Case Law - Ecological connectivity

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.add,
2. Recalling Decision 37 COM 8B.16, adopted at its 37th session (Phnom Penh, 2013),
3. Expresses its utmost concern with regard to the construction of a border wall by the State Party of the United States of America between the property and the adjoining Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge located on the territory of the United States of America;
4. Considers that the construction of the border wall will have negative impacts on the integrity of the property and that the presence of a physical barrier will negatively affect the wider ecological connectivity and movement of key wildlife populations, such as the Sonoran Pronghorn and the Bighorn Sheep, which constitute important attributes of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
5. Notes with great concern that construction works on the wall are underway and have been partially completed and that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of this project has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
6. Also recalling Paragraph 15 of the Operational Guidelines, urges the State Party of the United States of America to halt any further works on the border wall between the property and the adjacent protected areas in the United States of America and requests the State Party of the United States of America to collaborate with the State Party of Mexico, in conformity with Paragraph 118bis of the Operational Guidelines, in order to conduct an assessment of impacts that the construction works might have already had on the OUV of the property, and to develop appropriate measures to ensure the restoration of ecological connectivity and also requests the State Party to submit a progress report to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
7. Reiterates its Decision 37 COM 8B.16, which encouraged the States Parties of Mexico and the United States of America to strengthen cooperation on the conservation and management of the shared Greater Sonoran Desert Ecosystem, building upon the existing agreements and working relationships at all levels, with a view to the possible formal establishment of a transboundary protected area;
8. Finally requests the State Party of Mexico, in cooperation with the State Party of the United States of America, to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, a report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 45th session.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7B.30, adopted at its 43^rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Welcomes the efforts made by the States Parties and their partners with a view to improving management efficiency through the consolidation of transboundary cooperation, the updating of the development plans for the components of the property, the harmonization of management and surveillance tools, capacity building of surveillance teams as well as monitoring of legal proceedings;
4. Warmly welcomes the continuation of dialogue with indigenous and local populations, the training of personnel responsible for the application of the law in the issues of human rights and the rights of indigenous peoples, the establishment of several legal and operational provisions. for the recognition of their rights as well as their involvement in the management of the property, and taking note of the concerns raised in the independent review of human rights issues launched by WWF International, requests the States Parties to ensure that any concerns are addressed in accordance with relevant international standards, the World Heritage and Sustainable Development Policy, and taking into account the recommendations of the independent review;
5. Notes with concern the decrease in patrol efforts due in part to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the persistence of illegal activities, including poaching, gold panning and illegal logging, and also requests the States Parties to continue current efforts to protect mammal species, to strengthen its actions to eliminate any illegal activity within the property and to ensure the ecological restoration of degraded sites;
6. Further requests the States Parties to harmonize the census of animal populations in order to obtain, in accordance with the scale of the property, precise and comparable data over time on the characteristic species of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
7. Also welcomes the decision of the non-renewal of the three mining permits by the State Party of Cameroon in the buffer zone, expresses its concern with regard to the reported creation, with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), of an artisanal mining area near the property in the Central African Republic, and while noting the clarification from the Embassy of the United States of America that the project is located outside the buffer zone of the property and aims to reduce the pressure on the protected areas, further requests the State Party of the Central African Republic to urgently clarify the potential impacts of this project on the OUV of the property;
8. Recalls its established position on the fact that oil and gas exploration and / or exploitation are incompatible with World Heritage status, a policy supported by the commitments made by industry leaders, such as Shell and Total, not to undertake such activities at World Heritage properties, and also urges the State Party of Congo to immediately cancel any petroleum permits that would encroach on the property;
