The World Heritage Committee,
1. Congratulates the State Party and associated partners for their efforts to control Salvinia molesta in a cost effective manner;
2. Notes that savings made in the project funds are being used for strengthening State Party capacity to protect the property and implement measures benefiting the conservation of waterfowl;
3. Requests the State Party to continue co-operating with IUCN, the World Heritage Centre, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and other relevant partners in carrying out an urgent assessment of the scale and threat of Typha australis and Eichhornia crassipes to the property and in finding successful control measures to reduce the spread of these species to an acceptable level. The IUCN Invasive Species Specialist Group, which already assisted in the case of Salvinia molesta, would be willing to provide technical support for this work at the request of the State Party;
4. Recommends that the State Party, the World Heritage Centre, IUCN, and the Ramsar Convention Secretariat provide advice by 1 February 2004 for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 28th session in 2004 on possible benchmarks and timeframes that could facilitate the Committee deliberations on the possible removal of the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary from the List of World Heritage in Danger;
5. Decides to retain the Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary on the List of World Heritage in Danger.