Decision 45 COM 7B.76

Serengeti National Park (United Republic of Tanzania) (N 156)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 35 COM 7B.7, 38 COM 7B.94, 42 COM 7B.96 and 44 COM 7B.[86] adopted at its 35th (UNESCO, 2011), 38th (Doha, 2014), 42nd (Manama, 2018) and its extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
3. Expresses its continued concern about the proposed dam projects upstream of the property in the Mara River basin, which could have a negative impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the Serengeti National Park and Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley World Heritage properties;
4. Welcomes the ongoing efforts by the States Parties of the United Republic of Tanzania and Kenya to develop a Joint Water Allocation Plan (JWAP) for the Mara River basin but notes with concern that no update is available on the status of all dam projects in the Mara River basin, in particular the different projects proposed in Kenya;
5. Reiterates its request to the States Parties of the United Republic of Tanzania and Kenya to submit to the World Heritage Centre as soon as possible, and before the requested Reactive Monitoring mission takes place, an update on the status of all dam projects proposed in the Mara River basin and urges them again not to make any decisions on infrastructure development that could affect the water flow into the Mara River before the JWAP is agreed and the impacts on the OUV of the property are thoroughly assessed;
6. Also welcomes the approval by the State Party to expand the Serengeti National Park to include the ecologically important Speke Gulf and encourages the State Party to submit a boundary modification to reflect this extension on the World Heritage property in line with the provisions in the Operational Guidelines as soon as the proces of the extension under national law is completed;
7. Regrets that in spite of its previous request, the State Party did not submit the various documents requested in Decision 42 COM 7B.96 and also urges again the State Party to submit the following documents as soon as possible, and before the requested Reactive Monitoring mission:
   1. The approved 2014-2024 Management Plan for the property, including details of any changes to the zonation of the property,
   2. The Route Option Selection Report and the feasibility study and preliminary design, including a map of the proposed alignments,
   3. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and the Comprehensive Transport and Trade System Development Master Plan;
8. While noting the confirmation that the State Party will maintain the northern road traversing the property as a gravel road under Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) management, reiterates its request to the State Party to confirm its previous commitment to reserve the road mainly for tourism and administrative purposes (Decision 35 COM 7B.7) and to abandon the construction of the proposed northern highway (Decision 38 COM 7B.94);
9. Expresses concern about the reported construction of a golf course in the Ikoma Wildlife Management Area, adjacent to the property and a key main migration corridor for the wildebeest, and requests the State Party, given its potential impact on the OUV of the property, to pause the further development of this project until a full Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, is submitted to the World Heritage Centre and reviewed by IUCN, in line with the requirements of the Operational Guidelines;
10. Also notes with concern that the increasing density of lodges, tented camps and other tourism infrastructure in the property and along the migration routes in the wider Serengeti ecosystem is increasingly likely to impact the wildebeest migration, one of the main attributes of the OUV;
11. Further notes that the State Party finally invited the requested joint Word Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission and also requests that the mission be undertaken as soon as possible to review the state of conservation of the property, including all the threats and issues cited above, as well as to assess the implementation of the previous Committee decisions and mission recommendations; 
12. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session.