9. Notes the status quo of the development project of the waterway for navigation on the Sangha and further requests the States Parties not to undertake this activity without a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) being carried out in accordance with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note: Environmental Assessment, and submitted to the World Heritage Committee before any project approval;
10. Regrets that the States Parties have not provided any information concerning the EIA of the Ouesso-Bangui road and the state of progress of the said project, and reiterates its request to the States Parties to ensure that the construction of the road does not begin until the EIA is completed and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
11. Also welcomes the commitment of the States Parties to define strategic guidelines to minimize the effects of forestry activities on ecological connectivity and encourages the States Parties to promote certification that minimizes the impacts on biodiversity of all forest concessions in the area;
12. Reiterates its deep concern regarding the potential impacts on the OUV of the property by the two concessions in the buffer zone in the Central African Republic, and further requests the State Party of the Central African Republic to submit to the World Heritage Committee EIAs evaluating adequately the potential impacts of concessions for consideration, in accordance with IUCN World Heritage Advice Note: Environmental Assessment, and to prioritize certification of the two concessions;
13. Also requests the States Parties to continue to implement all the recommendations of the 2016 reactive monitoring mission;
14. Finally requests the States Parties to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, 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.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 35 COM 8B.6, 39 COM 7B.5, 41 COM 7B.21 and 43 COM 7B.33, adopted at its 35th (UNESCO, 2011), 39th (Bonn, 2015), 41st (Krakow, 2017) and 43rd (Baku, 2019) sessions respectively,
3. Notes with concern the impacts of the unusually high water levels in all components of the property, which is attributed to heavy rainfall, potentially as a result of climate change and exacerbated by the increasing deforestation, sewage loads and degradation of the catchments, and requests the State Party to monitor the impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and to consider potential adaptation measures and to develop a wastewater management strategy;
4. Welcomes the finalization of the Lake Bogoria National Reserve Management Plan 2019-2029, developed through wide community participation including with the Endorois Welfare Council, but also notes with concern the proposed zonation scheme, which could permit the construction of ecolodges along approximately half of the lake’s shoreline and allow any type of visitor facility in the reserve’s buffer zone, and reiterates its request to the State Party to develop and implement strict and clear regulations to prohibit developments in close proximity to fragile habitats and in the critical buffer zone to the property;
5. Notes with appreciation the State Party’s work to redefine the boundaries of Lake Elementaita Wildlife Sanctuary to ensure the inclusion of riparian habitat in response to the lake level rise, in consultation with the community and stakeholders, and its commitment to developing a proposal for a minor boundary modification;
6. Specifically recalling Decision 35 COM 8B.6 requesting the State Party to improve the ecological connectivity between the Lake Nakuru and Elementaita components through wildlife corridors such as the Soysambu Conservancy, encourages the State Party to strongly consider the possible extension and formalization of the buffer zone between Lakes Elementaita and Nakuru to restore connectivity and further strengthen their protection, in consultation with local stakeholders and rights-holders;
7. Also requests the State Party to integrate any changes or findings from the boundary modification exercise in the revision of the management plans for Lake Elementaita Wildlife Sanctuary and Lake Nakuru National Park, and also ensure sensitive areas are protected from developments;
8. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to ensure a co-ordinated management system of the three components of the property in accordance with Paragraph 114 of the Operational Guidelines;
9. Further notes with concern that the construction of the Olkaria-Lessos-Kisumu power transmission line proposed near Lake Elementaita has proceeded while there remains significant concern for the potential impacts of the project on the OUV of the property, urges the State Party to halt any further development of the transmission line until the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) on-the-spot appraisal mission has taken place and its recommendations made available, and encourages the State Party to continue its consultation with the Secretariat of AEWA, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN in addressing this issue;
10. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, 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 45th session.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Documents WHC/19/43.COM/8B, WHC/19/43.COM/INF.8B1 and WHC/19/43.COM/INF.8B2,
2. Inscribes Paraty and Ilha Grande – Culture and Biodiversity, Brazil, on the World Heritage List as a cultural landscape on the basis of criteria (v) and (x);
3. Adopts the following Statement of Outstanding Universal Value:
   
