8 COM XIII.37-38
Protection and Management of Properties Included on the World Heritage List: General Issues
37. The Secretariat informed the Committee of two activities being carried out since the sixth session concerning the management of cultural properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. One concerned the preparation of a "Handbook on Managing World Heritage" which deals with the preservation of these properties, ranging from general principles and legal considerations to practical means for carrying out a management programme. The outline was elaborated by an international group of experts during a meeting organised by ICCROM and ICOMOS in 1983 at the suggestion of the ...
39. The Committee took note of document SC-84/CONF.004/7 in which the Australian authorities, at the request of the Bureau at its eighth session, submitted a brief commentary on the judgment of the High Court of Australia regarding Western Tasmanian National Parks. The Committee agreed that the Tasmanian case gave an example of the strength of the Convention, particularly for States Parties having a similar system of Federal Government. The Committee requested the Secretariat to distribute this document to all the other States Parties to the Convention.
Sites: Tasmanian Wilderness
40. The Representative of IUCN recalled that the Committee at its seventh session had encouraged the advisory non-governmental organisations to collect information through their contacts and to inform the Committee on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties. IUCN reported to the Committee on four natural properties as follows:
a) Simen National Park (Ethiopia)
IUCN reported that the National Park personnel had apparently abandoned this park and that the area has been in the hands of armed groups. Although the group had informally assured IUCN that no ...
9 COM XIII.38-39
Monitoring of the State of Conservation of the World Heritage Properties: General Issues
38. The Committee thanked IUCN for these comprehensive reports and for regularly providing information on the status of natural properties. It furthermore welcomed the proposal of ICOMOS to submit similar reports, as far as its means would allow, in the near future.
39. Finally, the Committee welcomed document SC-85/CONF.008/INF.2 reporting on the measures taken by Yugoslavia to implement the World Heritage Convention and encouraged other States Parties to prepare such national reports for submission to the Committee.
Garamba National Park, Zaire: The representative of Zaire, the President Delegate General of the Zaire Institute for the Conservation of Nature (IZCN), presented the Committee with an up-to-date report on the progress of work undertaken by IZCN and the consortium formed by Unesco-World Heritage, IUCN/WWF and the Frankfurt Zoological Society. The main objective of the project is to safeguard the population of endangered northern white rhinoceros in the park. The project was progressing well and the equipment provided with support of the World Heritage Fund had helped to strengthen the ...
Sites: Garamba National Park
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania: The Tanzanian authorities had organised a commission of enquiry into the management of this property but as yet the conclusion had not yet been made known. However, with the financial support of NORAD (Norway), a major technical workshop was being held in December 1985 to study improving the management of this property. IUCN considered that this progress was positive and indicated that Ngorongoro could perhaps be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger by 1987.
Sites: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Djoudj National Park, Senegal: The immediate situation of this Park, which is threatened by a large hydro-agricultural project, has been alleviated by the construction of a temporary canal. The longer term solutions were investigated by IUCN, Unesco, the Senegalese and Mauritanian authorities at a special workshop held in Senegal in July 1985. The main conclusions of this meeting included the agreement to establish the contiguous area to Djoudj in Mauritania known as Diawling as a national park and to eventually nominate this site with Djoudj as a transfrontier World Heritage property. ...
Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia: The critical situation of this park, as reported to the Bureau at its 9th session had not altered and IUCN noted that if compensatory measures to re-establish the water regime of this Park were not taken very soon, the property would lose its international importance for migratory wildfowl. IUCN therefore strongly recommended the inclusion of this Park in the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Tunisian authorities had not responded to the Secretariat's request for further information, however, the representative of Tunisia informed the Committee that he ...
Sites: Ichkeul National Park
Tai National Park, Ivory Coast: IUCN reported that the situation had not improved since its reports of 1982 and 1984. The Secretariat had written to the Ivory Coast authorities indicating the possibility of nomination to the List of World Heritage in Danger but to date no response had been received. The Committee requested the Secretariat to continue its contacts and inform the Bureau of progress in this respect.
