Decision 38 COM 7B.61

Ngorongoro Conservation Area (Tanzania, United Republic of) (C/N 39bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 36 COM 7B.35 adopted at its 36th session (Saint-Petersburg, 2012),
3. Commends the State Party for the progress achieved in addressing the escalating threat of poaching, particularly affecting elephant populations;
4. Welcomes the establishment of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) and the Department of Antiquities and the proposed integration of the cultural department in the operational structure of the property, and urges the State Party to implement these proposals and ensure that adequate resources are secured for its long-term operation;
5. Reiterates is concern about the impacts of livestock grazing and increased population pressure on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and considers that existing and planned measures be reviewed and an overall strategy be developed to address these issues in close cooperation with the different stakeholders and in particular the resident communities;
6. Also welcomes the initiation of a dialogue process with the local communities of the property aimed at improving stakeholder involvement in decision-making over land-use, identification of sustainable livelihoods, benefit-sharing and other issues, and encourages the State Party to use this process as an opportunity to review wide-ranging governance issues, including management and conservation approaches, stakeholder involvement and benefit sharing, and to identify adequate options for sustainable livelihoods that do not negatively impact on the OUV of the property;
7. Notes the efforts made in evaluating road-surfacing options for the heavily used main road through the property, and requests the State Party to carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in cooperation with Tanzania National Parks, to assess the impacts of the different options on Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park, and to submit it to the World Heritage Centre for review prior to making a decision on how to stabilize this road;
8. Also encourages the State Party to sustain efforts to implement the recommendations of the 2012 reactive monitoring mission with particular reference to road surface improvements, a road development strategy, control of invasive species and implementation of monitoring programmes;
9. Expresses its concern at the advanced state of the Museum building at Laetoli for which no detailed plans nor appropriate Heritage Impact Assessments (HIA) have been submitted to the World Heritage Centre; and that the museum proposals have apparently been finalised in advance of a technical review workshop on conservation options for the Laetoli footprints;
10. Also requests the State Party to submit the outcomes of the International Technical Committee meeting for Laetoli to be held in May 2014 to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies before making any commitments to their implementation; and to halt the Laetoli museum project until an agreed approach for the conservation of the footprints has been achieved;
11. Also notes that limited progress has been achieved regarding the cultural components of the property and reiterates its request to address the current conditions of the cultural components of the property, as requested in Decision 34 COM 8B.13, paragraph 6;
12. Further expresses its concern about the potential impacts on the OUV of the property from a lodge development project on the crater rim, and further requests the State Party to provide more information on this project, including a copy of the EIA, in accordance with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment;
13. Acknowledges the commitment of the State Party to submit copies of relevant technical and regulatory documents for review by the Advisory Bodies and requests furthermore the State Party to provide an electronic and three printed copies of the draft revised management plan, the proposed cultural tourism strategy, the draft building codes, the draft road development strategy and other relevant documents for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies as soon as they are available, and not later than 1 February 2015;
14. Requests moreover the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 39th session in 2015.