   

   Brief synthesis

   The property, Paraty and Ilha Grande - Culture and Biodiversity, is a serial property comprising six component parts, including four protected areas: Serra da Bocaina National Park, Environmental Protected Area of Cairuçu, Ilha Grande State Park, and Praia do Sul Biological Reserve, plus the Paraty Historic Centre and the Morro da Vila Velha.  The mixed serial property comprises 204,634 ha, surrounded by a single buffer zone, including many small islands, beaches, and coves. It is located in the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo and nestled in the majestic Serra do Mar, known locally as Serra da Bocaina, which dominates the landscape of the region due to its rugged relief reaching over 2,000 m altitude. The property and its buffer zone present a natural amphitheatre of Atlantic Rainforest dropping down to Ilha Grande Bay. Two of the protected areas, Praia do Sul Biological Reserve and Ilha Grande State Park which cover most of the largest island within the Bay, also contain cultural assets that testify to the occupation of the area by indigenous inhabitants and, from the 16^th century onwards, by European settlers and enslaved Africans. The main cultural components are the historic centre of Paraty, one of the best preserved colonial coastal towns in Brazil; Morro da Vila Velha, where the archaeological remains of Defensor Perpétuo Fort are found; a portion of the Caminho do Ouro (Gold Route) located within the boundaries of Serra da Bocaina National Park; and several archaeological sites that testify to the long occupation of the region by indigenous populations. The property also houses traditional Quilombola, Guarani and Caiçara communities that maintain the ways of life and the production systems of their ancestors, as well as most of their relationships, rites and festivals, whose tangible and intangible elements contribute to the cultural system.

   The forest formations exhibit four distinct classifications according to altitude. This property represents the greatest concentration of endemism for vascular plants within the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot, and also features 57% of the total of endemic bird species of this hotspot. The property’s systems of fluvial sedimentation support stands of mangrove and restinga which are found on the coastal plains and function as important ecosystems for the transition between terrestrial and marine environments. The forests, mangroves, restinga, reefs and islands of the property shelter hundreds of mammals, amphibians, reptiles and birds, many endemic to the Atlantic Rainforest and threatened with extinction. 

   The geographical conditions of the area, a coastal plain abundant in food and natural shelter surrounded by the sea and mountains covered by forests, –have supported its occupation by indigenous populations since prehistoric times, first by hunter-gatherers, followed by the Guaranis.

   Europeans arrived in the region in the 16th century and chose this location because it was a safe refuge for ships and was one of the main points of entry into the interior of the continent. The discovery of gold at Minas Gerais resulted in the consolidation of the Gold Route to link this mining region with the town of Paraty, where the gold, together with agricultural products, were shipped to Europe. Paraty was also the entrance point for enslaved Africans. A defence system was designed and constructed to protect the rich port and town. The historic centre of Paraty has preserved its 18th century urban layout and much of the colonial architecture of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The relationship between the town and its spectacular natural setting has also been preserved.

   Criterion (v): The Cultural Landscape of Paraty is an outstanding testimony of human interaction with the environment. Since prehistoric times, human groups have lived in interaction with the landscape and have exploited the natural land and water resources that characterize the region and frame the built territory, producing settlements and giving cultural significance to natural features, evolving but keeping the most important natural elements. The Tupi-Guarani language communities have a close relationship with the Atlantic Forest which implies a high level of management and deep knowledge and mastery of the different ecosystems and Forest formations. The traditional communities of Paraty based their cultures on activities related to the use of the land and the sea; traditional fishing activity is still intense, especially in the Caiçara communities and around the historic centre of Paraty. The Quilombolas groups, the descendants of the Africans enslaved during the Colonial period, have created their own cultural patterns in the context of the Atlantic Forest’s landscape. Global climate change and the recurrence and severity of natural disasters make Paraty cultural landscape an area of high vulnerability.

   Criterion (x): The property Paraty and Ilha Grande – Culture and Biodiversity is located in the Atlantic Forest hotspot, one of five leading global biodiversity hotspots and the property is known for its high richness in endemic species.  The remarkably high biodiversity of this area is due to a unique diversity of landscapes with a set of high mountains and strong altitudinal variation, and ecosystems that occupy areas from sea level to about 2,000 metres in elevation. The property is noteworthy for the occurrence of at least 11 Key Biodiversity Areas. This section of the Atlantic Forest represents the greatest richness of endemism for vascular plants within the hotspot with some 36 species of rare plants, 29 of which are endemic to the site.  Among the rare plants of the site are species of herbaceous plants, epiphytes, shrubs and trees, which occupy specific habitats of forest environments and sandbanks, as well as along water courses.  With records of 450 species, birds represent 60% of the endangered species of vertebrate fauna identified for the property.  Paraty and Ilha Grande -  Culture and Biodiversity is home to 45% of all the Atlantic Forest’s avifauna including 57% of the total of endemic bird species for the hotspot. The property boasts impressive species richness across almost all taxa: 125 species of anurans (frogs and toads) have been recorded representing 34% of the species known from the Atlantic Forest and some 27 species of reptile are known from the site.  150 species of mammals are found within the property including several globally significant primates such as the Southern Muriqui which is considered a flagship species for the site.  The larger components of the property are also important for large range species such as jaguar, cougar, white-lipped peccary and primate species. The property also supports a similarly high diversity of marine biodiversity and endemism.