Sites: Taï National Park
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia: In reply to the Bureau's request for further information on the impacts of the construction of a road on the fringing reef adjacent to Cape Tribulation National Park, the Australian authorities had provided a comprehensive report which outlined a 3 year scientific research programme costing approximately 1 million $ to determine any short or possible long-term damage these reefs. The Committee expressed its satisfaction with this programme although it noted the comment by the IUCN representative that 3 years would be necessary before any ...
Sites: Great Barrier Reef
Los Glaciares, Argentina: Part of this Park was being considered for reappropriation for a settlement scheme by the Province of Santa Cruz and the second phase of this project could result in the excision of a further 20,000 ha which included an important habitat for the humeal deer. The Argentine representative confirmed this report and indicated that this problem was in fact of concern to the central government authorities, who wished to take this matter up with the Provincial Government. The Committee requested the Secretariat to contact the Argentine authorities to obtain more ...
Sites: Los Glaciares National Park
Pirin National Park, Bulgaria: The construction of a hotel and a ski-resort at the head of the Vihren Valley within this Park was being undertaken, against strong opposition by local conservation groups. The representative of IUCN requested whether an environmental impact assessment had been made for these developments. The representative of Bulgaria confirmed these developments and informed the Committee that she would request the Pirin National Park authorities to provide a full report which she would transmit to the Bureau at its next ...
Sites: Pirin National Park
Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada: It was recalled that, when inscribing this property on the World Heritage List in 1983, the Committee had drawn the attention to the harmful consequences of the possible construction of a dam on the Slave River to the natural characteristics of this property. The Committee was informed that the plans for such a dam had been definitively cancelled and expressed its satisfaction to both the Provincial and National Canadian authorities.
Sites: Wood Buffalo National Park
Galapagos National Park, Ecuador: A man-caused fire on Isabela Island in March 1985 had resulted in an international appeal to aid the efforts of the Ecuadorian Government and Park authorities to extinguish the blaze, which had burnt over 30,000 ha. A contribution of US$10,500 from the World Heritage Fund under emergency assistance had been provided, in addition to contributions from WWF-Germany and the United Kingdom and contributions in kind from the Province of Quebec (Canada) and the United States. There had been no serious losses of animal species and it was reported that the fire ...
Sites: Galápagos Islands
Simen National Park, Ethiopia: The management plan for this park, which resulted from a workshop supported by the World Heritage Fund, had been finalised. However, the situation described by IUCN at the 8th session of the Committee in 1984 had not developed further and no further information had been obtained.
Sites: Simien National Park
Durmitor National Park, Yugoslavia: This property had been threatened by the construction of a dam on the Tara River, however, due to public pressure from within and without Yugoslavia, this proposal had been cancelled. The Committee noted its satisfaction that this threat had now been removed and congratulated the Yugoslav authorities on making the best use of the Convention to support efforts to protect this property.
Sites: Durmitor National Park
14. As in previous years, IUCN reported on the conservation of natural properties inscribed on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. An information document (CC-86/CONF.003/INF.4) prepared by IUCN presented up-to-date information on some 16 natural properties.
15. The Committee was glad to learn of improvements or of a stabilisation in the previously deteriorating situation of certain properties, notably Djoudj National Park (Senegal), Ngorongoro Conservation area (Tanzania) and Garamba National Park (Zaire) (all inscribed on the List of World Heritage in ...
Sites: Aldabra Atoll Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary Garamba National Park Great Barrier Reef Ichkeul National Park Iguazu National Park Los Glaciares National Park Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve Ngorongoro Conservation Area Niokolo-Koba National Park Pirin National Park
10 COM IX.A.18-19
SOC: Mana Pools, Sapi and Chewore Reserves (Zimbabwe) & Selous Game Reserve (Tanzania)
18. The Committee, when learning of the dramatic increase in poaching reported by IUCN for Mana Pools, Sapi and Chewore Reserves in Zimbabwe and for Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania, recognised that this particular problem should also be approached globally, by stemming the illicit trade in wildlife and especially of elephant tusks and rhinoceros horn. In this regard, the Committee requested that its Chairman contact the Secretariat of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), which has been ratified by many States Parties to the ...
