Western Tien-Shan

• Management systems / Management Plan (Need to finalize the transboundary management framework for the property; Need to further develop collaboration between the States Parties in the framework of a tripartite Memorandum for management of the property; Need to review and rationalize the boundaries of the components of the property and their buffer zones to ensure that they fully correspond to Criterion (x))
• Human resources (Lack of capacity on transnational management)

N/A

On 4 August 2023, the States Parties submitted a joint report on the state of conservation of the property, a summary of which is available here: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1490/documents/, and which reports the following:

• Following the signing of the previously reported Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the three States Parties, the Regional Committee for the management of the property has been formed, including representatives of responsible state bodies, protected natural areas and relevant international organizations from each State Party. Two Regional Committee meetings were held in Kazakhstan (July 2021) and in Kyrgyzstan (May 2022) respectively, and the third meeting is planned to be held in Uzbekistan;
• A Work Plan (2021-2025) has been agreed and is under implementation. The development of a regional Management Plan has been also discussed by the Regional Committee;
• The States Parties are collaborating through joint projects and workshops, including with IUCN, to build capacity toward the transboundary management of the property.

Kazakhstan:

• Information is reported on the area, governance and administrative arrangements as well as the flora and fauna present in each of the protected areas in which the Kazakh components of the property are located;
• There are 23 tourist routes and trails in the Kazakh components, with development of campsites, viewing platforms, ethno village, and tent camps along the trails. In 2021, more than 36,000 people visited the property in Kazakhstan. Visitor centres to provide information are planned, including catering facilities, souvenir shops, medical stations, and tourist equipment rental points;
• Research activities are underway, focused on monitoring of natural processes and preserving biological diversity.

Kyrgyzstan:

• Information is reported on the area, governance and administrative arrangements as well as the flora and fauna present in each component of the property in Kyrgyzstan;
• A national level management plan (2023-2027) for the Kyrgyz components has been developed, based on the individual component management plans. The management plan includes a brief description of the relevant protected areas, an assessment of their activities, joint interaction and a plan of joint activities for a five-year period, and will be approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic;

Uzbekistan:

• At the time of inscription, both Uzbek components of Bashkyzylsay and Maidantal were included in the Chatkal State Biosphere Nature Reserve. In 2019, the Bashkyzylsay component of the property was re-designated as the nuclear zone of the Ugam-Chatkal State Biosphere Reserve under the jurisdiction of the National Railway Company, JSC "Uzbekiston Temir Yullari", with a strict protection regime, and is surrounded by a 1 km wide buffer zone;
• Funds have been provided by the JSC "Uzbekiston Temir Yullari”, in addition to state funding, allocated for the management of the Bashkyzylsay component;
• The development of a new buffer zone is under consideration. The preliminary boundaries and size of the proposed buffer zone have been determined, which forms an ecological corridor to connect two components of the property.

On 6 July 2023, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic presented transnational cooperation for the conservation of the Western Tien-Shan, including a report on three meetings of the Regional Committee held in 2021, 2022 and 2023 respectively, during an online workshop for the project ‘Heritage for Peace: Enhancing Transboundary and Regional Cooperation for Natural and Mixed World Heritage Sites in Asia’, organised by the World Heritage Centre in the framework of the UNESCO/Republic of Korea Funds-in-Trust.

The establishment of the Regional Committee is welcomed. The transboundary collaboration, including in cooperation with IUCN, on regional projects and workshops aimed at building capacity of the States Parties towards effective transboundary management of the property is also welcomed, and should be encouraged further, in particular with a view to developing the transboundary integrated management plan for the property.

Recalling the utmost concern expressed by the Committee in its Decision 44 COM 7B.95 at the excision of a substantial part of Sayram-Ugam National Nature Park in Kazakhstan from the property (more than 60,000 hectares from the property (i.e. ca. 35% of this component) for inclusion in the buffer zone), it is regrettable that there is no further information provided in this regard. It has therefore not been possible to establish whether there may have been any negative impacts to the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) as a result, but it is likely that part of the property is now without an adequate protection status, and it should be recalled that the removal of the legal protection of a property may constitute potential danger to the property in line with Paragraph 180(b) (i) of the Operational Guidelines. It should also be reiterated again that any proposal for a boundary modification must be submitted formally to the World Heritage Centre by the States Parties, in accordance with Paragraphs 163-165 of the Operational Guidelines, and that such a modification would only come into effect if and when it is approved by the Committee. It is therefore urgent that the State Party of Kazakhstan provides further information on this boundary change, including detailed information on the legal protection status of the part which was moved to the buffer zone.

Whilst the report provides some information on the protection regime and management system of Uzbek components of the property, the governance arrangements and corresponding management regime of the component remain unclear, in particular the role of the “Uzbekiston Temir Yullari” National Railway Company in the management of the Ugam-Chatkal State Biosphere Reserve. The State Party should be requested to provide detailed information on the protection regime of the component, including any changes from the time of inscription and how the governance arrangements, and corresponding management measures, will ensure the effective protection of the OUV.

It is notable that there is no updated information on the previously reported plan to develop a joint proposal for a significant boundary modification. It is recommended therefore that the Committee reiterate its request to the States Parties to develop, as a matter of priority, a joint proposal for a significant boundary modification, to fully correspond to criterion (x), following ecological principles and addressing connectivity, and exclude areas originally included for their paleontological values; and consider the potential to also meet criterion (ix), in accordance with Paragraph 165 of the Operational Guidelines.

Recalling the request of the Committee to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to assess the issues noted above, it is regrettable that the States Parties have yet to invite the mission. The States Parties should be urged to invite the mission as soon as possible to review the changes in the management regime in the Uzbek components and the changes in the zoning regime of the Sayram-Ugam National Nature Park, and to verify whether any new threats to the components in Kyrgyzstan have emerged since inscription.