   Integrity

   With regard to the cultural elements of the mixed serial property, the historic centre of Paraty and the Morro da Vila Velha constitute the main components; their boundaries include the necessary attributes to convey their contribution to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property and they are adequately protected. Other cultural elements, such as the archaeological site of Paraty-Mirim, the portion of the Gold Route located in Serra da Bocaina National Park, archaeological sites testifying to different stages of occupation of the region, and traditional indigenous, Caiçara and Quilombola communities, are included within the boundaries of the four primarily natural components. The cultural attributes necessary to convey the Outstanding Universal Value of the property are included and are adequately protected.

   With regard to the natural elements, the property coincides with areas of high forest cover within the formerly extensive Atlantic Forest, with most of the site included in protected areas of the National System of Nature Protected Areas (SNUC), contributing to the maintenance of the environmental integrity of the landscape. The integrity of this landscape is evidenced by the presence of species that require large, intact swaths of habitat. Further study on the estimated population of jaguars within the inscribed area, as well as information on their movements would provide confirmation of the ecological integrity of the property.  From the marine perspective, as the bay itself is included within the buffer zone, it is critical that the strategies and recommendations made under the “Integrated Management Project of the Ecosystem of the Ilha Grande Bay” are effectively implemented to adequately protect the ecosystem health of Ilha Grande Bay itself.

   The combined component areas and their overall size, including the buffer zone are adequate to ensure integrity, but the connectivity between them must be preserved to maintain ecological functionality across the overall size. Any loss of connectivity and / or reduction of functional size of any part of the property would be damaging to its integrity.  The management of the buffer zone is hence critical to the overall health of the property’s values.

   In the southern portion of the site, in the overlap between the Serra do Mar State Park in Sao Paulo State and the Bocaina National Park, is the only location on the Atlantic Coast where the full altitudinal gradient between the coastline and the top of the mountain range is totally included within protected areas. Ilha Grande Bay demonstrates one of the highest levels of connectivity between the forest ecosystems of the Atlantic Forest and coastal shore ecosystems, contributing to the representation and preservation of its natural attributes.

   Authenticity

   The historic centre of Paraty and the Morro da Vila Velha preserve a high degree of authenticity. The historic centre of Paraty has kept its original layout and exhibits a high degree of authenticity of form, design, materials and substance. Although the town has experienced expansion over time, the authenticity of its setting can also be considered acceptable, especially in relation to the sea and the surrounding mountainous landscape. The authenticity of functions is also acceptable since it continues to be the ‘living centre’ for local communities, although some buildings currently have tourism-related uses. Other cultural assets, such as the Defensor Perpétuo Fort and the portion of the Gold Route, also have a high degree of authenticity of form, design, materials, substance and setting; the current use of the fort as a museum is logical, since its original function has long since disappeared. The authenticity of the traditional communities’ settlements is quite remarkable, where indigenous, Caiçara and Quilombola groups maintain their traditional practices and ways of life. Tourism could have an impact that would require appropriate control through protection and management mechanisms.

   Management and protection requirements

   The cultural components of the mixed property are protected by a set of legal instruments from the three levels of government. The first legal protection for the historic centre of Paraty was State Law-Decree 1.450 (1945), which designated Paraty a Historic Monument of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The decree placed the traditional urban and architectonic ensemble of Paraty under the supervision of the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN). Since then, a large number of legal instruments has strengthened the protection of the historic centre as well as other cultural elements within the serial property. The state of conservation of the historic centre of Paraty and other cultural elements is good, and active conservation measures are carried out by or under the supervision of IPHAN.

