Decision 42 COM 7B.79

Volcanoes of Kamchatka (Russian Federation) (N 765bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/18/42.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 40 COM 7B.100 adopted at its 40th session (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016),
3. Notes the clarifications provided by the State Party regarding the total area of the nature parks components of the property and the discrepancies with previously reported figures and requests the State Party to submit the information on the boundaries of all components to the World Heritage Centre in order to formally clarify them by submitting high-resolution maps and shapefiles for each of the property’s components;
4. Welcoming the additional measures undertaken by the State Party to combat poaching, but noting with concern the information that the property continues to be threatened by poaching, including as a result from increasing pressures on game stocks outside the property, urges the State Party to continue its efforts to address this issue;
5. Also requests the State Party to submit the reports of the monitoring and surveys of wildlife populations, including on the salmon populations, in particular in light of the reported increasing poaching pressure;
6. Reiterates its request to the State Party to fully implement the recommendations of the 2007 Reactive Monitoring mission, especially to:
   1. submit to the World Heritage Centre, as a matter of urgency, detailed information on the current zoning regime of each nature park and on the activities permitted in each zone,
   2. consider strengthening the protection regime of the four regional nature parks of the property,
   3. develop and implement an integrated management plan and coordination structure for the entire property in order to harmonize management across all components,
      and further requests the State Party to provide an update on any potential mining, gas pipeline, and mineral or geothermal exploration activities close to the boundaries of the property;
7. Noting with utmost concern the potential resumption of the plans for hydropower development at Kronotsky Strict Nature Reserve, also urges the State Party to unequivocally abandon these plans and to consider alternative sources for electricity provision in the region in line with the confirmation it had previously expressed in its report presented to the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee;
8. Requests furthermore the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to evaluate the status of implementation of the 2007 mission recommendations and to assess the current conservation status of the property;
9. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2019, 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 44th session in 2020.