Kathmandu Valley (Nepal)
Upon the initiative of ICOMOS, the report pertaining to the Valley of Kathmandu was submitted to the attention of the Committee. This site is the subject of a UNESCO international safeguard campaign and, as the ICOMOS Representative pointed out, numerous reports have been written about it for the past twenty years. Moreover, following an ICOMOS seminar held recently in Nepal on wood conservation, the ICOMOS Representative was able to confirm previously identified obstacles posed by the protection of sites in the Kathmandu Valley. He expressed his concern for the ...
Sites: Kathmandu Valley
Kizhi Pogost (Russian Federation)
With the help of slide illustrations, the ICOMOS Representative introduced the status of the site of Kizhi Pogost, explaining the nature of the problems and the manner in which urgent problems were determined. This presentation was followed by a discussion during which several technical questions were raised. The Committee decided to support the coordination effort undertaken by ICOMOS for this site, and requested that a report be provided during the next meeting of the Bureau in view of implementing an assistance project. The Committee adopted the ...
Sites: Kizhi Pogost
Stonehenge, Avebury and Associated Sites (United Kingdom)
Concerning Stonehenge, the ICOMOS representative provided all the details on the management of the site as well as on the anticipated projects for improvement, including that of a museum site. The ICOMOS recommended to the World Heritage Centre to write to the authorities in the United Kingdom in order to support the measures undertaken for the management of Stonehenge.
Hadrian's Wall (United Kingdom)
Bringing up the point pertaining to Hadrian's Wall, the ICOMOS Representative indicated to the Committee that ICOMOS is taking the necessary steps to monitor all actions undertaken near this site and will keep the Committee informed. These include projects for opencast coal mining and for a long-distance footpath.
Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls (Zambia/Zimbabwe)
The Committee noted that a proposal to construct a dam across the Batoka Gorge could flood some parts of this transfrontier World Heritage site, and that the Bureau had requested the Centre to contact the States Parties concerned and obtain more information on the proposed dam construction project.
The Director of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management of Zimbabwe has informed the World Heritage Centre that the dam to be built at the Batoka Gorge will flood up to the third gorge which is about 10 km inside the World ...
Chaco Canyon (United States of America)
Following the monitoring report presented by ICOMOS on the status of the Chaco Canyon site, the Committee expressed its warm congratulations to the National Park Service for the work carried out.
Sites: Chaco Culture
Tipasa (Algeria)
Mr. Beschaouch indicated that he had personally ascertained the status of the site of Tipasa in Algeria during a visit in October 1992. This site had suffered the effects of an earthquake in October 1989 and emergency assistance had been granted by the Fund.
The remedial works had been completed in good conditions and a safeguard plan elaborated. He asked the Committee to recommend application of the safeguard plan in order to ensure the integrity of the site. The Committee adopted this proposal. Furthermore, Mr. Beschaouch raised the question of training of scientific ...
Sites: Tipasa
Tyr (Lebanon)
Concerning the site of Tyr, the Committee requested, at the suggestion of Mr. Beschaouch, that a report be provided during the next meeting of the Bureau on the project carried out by the Lebanese authorities and UNESCO, specifically from the standpoint of the international safeguard campaign.
Sites: Tyre
Ksar of Alt-Ben-Haddou (Morocco)
Mr. Beschaouch brought to the attention of the Committee information pertaining to a project implemented jointly by UNDP, UNESCO (World Heritage Centre) and the Moroccan authorities on the site of the Ksar of Ait Ben Haddou (Morocco) and pointed this out as a positive example, and the Committee took note of this.
Sites: Ksar of Ait-Ben-Haddou
Mt. Athos (Greece)
The Committee noted that the deforestation in this mixed site could have adverse impacts on the landscape in the area. In response to a request for information from the Centre, the Greek authorities indicated that 25,732 acres of forest in the area were damaged due to a fire in 1990 and this calamity might have been responsible for reports concerning the removal of vegetation. The Greek authorities have, however, pointed out that the natural regeneration of the forest is progressing satisfactorily.
The Committee noted that Mt. Athos is an autonomous region within ...
Sites: Mount Athos
Wet Tropics of Queensland (Australia)
The Committee noted that, as requested at the time of the inscription of this property on the World Heritage List in 1988, IUCN had undertaken a review mission to the site. The Committee learnt with satisfaction that despite a slow start, the management of the Wet Tropics area had achieved much progress, particularly with respect to:
(a) establishing a headquarters and appointment of staff; (b) drafting legislation; (c) preparing management plans and site plans; (d) carrying out a number of policy-relevant studies; (e) setting-up advisory committees ...
