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Decision 34 COM 7B.2
Rainforests of Atsinanana (Madagascar) (N 1257)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-10/34.COM/7B.Add,

2. Recalling Decision 33 COM 7B.147, adopted at its 33rd session (Seville, 2009),

3. Expresses its utmost concern about the increasing illegal logging and hunting of endangered lemurs in Masoala and Marojejy National Parks, which is endangering the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;

4. Notes that in spite of the approval of decree N° 2010-141 of 24 March 2010 banning the exploitation and export of rosewood and ebony, reports indicate that the State Party of Madagascar is continuing to provide export permits for illegally logged timber, that no credible measures are in place to enforce the ban on logging or the export of illegally logged timber, and that States Parties to the World Heritage Convention are also known destination countries for illegally logged timber;  

5. Urges the State Party to immediately take the necessary measures to enforce the above mentioned decree and halt all illegal logging in the property, halt all export of rosewood and ebony and ensure that all people participating in illegal resource extraction activities are removed from the property;

6. Calls upon all States Parties to the Convention to act urgently to assist protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property by restoring conservation funding and support;

7. Further calls upon all States Parties to the Convention to assist in developing alternative subsistence means for the communities living around the parks;

8. Encourages the State Party to convene a High Level Meeting of the States Parties concerned in order to implement Decision 33 COM 7B.147 taken by the World Heritage Committee at its 33rd session (Seville, 2009), which invites the States Parties to ensure that illegal timber originating from Madagascar is both banned and prevented from entering their national markets;

9. Requests the State Party, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN to draw the relevant issues to the attention of the Secretariat of the Convention on the Illegal Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), with a view to considering action in relation to threats through this international mechanism;

10. Considers that the property is facing imminent danger to its Outstanding Universal Value;

11. Decides to inscribe the Rainforests of the Atsinanana (Madagascar) on the List of World Heritage in Danger;

12. Also requests the State Party to invite, as soon as possible, a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN reactive monitoring mission to the property to assess the state of conservation of Masoala and Marojejy National Parks and develop in cooperation with the State Party the corrective measures to address the threats to the Outstanding Universal Value as well as a timeframe for their implementation, and a Desired State of Conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger;

13. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2011, a detailed report on the state of conservation of the property, describing the implementation of the action plan and other measures taken to address illegal logging, as well as any data on the direct and indirect impacts of illegal logging on Masoala and Marojejy National Parks, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 35th session in 2011.

Decision Code
34 COM 7B.2
Themes
Conservation, List of World Heritage in Danger
States Parties 1
Year
2010
State of conservation reports
2010 Rainforests of the Atsinanana
Documents
WHC-10/34.COM/20
Report of the Decisions Adopted By the world heritage committee At its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010)
Context of Decision
WHC-10/34.COM/7B.Add
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