State of Conservation (SOC)

Requests Approved: 0 (from2004-2004)
Total Amount Ap proved: 35,000USD

No formal monitoring missions. World Heritage Centre missions in the framework of activities in Mauritania in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

a) Illegal fishing;

b) Mechanical shellfish harvesting;

c) Oil exploitation;

d) Tourism and increased accessibility due to the new Nouadhibou-Nouakchott road;

e) Lack of management capacity and resources.

As requested by the Committee at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006), the State Party submitted in February 2007 the finalised Development and Management Plan (2005-2009), and a progress report on implementation of the legal mechanisms.

The State Party is in the process of preparing the Marine Environment Code (MEC) in collaboration with other government ministries, which is to be coherent with the Framework Law on the Environment (Law 2000/45). The State Party has ratified the 1992 Conventions on Compensation and Civil Liability (CLC 92, FUND 92); adopted Decree 2006/058, which specifies the organisation regulations and management of the property; and adopted Decree 2006/068, which implements the Special Law (Law 2000/24) for the Banc d’Arguin National Park.

The State Party did not report on the recommendation of the Committee to request “particularly sensitive sea area” (PSSA) status from the International Maritime Organisation for the waters of the property; or on the request to apply Law 2000/025, which prohibits any use of dragnets in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The report further provides information on its efforts to curb illegal fishing and poaching. The State Party has established a marine surveillance system in collaboration with the Department of Fisheries Surveillance and Marine control (DSPCM) and the local residents, and tripled the funding for the department’s budget in marine surveillance. The State Party also reported that illegal fishing using motorised vessels is better controlled, but continues to be a problem and threatens the integrity of the marine portion of the property. The State Party’s campaign to raise awareness has reduced poaching by local populations however, marine resource use, in particular fishing, has increased. On the positive side, camel populations within the property have recovered recently.

The State Party also carried out the first phase of activities of the Ecotourism Development Strategy in 2006, but did not provide information on the other recommendations adopted by the Committee at its 29th (Durban, 2005) and 30th (Vilnius, 2006) sessions, including:

a) the mitigation measures relating to the new Nouadhibou-Nouakchott road

b) taking the necessary precautions against oil spills;

c) reporting on the outcome of the independent panel which reviewed the social and environmental aspects of the agreement between the Government and Woodside;

d) providing the documents on the Environmental Impact Assessment studies by oil companies operating near the property;

e) taking due account of the measures needed to alleviate the threats to the livelihood of the local population;

f) integrating into the Public Sector Capacity Building Project, in partnership with the World Bank, a pilot project which includes the property;

g) considering the creation of a biosphere reserve to include the property and the Cap Blanc Satellite Reserve and other appropriate areas;

h) progress with the preparation of the Marine Environment Code;

i) Accession of the State Party to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, (MARPOL).

j) progress on the implementation Law 2000/45

The report also provides limited information, and no quantifiable data, that can be used for assessing and monitoring the threats to the property.