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Decision 27 COM 8C.9
Uvs Nuur Basin (Mongolia)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Inscribes Uvs Nuur Basin, Mongolia/ Russian Federation, on the World Heritage List on the basis of natural  criteria (ii) and (iv):

Criterion (ii): The closed salt lake system of Uvs Nuur is of international scientific importance because of its climatic and hydrological regimes. Because of the unchanging nature of the nomadic pastoral use of the grasslands within the basin over thousands of years, current research programmes should be able to unravel the rate at which Uvs Nuur (and other smaller lakes within the basin) have become saline (and eutrophic). These processes are on-going and because of its unique geophysical and biological characteristics, the basin has been chosen as an Interntational Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGPB) site for monitoring global warming.

Criterion (iv): The Uvs Nuur property has a large range of ecosystems, representing the major biomes of eastern Eurasia, with a number of endemic plants. Although the basin is inhabited and has been used for nomadic pastoralism for thousands of years, the mountains, forests, steppes and deserts are extremely important habitats for a wide range of wild animals, many of them threatened or endangered. The steppe ecosystem supports a rich diversity of birds and the deserts a number of rare gerbil, jerboas and the marbled polecat. The mountains at the western end of the basin are important refuges for the globally threatened snow leopard, mountain sheep (argali) and the Asiatic ibex. Uvs Nuur itself is an important habitat for waterfowl as well as for birds migrating south from Siberia.

The inscription is for twelve protected areas:

Cluster name

State Party

Area (ha)

Buffer (ha)

Mongun Taiga

Russian Federation

15,890

84,510

Ubsu-Nur

Russian Federation

4,490

 

Oroku-Shinaa

Russian Federation

28,750

 

Aryskannyg

Russian Federation

15,000

11,800

Jamaalyg

Russian Federation

800

4,000

Tsugeer els

Russian Federation

4,900

50,000

Ular

Russian Federation

18,000

20,480

Tsagan shuvuut

Mongolia

23,170

 

Turgen

Mongolia

116,831

 

Uvs Lake

Mongolia

424,298

 

Altan els

Mongolia

148,246

 

Tes River

Mongolia

97,688.5

 

TOTAL

 

898,063.5

170,790

2. Encourages the State Party of Mongolia to give priority to upgrading the Tes River Specially Protected Area, currently protected at a provincial level, to a Specially Protected Area under State legislation;

3. Further encourages both States Parties to ensure that adequate resources are made available quickly and maintained for the effective implementation of the management plans;

4. Commends Mongolia for steps taken to expand the nominated area, and both States Parties for their efforts to date in developing transboundary co-operation for the conservation of the property. The consolidation of such collaboration should be encouraged and maintained.

Decision Code
27 COM 8C.9
Themes
Inscriptions on the World Heritage List
Focal Point
EUR/NA, APA
States Parties 2
Properties 1
Year
2003
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