16. As concerns the Galapagos Archipelago (Ecuador) the Committee noted with satisfaction the recent addition of the surrounding marine area to the national park and requested the Secretariat to contact the Equatorian authorities encouraging the possible inclusion of this area in the site inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Sites: Galápagos Islands
17. The Committee was greatly concerned with the continuation of the serious threats to Tai National Park (Côte d'Ivoire) and requested the Secretariat to redouble efforts with the national authorities to inscribe this property on the List of World Heritage in Danger and, at the same time, to develop a project, in cooperation with IUCN, to improve the protection of this Park.
Sites: Taï National Park
20. The Director of the Division of Cultural Heritage introduced the document on the monitoring of cultural properties prepared by the Secretariat at the Bureau's request (document CC-86/CONF.003/6). She pointed out that this document recalled the background of this question and the discussions which the Bureau and the Committee had already had on the subject since 1982; it described in particular the system of data collection on natural properties used at present by IUCN, the system of monitoring the state of conservation of cultural properties which ICOMOS had submitted to the ...
11 COM VIII.17
SOC: Djoudj National Park (Senegal), Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania) & Garamba National Park (Zaire)
17. The Committee noted with satisfaction that the situation in two of the natural sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger - namely Djoudj National Park (Senegal) and Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania) - had considerably improved in the last year and that IUCN would be proposing that they be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger in the next two years. The situation of Garamba National Park (Zaire) was also improving but was still critical.
18. The Committee requested its Chairman to write to the authorities concerned for the following natural sites mentioned in the IUCN document in order that progress reports could be submitted to the Committee at its next session: Western Tasmania National Parks (Australia); Mt.Nimba (Cote d'Ivoire/Guinea); Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary (Peru); Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal); Selous Game Reserve (Tanzania).
19. The representative of Tunisia informed the Committee that a Unesco/World Heritage consultant was currently reviewing the sitatirn of Ichkeul National Park which had been mentioned in the IUCN document: he stated that his country would certainly nominate this site to the List of World Heritage in Danger if this way recommended in the consultant's report.
Sites: Ichkeul National Park
20. The Committee noted with satisfaction the efforts of the Yugoslav authorities to reduce water pollution levels in the Skocjan caves.
Sites: Škocjan Caves
21. The Committee noted the very serious problems of poaching in the Mana Pools Complex (Zimbabwe) and noted that the procedure had been started by the Zimbabwe authorities to nominate this property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
11 COM VIII.22
Monitoring of the State of Conservation of the World Heritage Natural Properties: Poaching
22. The Committee took note of the IUCN statement on the poaching of rhinoceros in general, and of the declaration of the representative of the Yemen Arab Republic contesting views expressed by IUCN saying that these views did not correspond to the real situation and did not look into the problem in its globality. The Committee requested the Secretariat to continue its cooperation with the Secretariat of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and particularly to investigate what joint measures could be taken to reinforce the ...
A. Cultural properties
12. The Chairman informed the Committee that, in accordance with the request of the Committee at its 10th session, a working group of the Bureau had been set up to examine the problems raised by the establishment of a system to monitor the state of conservation of cultural properties included in the World Heritage List. The working group had proposed the principles of the system and the procedure to be followed, and had, furthermore, drawn up two draft questionnaires. The, Chairperson of the working group specified that the first questionnaire would be addressed to ...
