Decision 44 COM 7B.109

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

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 40 COM 7B.100 and 42 COM 7B.79, adopted respectively at its 40th (Istanbul/UNESCO, 2016) and 42nd (Manama, 2018) sessions,
3. Notes with concern the conclusions of the 2019 Reactive Monitoring mission that the threats and management issues to the property, which were identified by the 2007 monitoring mission, have not diminished and that little progress has been achieved in implementing previous recommendations and considers that urgent measures are therefore needed to avoid impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
4. Expresses its utmost concern about the confirmation by the State Party that the boundaries of the South Kamchatka Nature Park have been modified at national level, thereby removing the legal protection of part of the property, and recalls that such removal of the legal protection of part of the property constitutes a clear potential danger to the property in line with Paragraph 180(b) (i) of the Operational Guidelines;
5. Requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property;
6. Also expresses its serious concern about the proposed tourism resort project “Three Volcano Park”, which is planned to be partially constructed inside the South Kamchatka Nature Park component of the property, and requests the State Party not to permit any construction of such kind and scale neither inside the property nor immediately adjacent to the property, if such construction could have negative impact on the property’s OUV, which should be assessed as part of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for each proposed project, in line with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note: Environmental Assessment;
7. Welcomes the information that the plans for the construction of a hydro-electric power station in the vicinity of the Kronotsky State Nature Reserve (KSNR) and for the construction of a fish channel in KSNR to connect Kronotskoye Lake with the sea have been rejected, and notes with satisfaction the confirmation by the State Party that both projects have been deemed fundamentally unacceptable;
8. Also notes with concern that the new zoning of the different components of the property has greatly diminished the area of the property benefiting from a strict protection regime and also requests the State Party to reconsider this zoning approach and to substantially increase the area within the property under a strict protection regime in order to meet the requirements of the protection of the OUV, as recommended by the 2019 mission;
9. Further requests the State Party to also fully implement all other recommendations of the 2019 mission, including in particular:
   1. Develop an Integrated Management Plan (IMP) to guarantee a holistic and integrated management approach for the entire property, and ensure that all components have a management plan, including a zoning plan and a buffer zone, which guarantee the protection of the OUV,
   2. Take immediate measures to address uncontrolled tourism in the property and to better regulate tourism,
   3. Develop a Tourism Development Master Plan including considerations for alternative areas outside of the property for touristic leisure activities in order to channel the tourist inflow,
   4. Ensure that all projects planned in or near the property, including potential mining projects, are subject to a rigorous EIA and fully assess the potential impacts in relation to the OUV in line with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment and submit these to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN before a decision is taken which is difficult to reverse,
   5. Further strengthen efforts to combat any form of poaching in the property, including illegal salmon poaching,
   6. Continue to develop baseline ecological monitoring information on key wildlife populations such as salmon, brown bear, snow sheep and reindeer;
10. Further notes with concern the potential pollution event in the marine environment surrounding the property and requests furthermore the State Party to provide more information regarding the issue in order to be able to evaluate its potential impacts on the OUV of the property;
11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 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 45th session.