Decision 41 COM 7A.18

Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia) (N 1167)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 38 COM 7A.28 and 40 COM 7A.48, adopted at its 38th (Doha, 2014) and 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes progress made by the State Party with increasing patrols throughout the serial property, including the implementation of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) in all of its components;
4. Notes with concern that poaching and forest loss, including as a result of encroachment, illegal logging and other illegal activities such as small-scale mining, continue to threaten the property, and requests the State Party to take urgent additional measures to ensure that the applicable laws are fully enforced and offenders prosecuted;
5. Notes with appreciation that the completion of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for road development plans that could affect the property, takes note of its conclusion that road development within the property would cause unacceptable habitat loss and biodiversity conflict and have a direct negative impact on Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, including the conditions of integrity, and also requests the State Party to:
   1. Continue ensuring that new roads within the property are not permitted, and consider that upgrading a footpath to a road for motorized vehicles represents a new road development,
   2. Prioritize better maintenance of existing roads and footpaths as a means for better meeting the needs of local communities,
   3. Ensure that any upgrade to existing roads and footpaths shall only be permitted if it would demonstrably not cause any negative impact on the property’s OUV;
6. Noting the State Party’s statement that a preliminary study to explore the possibility of developing geothermal energy extraction will not be conducted within the property, reiterates its request to the State Party to ensure that any development of geothermal energy within the property remains prohibited by law;
7. Further requests the State Party to provide further information on measures taken to ensure that the Aceh Spatial Plan will not have any negative impact on the property and key areas in the Leuser Ecosystem, in line with the commitment made by the State Party in 2016;
8. Urges the State Party to strengthen the property-wide monitoring of key species, including Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Rhino, Sumatran Elephant and Sumatran Orangutan, in collaboration with its conservation partners, as specified in the corrective measures;
9. Requests furthermore the State Party to invite an IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, which shall provide advice on any proposed geothermal development and its likely impacts on the OUV of the property and assess progress made with the implementation of corrective measures towards achieving the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger;
10. Requests moreover 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 retain Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra (Indonesia) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.