   Concerning natural values, all of the components of the serial property are protected by municipal, state and federal legislation. Serra da Bocaina National Park is managed by ICMBio, the federal agency of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment for protected areas. The Ilha Grande State Park, Praia do Sul Biological Reserve and Environmental Protected Area of Cairuçu are managed by the Rio de Janeiro Sate Environment Institute (INEA). ICMBio, INEA and the Ministry of Environment, as well as IPHAN and the Ministry of Citizenship provide adequate long term institutional protection and management to the property’s components and buffer zone. All protected areas have their own annual budget to ensure the implementation of research, training, protection and conservation actions.

   Each of the components of the serial property has its own management plan; the primary organization responsible for the conservation and management of the cultural components of the series is IPHAN, which has a local office in Paraty. An overall management plan, in process of elaboration, has adequate objectives, mission, vision and management structure proposed; different steps to complete the plan have been undertaken, together with the ‘Management Plan and Responsibilities Matrix’.

   Tourism and surrounding development pressures stem from the property’s location between the two major cities of São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro. Although public use is included amongst the envisaged sectorial plans, a specific tourism strategy oriented to conserving the attributes that convey the Outstanding Universal Value, authenticity and integrity of the property, while ensuring its sustainability, and taking into account the areas of ecological and cultural sensitivities, should be elaborated and implemented. Risk preparedness management in particular should also be incorporated.

   The context of the property is important to understand and manage given the presence of nuclear energy facilities in one portion of the buffer zone, as well as existing impacts from the oil industry. The threats of thermal pollution, chemical pollution, impacts from vessel traffic, and more are very serious and could compromise much of the aesthetic and ecological value of the coastal sections of the proposed site. Effective planning and response mechanisms are therefore critical to have in place.

   Although traditional communities have participated in the elaboration of the nomination and the management processes, their role must be strengthened in order to ensure that inscription of the property on the World Heritage List will be a source of sustainable development within the framework of preserving their traditional ways of life and their relationships with the natural environment.