Sites: Wet Tropics of Queensland
Srebarna Biosphere Reserve (Bulgaria)
The Committee recalled that at its last session, it recommended that the Bulgarian authorities nominate this small (600 ha) site for inclusion in the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Committee was informed of the conclusion of two IUCN missions to this site undertaken in early 1992: although Srebarna's importance as a Ramsar site and a biosphere reserve could still be retained by the implementation of specific remedial measures, its World Heritage status can no longer be justified because it has deteriorated to a state where it has irretrievably ...
Sites: Srebarna Nature Reserve
Manovo-Gounda Saint Floris (Central African Republic)
The Committee recalled that when this site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988, several members of the Committee had registered their reservations as to its state of conservation and several threats to its integrity. Despite assurances given to the Committee at the time of its inscription and the US$27 million EEC (European Economic Community) project which had been implemented in the region, the deterioration of the property had continued and this site still does not have a management plan. The Committee was informed of ...
Talamanca-La Amistad National Park (Costa Rica-Panama)
The Committee commended the Panamanian authorities for preventing 59,000 hectares of La Amistad National Park being released for oil exploration.
The Committee noted that the Costa Rican authorities have not yet informed the Centre of their views on its recommendation, made at its last session, to consider revising the boundaries of the Talamanca-La Amistad Reserves by deleting four Indian Reserves in the north-eastern Atlantic sector and submit a map showing the new boundaries of the site. The Committee was also informed of a ...
Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia)
The Committee noted that the Croatian authorities officially informed UNESCO in June 1992, that they will abide by the obligations of the World Heritage Convention and requested that a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN mission be undertaken to assess the impacts which unrest in the region has had on the state of conservation of Plitvice Lakes National Park.
Using part of the US$30, 000 approved by the Bureau at its last session, for the organization of such a mission, a team of three experts representing IUCN, the Federation of Nature and National ...
Sites: Plitvice Lakes National Park
Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
The Committee noted that the Sub-Secretariat of Forestry and Renewable Natural Resources, which is responsible for the management of this site, has been successful in temporarily halting a proposed road construction project in order to bring together the relevant provincial and national agencies to discuss the environmental impact of the project and plan mitigating measures. The Committee commended the Ecuadorean authorities for having included substantial areas south of the World Heritage site in the National Park. The Committee, however, was concerned ...
Sites: Sangay National Park
Galapagos National Park (Ecuador)
The Committee was informed that the employees of this World Heritage site staged a four-week strike during may-June 1992, demanding higher salaries and other improvements of their working conditions. The Committee also noted that a draft tourism and conservation plan for Galapagos is now being finalized and the management plan of the Park would have to be revised in the light of the strategies and programme of action foreseen in the tourism and conservation plan.
The Committee noted with satisfaction that the Galapagos National Park authorities, in ...
Sites: Galápagos Islands
Mt. Nimba Nature Reserve (Cote d'Ivoire/Guinea)
The Committee recalled its decision taken at its last session in Carthage, Tunisia, that the reduction in the size of this site proposed by the Government of Guinea in order to exclude areas that would be impacted by a proposed iron-ore mining project, posed a major threat to its integrity. The site is also threatened by the arrival of a large number of refugees to areas in and around the Guinean part of the World Heritage site.
The Committee noted that a meeting of experts of Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea, with participants from UNDP and ...
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (India)
The Centre informed the Committee that the damage caused by the invasion of this Sanctuary by the Bodo tribe in Assam, India, was estimated to be about 50 million Indian rupees (about 1.6 million US dollars). Although the Park infrastructure suffered considerable damage, the habitat in the inaccessible parts of the Sanctuary appeared to be intact. The Committee, while noting that the conditions for introducing normal management and administration regimes for the site may be improving, was nevertheless concerned that a full assessment of damage had not ...
Sites: Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Tsingy Bemaraha Nature Reserve (Madagascar)
The Committee was concerned with the information reported by the Representative of IUCN concerning the disruption of conservation activities due to shortage of supplies in, and transport to, this site which is situated in a remote part of Madagascar. The Committee noted that the World Heritage Fund has provided to this site US$20,000 for the purchase of equipment and an additional US$20,000 for a management seminar during 1992. The Committee instructed the Centre to contact the Malagasy authorities and request a state of conservation report for ...