Decision 41 COM 7A.9

Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (N 718)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decisions 38 COM 7A.41 and 40 COM 7A.39, adopted at its 38th (Doha, 2014) and 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) sessions respectively,
3. Expresses its deepest concern over continued insecurity around the property, especially in the south, that has led to a reported decrease in surveillance coverage in the reporting period;
4. Reiterates its request to the State Party to prioritize efforts to further expand the patrol coverage and regain control of the property to halt poaching and the deterioration of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, including through the recruitment of additional guards and the adequate provision of financial and material resources;
5. Welcomes the initiation of joint operations between the Congolese Institute for Conservation of Nature (ICCN) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) to patrol targeted areas within the property using SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) technology;
6. Appreciates the closure of the RN4 road at night to reduce traffic within the property, but requests the State Party to monitor compliance and effectiveness, and to implement additional mechanisms to further mitigate the impacts of road use, and also reiterates its request to the State Party to evaluate the impacts of the increasing local populations on land use around the villages along the RN4;
7. Reiterating its concern about rebel groups encouraging the reopening of artisanal mining sites, and that the cause of increasing immigrants in the villages along the RN4 is closely linked to mining, also requests the State Party to provide an update on the measures taken to mitigate the threat, and further reiterates its request to the State Party to provide information on the remaining mining permits overlapping with the property and to ensure their cancellation;
8. Also appreciates the establishment of integral conservation zones in the property but notes with concern the extended delay in finalizing the Management Plan for the property and further requests the State Party to expedite its finalization rapidly;
9. Requests furthermore the State Party to provide details on the data collected through the application of the SMART technology in order to enable an assessment of the illegal activities and poaching/wildlife trade, and their impacts on the OUV of the property and an assessment of progress achieved towards the targets defined in the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);
10. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 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 42nd session in 2018;
11. Decides to continue to apply the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism for the property;
12. Also decides to retain Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.