Decision 41 COM 7A.1

Everglades National Park (United States of America) (N 76)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 7A.17 and 40 COM 7A.50, adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015) and 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) sessions respectively,
3. Notes with appreciation the continuous progress made by the State Party on the implementation of the corrective measures, but requests the State Party to accelerate its efforts towards the completion of the restoration projects that are vital to meeting the water quality and quantity targets, and that can secure the improvement of the ecological indicators for the integrity of the property;
4. Welcomes the approval of the General Management Plan and the start of its implementation, encourages the State Party to establish its Advisory Committee without delay, and also requests the State Party to provide an electronic and three printed copies of the General Management Plan for review by the World Heritage Centre and IUCN;
5. Notes with concern the negative effects of the 2015 El Niño event on the property as well as the continuously increasing abundance of invasive species both within the property and in its proximity, and strongly encourages the State Party to ensure the provision of all resources necessary for their successful containment, eradication, as well as preventing the introduction of any additional invasive alien species;
6. Also notes with concern the proposal of a utility transmission line along the eastern border of the property as well as the potential for hydraulic fracturing projects in proximity of the property, and further requests the State Party to keep the World Heritage Centre informed of any development before making any decision that may be difficult to reverse, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and recalls its established position on the incompatibility of oil and gas exploration and exploitation with the World Heritage status of the property;
7. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2018, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019;
8. Decides to retain Everglades National Park (United States of America) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.