4. Recommends that the State Party give consideration to the following:
   1. Carefully analysing the potential impact that the assignment of new uses for the current airfield in Paraty could have in case the land is released,
   2. Completing the elaboration and implementation of the overall management plan by harmonising the many protected area and environmental protection area management plans that overlap around the property, and submitting the final version to the World Heritage Centre when available,
   3. Including specific provisions for visitor management and risk management in the management plan, in particular by ensuring the monitoring of tourism use and impacts to forecast and plan for increasing tourism pressure on the property, especially in areas of ecological and cultural sensitivity,
   4. Ensure the maintenance of ecological connectivity between the property’s component parts with particular attention on the regulation and management of buffer zone uses and practices,
   5. Strengthening participatory governance mechanisms to enshrine the principles of free prior and informed consent, and strengthen the participation of the local communities in the management process, as well as ensuring that inscription of the property on the World Heritage List contributes to their sustainable development while preserving their traditional ways of life and their relationships with the natural environment,
   6. Finalize and implement plans to upgrade sewerage systems in light of increased tourism, and further mitigate impacts of insufficiently treated wastewater;
5. Encourages the State Party to consider the progressive addition of further suitable lower altitude forest areas to the inscribed property in order to further improve the representation of ecosystems and habitats across the property’s altitude gradient;
6. Expresses its appreciation to the State Party for its decision to add the wider Cairuçu Environmental Protected Area to the property, thereby including the entire natural amphitheatre of the Ilha Grande Bay.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7A.48, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Congratulates the State Party for the evacuation of the illegal occupants of the ecological corridor between the highlands and lowlands which answers a major concern of the World Heritage Committee and notes that it is crucial to guarantee the ecological connectivity between the highland and lowland sectors for the restoration of the integrity of the property;
4. Requests the State Party to develop a rehabilitation plan for this zone to facilitate the regeneration of natural vegetation and to submit to the World Heritage Centre all information, including maps, to assess the impact of encroachment on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
5. Expresses its concern as regards the continued reduction in the surveillance coverage of the property and encourages the donors to continue their financial and technical support to consolidate the important conservation efforts undertaken by the State Party for the entirety of the property;
6. Notes with satisfaction the capacity-building activities for new guards, the increase in bonuses and salaries as well as the development of infrastructures to strengthen surveillance and improve the difficult work conditions of the ICCN guards and also requests the State Party to continue these efforts;
7. Commends the State Party for the implementation of community conservation projects encouraging the autonomy of the local communities and the recognition of the rights and traditional means of subsistence of the local communities, and particularly those of the indigenous Batwa, and also encourages it to continue these actions in this direction;
8. Further requests the State Party to submit the results of the wildlife inventory to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
9. Reiterates its request to the State Party to prepare, in cooperation with the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, indicators for the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) project, once the results of the wildlife inventory are available;
10. Urges the State Party to continue the implementation of the corrective measures, as updated by the 2017 mission;
11. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, 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 44th session in 2020;
12. Decides to continue the application of the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism;
13. Also decides to retain Kahuzi-Biega National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 39 COM 7B.32, adopted at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
3. Welcomes the State Party's decision to deflect the project for the Lastourville / Mikouyi road towards the north of the property, but requests the State Party, prior to the resumption of the project, to ensure that the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) includes a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) in accordance with the ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage Properties, with a specific section focusing on the potential impact of the project on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the historic complexes of the property to allow for a rigorous review of the proposed options, and to submit the results of this assessment to the World Heritage Centre for consideration by the Advisory Bodies;
4. Takes note of the completion of the optical fibre work under the supervision of the Gabon's National Parks Agency (ANPN) and in accordance with the ESIA validated by the ANPN;
5. Commends the State Party for the progress made in the conservation and management of the property in accordance with the recommendations of the 2015 Reactive Monitoring Mission, and encourages it to continue their implementation;
6. Notes with satisfaction the financial support of the European Union through the Central African World Heritage Forests Initiative (CAWHFI) project, which has made it possible to recruit an agent in charge of cultural heritage to conduct activities for the protection and enhancement of the historical and archaeological complexes, as well as new guards to reinforce the management of the property;
7. Also encourages the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, for consideration by the Advisory Bodies, the plans for the development of the historical complexes when they become available;
8. Also takes note that poaching remains relatively low and that the State Party stresses the resolution of the "human-wildlife" conflict and also requests the State Party to monitor closely the impacts of electric fencing around fields to ensure that the ecological connectivity of the property with the surrounding forests is maintained;
9. Further requests the State Party to update wildlife monitoring data in order to assess the populations and trends of key species and to better monitor and respond to the impacts of poaching, and to transmit them as soon as possible to the World Heritage Centre, for examination by IUCN;
10. Further encourages the State Party to continue its efforts to ensure the conservation of the property and reminds it of the need to inform the World Heritage Centre in good time of any major development projects that could threaten the OUV of the property, before any irreversible decision is taken, in accordance with paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Documents WHC-11/35.COM/8B and WHC-11/35.COM/INF.8B2,

2. Refers the nomination of the Western Ghats, India, back to the State Party, noting the potential of the nominated property to meet criteria (ix) and (x), to allow the State Party to address the following important issues:

a) Review the scope and composition of the current serial nomination to take account of any recommendations of the 'Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel' or other relevant information, in order to reflect the full spectrum of ecological and biodiversity values of the Western Ghats, and to further enhance the protection of the values of the nominated property,

b) Take measures to reduce the impact of existing and planned infrastructure as well as disturbed areas on the values of the property,

c) Review and strengthen buffer zones or other measures to provide increased protection or buffering for the values within the nominated property, and strengthen the ecological connectivity measures to ensure consistency and greater functional linkages between component sites,

d) Improve coordination and integration between component parts of the property, particularly through the existing mechanisms of the Western Ghats Natural Heritage Management Committee and the preparation and implementation of an overarching management framework, for the serial property as a whole,

e) Facilitate increased engagement with all stakeholders to build awareness and support, foster participatory governance approaches, and ensure equitable sharing of benefits,

f) Harmonize arrangements between the 'Western Ghats Natural Heritage Committee' and the 'Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel' and strengthen community membership and input through the establishment of the proposed 'Western Ghats Natural Heritage Conservation Authority' and other relevant advisory committees;

3. Highly commends the State Party for its on-going commitment to ensure a comprehensive approach to conserving the globally recognised high biodiversity values of the Western Ghats, noting the scale and complexity of this area.