Decision 44 COM 7B.105

Central Sikhote-Alin (Russian Federation) (N 766bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.84, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018)
3. Welcomes the submission of an Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for the property, but considers that management of the components of the property will need to be further consolidated and therefore requests the State Party to establish a Coordinative Council for integrated management of all component parts, as foreseen in the IMP, as a matter of priority, and to complete the tasks listed in the Joint Action Plan of the IMP;
4. Also welcomes the establishment of the Council of Indigenous Minorities, and the continued collaboration and dialogue with indigenous peoples, as well as efforts to showcase and preserve the traditional way of life in the Bikin National Park, and encourages the State Party to continue this work;
5. Further welcomes the progress on finalizing the designation of a buffer zone around the Bikin River Valley component, however notes with concern that the current proposal appears to suggest only a very narrow buffer zone, and that large-scale logging activities and the associated increase in forest roads along the boundaries of the Sikhote-Alin Strict Nature Reserve are negatively affecting the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and leading to greater risk of poaching and forest fires, and also requests the State Party to:
   1. Further develop a proposal for an adequate formal buffer zone for the Bikin River Valley component, in line with the recommendations of the 2018 IUCN Evaluation and Decision 42 COM 8B.9,
   2. Establish at the same time a formal buffer zone for the Sikhote-Alin Strict Nature Reserve within which logging activities are prohibited, and strengthen the regulation of logging activities in the vicinity of the property beyond the buffer zone,
   3. Ensure that the process of designating an adequate buffer zone for the property is undertaken in a coordinated manner across all components,
   4. Submit the proposal for a consolidated buffer zone through a Minor Boundary Modification procedure, in conformity with Paragraphs 163 and 164 of the Operational Guidelines;
6. Welcomes furthermore the State Party’s commitment to increase the territory of the Sikhote-Alin Strict Nature Reserve and further requests the State Party to provide further information on this process and how it would address the recommendations made by the Committee regarding the connectivity of the Amur tiger habitat;
7. Also notes with concern the increase in access routes, unregulated tourism and recreational use of the property leading to potential negative impacts on its OUV, and therefore requests furthermore the State Party to regulate tourism and recreational activities within the property and its buffer zones and prepare a tourism management strategy that clearly defines the type of activities permitted and outlines how impacts of tourism and recreational use will be monitored and controlled;
8. Requests furthermore the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, 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 46th session.