Gaoligongshan National Nature Reserve component of the property and its buffer zone, raises concerns, given that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) submitted in 2021 had identified impacts during both the construction and operation phases on flora and fauna and on the scenic values of the property, and the Committee subsequently requested the State Party to explore an alternative option that will not impact the OUV (Decision 44 COM 7B.182). It needs to be recalled that the 2013 mission already requested the State Party to avoid the construction of transmission infrastructure within the property and its buffer zone (Decision 44 COM 7B.182). Whilst the State Party’s emphasis on the socio-economic benefits for the local community, and statement that it is ensuring the OUV, are noted, it is unclear whether this project impacts the OUV and what mitigating measures have been taken to address the issues raised in the EIA prior to construction. It is critical that strict measures are implemented to ensure the protection of the OUV throughout the ongoing operation of the line and it is recommended the State Party report on these.

Important concerns regarding cumulative impacts of the proposed power line with the construction of Dulongjiang Highway completed in 2015 within the same component are also recalled. Furthermore, while the State Party reported that no other power or infrastructure projects have been proposed within the property or its buffer zone, it is recalled with concern that the State Party confirmed via a letter in March 2019 four other power transmission projects crossing the property and its buffer zones, including two ongoing projects in Deqin County 1) ‘Sancha River first stage and second stage hydropower station transmission and transformation projects’ under construction since April 2018 and 2) ‘110KV Power Transmission and Transformation Construction Project’ in an EIA process at that time. Concerns also continue to remain regarding the potential indirect and cumulative impacts of hydropower and related infrastructure along the three main rivers and tributaries and associated catchments, as detailed in the previous report by the World Heritage Centre and IUCN. Specifically, recalling the importance of the north-south longitudinal connectivity within each valley as an essential passageway for wildlife, and that dams not only constitute physical barriers but interrupt natural flow and flood pulse dynamics, sediment and nutrient transport, and lead to ecosystem fragmentation. The aforementioned SEA provides a strategic approach to assess such development proposals in the context of ensuring the protection of the World Heritage values. In this regard, it is important that any proposed project that may impact the OUV, whether located within the property, its buffer zone or its wider setting, is assessed for its potential impact (including direct, indirect and cumulative impacts on the OUV) in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, prior to making any decision that would be difficult to reverse.