Decision 41 COM 7B.30

Shiretoko (Japan) (N 1193)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 36 COM 7B.12 and 39 COM 7B.13, adopted at its 36th (Saint-Petersburg) and 39th (Bonn, 2015) sessions respectively,
3. Notes with appreciation that the State Party is committed to an adaptive and precautionary approach to the culling of the endangered subspecies of Steller’s Sea Lion occurring seasonally in the property, and urges the State Party to reconsider the culling of this species in light of significant data and methodological challenges in establishing reliable Annual Catch Limits;
4. Encourages the State Party to coordinate with neighbouring States Parties on the management of fisheries to ensure the protection of the Steller’s Sea Lion population;
5. Notes that further discussion and analysis of options to remove persistent obstacles to salmon migration and spawning is ongoing and, recalling that the benefits of the three check dams on the Rusha River for disaster risk reduction are outweighed by their impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, strongly urges the State Party to continue and strengthen its efforts to restore the property to the most natural state possible;
6. Reiterates its recommendation to the State Party to consider inviting an IUCN Advisory mission, possibly in conjunction with the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s Salmonid Specialist Group, to provide further advice on this matter;
7. Requests the State Party to provide updated information on the revised management plans (including the Multiple Use Marine Management Plan), the management of Sika Deer, tourism, consideration of climate change and the analysis of the usefulness and feasibility of the establishment of a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in its future report to the Committee, and to submit an electronic copy of the most recent Management Plans to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN;
8. Also requests 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.