The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-08/32.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 31 COM 7A.3, adopted at its 31st session (Christchurch, 2007),
3. Regrets that the State Party of Guinea did not submit the report on the state of conservation of the property and on progress in the implementation of the corrective measures and recommendations of the 2007 monitoring mission;
4. Notes the positive efforts of the State Party of Côte d'Ivoire to address the challenges facing the property ;
5. Also notes that the 2008 Reactive Monitoring mission to the portion of the property in Côte d'Ivoire observed that the Outstanding Universal Value appears to be maintained but that data on wildlife, in particular endangered species, is insufficient to evaluate the status of criterion(x);
6. A lso regrets that the State Party of Côte d'Ivoire did not inform the World Heritage Committee of the planned mining exploration in its part of the property, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
7. Expresses its utmost concern about the planned mining activities in the Côte d'Ivoire part of the property and considers it incompatible with the World Heritage status of the property which, if implemented, would lead to the irreversible loss of the Outstanding Universal Value of this property;
8. Urges the State Party of Côte d'Ivoire to reconsider its plans for mining exploration or exploitation within the property and requests the State Party to confirm before the Committee's 33rd session in 2009 that all mining concessions within the property have been revoked;
9. Calls upon the holders of any mining concession covering the property to respect international standards with respect to mining in World Heritage properties, as outlined in the International Council on Mining and Metals Position Statement on Mining and Protected Areas (2003) and not to mine within World Heritage properties;
10. Urges the State Party of Côte d'Ivoire to implement immediately the recommendations of the 2008 joint World Heritage Centre /IUCN monitoring mission which can be considered as corrective measures:
a) re-establish the presence of the protected area authority Office Ivoirien des Parcs et Reserves (OIPR) within the property and resume management activities, establish cooperation mechanisms and strengthen communication with the local communities;
b) conduct a wildlife survey of key species to clarify the status of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property, and establish a comprehensive monitoring programme to monitor and control threats in particular from poaching;
c) define a buffer zone, in consultation with local stakeholders, with the appropriate legal status to strengthen the conservation of the property through sustainable management of the natural resources within this buffer zone;
d) develop a management plan in close cooperation with all stakeholders, in particular the local community, and harmonise this plan with the plan being developed in Guinea;
e) define a sustainable finance mechanism for the entire property together with the State Party of Guinea;
11. Encourages the State Party of Côte d'Ivoire, in cooperation with its development partners, to increase its support to improve the livelihoods of local communities;
12. Reiterates its request to the States Parties of Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea to meet and resume tripartite discussions with Liberia to enhance the required coordination which will be essential to implement the recommendations from the 2007 and 2008 monitoring missions. The States Parties may wish to request international assistance from the World Heritage Fund to organize a meeting before the 33rd session of the Committee;
13. Urges the State Party of Guinea to implement the corrective measures adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 31st session (Christchurch, 2007) and the other recommendations of the 2007 monitoring mission;
14. Reiterates its request to the State Party of Guinea and the mining company SMFG to conduct the environmental impact assesment of the mining project, in accordance with the highest international standards and collect the necessary baseline data in order to clarify and quantify the potential impact of the planned exploitation on the property, in close consultation with all stake holders, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, and to submit to the World Heritage Committee any intermediary results;
15. Requests the international community to assist by all possible means the States Parties of Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea to achieve the Desired State of Conservation of the property;
16. Also requests the States Parties, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, to develop a draft Statement of Outstanding Universal Value including the conditions of integrity, as well as a proposal for the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, for examination by the World Heritage
17. Further requests the States Parties to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2009, a detailed report on the state of conservation of the property and on progress in the implementation of the corrective measures and other recommendations of the 2007 and 2008 missions, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 33rd session in 2009;
18. Decidesto retain Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve (Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.