Sites: Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945) Central Zone of the Town of Angra do Heroismo in the Azores Göreme National Park and the Rock Sites of Cappadocia Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda Historic District of Old Québec Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur Pilgrimage Church of Wies Speyer Cathedral Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites Würzburg Residence with the Court Gardens and Residence Square
14. The representative of IUCN reported on the status of three natural sites, two of which are inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, as follows:
Manu National Park (Peru): A commercial discovery of natural gas had beenmade next to the park and further exploration work was imminent. This work would bring in many workers and settlers next to the western boundary of the park and could result in encroachments and associated problems. The Bureau requested the Secretariat to contact the Peruvian authorities and to seek* further explanation.
Djoudj National Park (Senegal): The ...
16. The Permanent Delegate of Iran to Unesco made a statement regarding the damages incurred by the Meidan Emam (Meidan Nagh Cheh Jahan) at Isphahan which was hit by a rocket during the recent attacks on Iranian cities. In the Permanent Delegate's opinion, the Meidan Emam should be considered for the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Sites: Meidan Emam, Esfahan
5) Yellowstone National Park (USA)
The Committee noted that an exceptionally large fire had occurred in the Park during 1988 but that no World Heritage values had been lost. The Committee welcomed the proposal of the representative of the USA to provide further information on the results of the review of the fire management policy for wilderness areas and the restoration/recovery plan aimed at showing visitors how Yellowstone was being "reborn".
Sites: Yellowstone National Park
4) Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)
The representative of IUCN reported that this property was currently under extreme pressure with the invasion of some 50,000 refugees and settlers into the Reserve. The Committee requested the Secretariat to contact the Honduran authorities to obtain further information and to ask them to consider inscribing this property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
3) Tai National Park (Cote d'Ivoire)
The Committee noted that the natural values of this property had declined due to various illegal activities within the park. The Committee was, however, glad to learn of a forthcoming project financed by WWF, US-AID and possibly with a contribution from the World Heritage which could help mitigate the current situation, and requested IUCN to report back to the Committee at its next session.
Sites: Taï National Park
2) Djoudj National Park (Senegal)
The Committee was glad to learn that due in part to assistance provided from the Fund, the conservation status of this property had greatly improved. The Committee decided to comply with the request of the Senegalese authorities to remove this property from the List of World Heritage in Danger.
1) Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania)
The Committee was glad to be informed that the conservation status of this property had greatly improved but that the Tanzanian authorities had requested that it be maintained on the List of World Heritage in Danger, particularly in view of the continued threat of poaching. The Committee agreed to maintain this property on the List of World Heritage in Danger but expressed the wish that it be removed from this List in 1989.
Sites: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
41. The Secretariat informed the Committee of problems that had arisen in the case of the three World Heritage sites. First, in the case of the city of Quebec, two real estate projects had given rise to concern in 1987 and the Canadian authorities had provided a report on the subject. The representative of Canada stated that, although several projects were still under study, the cultural heritage of Old Quebec would be safeguarded and the Committee would be advised of any change in the property.
42. As regards the site of Goreme in Turkey, the Secretariat informed the Committee of an ...
12 COM X.B.34-40
Monitoring of the State of Conservation of the World Heritage Cultural Properties: General Issues
B. Cultural Properties
34. At the request of the Chairman, the Secretariat informed the Committee of its observations concerning the results at the present stage of implementation of the experimental monitoring system adopted by the Committee at its eleventh session. The attention of the Committee was drawn to the difficulties of a number of States in meeting the deadlines; a modified timetable was suggested, so as to enable both the Secretariat and ICOMOS to process replies and to report to the Bureau before reporting to the Committee. The Secretariat stated that the results obtained ...
12 COM XVI.73
Other Business: Concerns About the Situation of Architectural Heritage, Both Urban and Rural, in Romania
73. The Secretary-General of ICOMOS read out a telex message from Professor Roberto di Stefano, President of ICOMOS, expressing the grave concern of his Organization about "the situation of architectural heritage, both urban and rural, in Romania". After describing the measures taken by ICOMOS, the message stated that this organization was ready to help the Committee in any way possible. The Committee noted that Romania was not a State Party to the Convention and that when the matter had been raised in the recent 130th session of Unesco's Executive Board, the Director-General had informed ...