Decision 43 COM 7B.9

Lorentz National Park (Indonesia) (N 955)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.29, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Notes with appreciation the information provided by the State Party regarding the patrolling activities, including how much of the property is covered, and which species are being monitored, and encourages the State Party to continue these efforts;
4. Takes note of the completion of the revision of the property’s zoning, but considers that insufficient information has been provided to assess whether its previous request to ensure that the process results in a simpler, more manageable zoning of the property, taking into account the traditional uses of local communities and the conservation of its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), has been fully implemented;
5. Also recalling that the Committee considered that the construction of the Habbema-Kenyam road represents a significant additional risk for the fragile alpine environments of the property, notes with utmost concern that the road has been completed and opened for public use and urges the State Party to develop and implement the necessary mitigation measures as a matter of priority;
6. Notes the information provided by the State Party regarding the monitoring of the dieback of Nothofagus species and requests the State Party to continue this monitoring to further assess the extent to which the Habbema-Kenyam road is contributing to the dieback threat in order to inform the development of an agreement between the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Ministry of Public Works and Housing regarding the management of the road and mitigating its impacts on dieback;
7. Expresses its concern that the IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property has not yet taken place as requested in Decision 41 COM 7B.29 and reiterates its request to the State Party to organize this mission, to take place as soon as feasible and no later than 31 December 2019, to assess the state of conservation of the property, in particular:
   1. Assess current and potential impacts of the Habbema-Kenyam road and any other on-going road construction on the property’s OUV, and the effectiveness of the protection plan in mitigating threats,
   2. Evaluate the effectiveness of measures being developed to address the contribution of the road to the dieback of Nothofagus species,
   3. Review the new zoning of the property to assess its effectiveness in ensuring long-term conservation of the property’s OUV;
8. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2020, 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.