The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-08/32.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 31 COM 7A.8, adopted at its 31st session (Christchurch, 2007),
3. Notes with concern the preliminary results of the inventory, showing substantial reductions in the population of flagship species, including elephants and okapis, thus significantly impacting the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;
4. Welcomes the progress achieved in regaining management control over the property and in addressing poaching and small-scale mining in the property;
5. Requests the State Party, in consultation with ICCN, to continue to implement the corrective measures adopted by the World Heritage Committee at its 30th session (Vilnius 2006);
6. Regrets that the environmental management plan developed for the rehabilitation of the RN4 road crossing the property is not addressing the long-term impacts on the integrity of the property and expresses its concern about the increase in illegal exploitation of forest products in the vicinity of the Reserve, in particular timber and bush meat has already been reported;
7. Urges the State Party to develop an additional environmental management plan for the RN4 to address the long term impacts, in particular to control increased immigration into the property and increasing wild meat trade and to provide three printed and electronic copies of it, as soon as it is ready, for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies;
8. Reiterates its request to revoke any mining concessions that might have been granted in the property;
9. Also requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre / IUCN mission to the property after the high-level meeting is held in Kinshasa to assess its state of conservation and progress in the implementation of the corrective measures in view of establishing the Desired state of conservation for a removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, update the corrective measures required and set a timeframe for their implementation;
10. Also reiterates its request to the State Party, 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 and 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 Committee at its 33rd session in 2009;
11. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2009, a detailed report on the state of conservation of the property and progress in the implementation of the corrective measures as well as the requested additional environmental management plan for the RN4, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 33rd session in 2009;
12. Decides to continue to apply the Reinforced Monitoring mechanism to the property;
13. Also decides to retain Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.