Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area

• Air pollution
• Ground transport infrastructure
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
• Surface water pollution
• Site to be overrun with tourist facilities (issue resolved)
• Several parts of the site severely impacted by floods in 1998 (issue resolved)
• Plan for rehabilitation of damaged areas required (issue resolved)

On 29 November 2018, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, a summary of which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/640/documents/ and reports the following progress:

• In 2016, the Work Plan of Zhangjiajie City for implementing the Committee Decision 39 COM 7B.10 was issued;
• Pollution impacts continue to be managed through rural waste management systems, and a number of measures are implemented to prevent and control pollution as well as strengthened air and water quality monitoring;
• The third demolition phase of illegally constructed tourist facilities (2015 to 2018) resulted in the demolition of 233 illegal and unauthorised buildings in the property and buffer zone by 2017. Relocation of local residents from Tianzishan and Yuanjiajie into the buffer zone included public consultation and a remediation and resettlement plan to encourage voluntary relocation. Efforts are made to safeguard traditional cultures of those who are relocated;
• Operators of the cable car, elevator and electric railway were urged to minimize their negative impact on the property's Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), addressing the environmental impact of operations and annual World Heritage training for staff. No similar infrastructure has been developed in the property;
• Road development projects within and outside the property are developed in line with ‘top-level design’, with strict controls on approval. Any project that may have a serious negative impact on the property is to be rejected;
• The State Party confirmed its overall commitment to notifying the World Heritage Centre of any new development, in line with Paragraph 172 the Operational Guidelines;
• The State Party did not submit the Overall Plan of Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area (2005-2020) for review, as requested by the Committee, noting that the Plan is in its final two years of implementation and hence currently undergoing a national review. The new Plan will be submitted for review by the World Heritage Centre and IUCN when completed, in 2020;
• Visitation continues to increase (from 3.8 million persons in 2015 to over 4 million in 2017). An annual tourist management limit set at 5.56 million people will be revised with the review of the Plan;
• Measures to strengthen sustainable tourism include developing the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Tourism for Wulingyuan with a central focus on the property’s OUV, and inclusion of the property as a pilot site of a 2016-2020 UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism project implemented by the World Heritage Institute of Training and Research for the Asia and the Pacific Region (WHITR-AP).

The State Party’s continued implementation of new measures to manage impacts from pollution and to remove illegal tourist facilities and buildings from within the property and its buffer zone is welcomed. The inclusion of an environmental awareness campaign, revised Management Plans, strict controls on project approval with environmental protection requirements and multi-government compliance mechanisms to address violations are also welcome measures.

It is positive that measures have been implemented to minimise the impact of the existing tourism infrastructure within the property (i.e. cable car, elevator, electric railway), and that no similar projects have been constructed or are planned. However, it appears that certain projects considered as “conducive to the protection of the property” and “required to be built” may have been approved if they strictly abided by the relevant regulations for the protection of the property. No information regarding the type and scope of these projects has been provided. Furthermore, although the State Party reports that no new roads have been constructed within the property, it is concerning that new road developments are still reportedly approved to continue, despite the Committee’s request.

It is regrettable that the State Party has not submitted the Overall Plan of Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area (2005-2020) following the Committee’s 2015 request. Acknowledging that the Plan is currently undergoing national review, and given the State Party’s intention to submit the new Plan following its completion in 2020, it is critical that the review of the new draft Plan be completed as soon as possible and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN.

It is encouraging that the State Party is taking proactive measures to develop a sustainable tourism strategy for the property, including by engaging with the UNESCO World Heritage and Sustainable Tourism Programme. However, tourism numbers continue to increase and the Committee has repeatedly expressed concerns over the impacts of growing visitor numbers on the property. As the current annual visitor limit is to be revised as part of the overall review of the Management Plan, it is critical to understand how tourism carrying capacity is calculated and to ensure that strict limits are implemented by the State Party to ensure sustainable tourism levels. It is therefore important that the sustainable tourism strategy is also submitted to the World Heritage Centre.

Finally, while taking note that the relocation of local residents was reportedly carried out by engaging of local communities through public consultation and included financial compensation incentives and social benefits to encourage voluntary relocation, it is important that the Committee reiterate the importance of ensuring that any relocation programme is in line with the 2015 2015 Policy Document on the Integration of a Sustainable Development Perspective into the Processes of the Convention and ensures effective consultation, fair compensation, access to social benefits and skills training, and the preservation of cultural rights.