Decision 44 COM 7B.110

Western Caucasus (Russian Federation) (N 900)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 32 COM 7B.25, 42 COM 7B.80 and 43 COM 7B.18, adopted at its 32nd (Quebec City, 2008), 42nd (Manama, 2018) and 43rd (Baku, 2019) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes the confirmation that plans to build large ski facilities in the property in the basins of the Mzymta, Urushten and Malaya Laba rivers have been rejected but notes with concern that the construction of a “mountain resort” at Lagonaki Plateau is being considered and requests the State Party to provide more details on the planned resort, and that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to be submitted to the World Heritage Centre before any decisions are made, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
4. Reiterates its position that the construction of large-scale infrastructure within the property, including on Lagonaki plateau, would constitute a case for inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in line with Paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines and urges the State Party to confirm that no infrastructure is planned within the inscribed property;
5. Also welcomes the information provided to the World Heritage Centre by the State Party during the present session of the World Heritage Committee, stating that there will be no exclusion of three enclaves on the Lagonaki Plateau area from the property, and requests the State Party to submit an updated boundary clarification, taking into account the comments provided by the World Heritage Centre and comprising high resolution maps that meet the current technical requirements, for review by the World Heritage Centre;
6. Also requests the State Party to clarify the current legal protection regime of the whole Lagonaki Plateau, in order to ensure that all areas within the World Heritage property as inscribed benefit from the required level of protection;
7. Noting with serious concern that land plots, located in the Sochi Federal Wildlife Refuge and Sochi National Park, continue to be leased for a large-scale investment project, reiterates its request to the State Party not to permit any construction of large-scale infrastructure in the Sochi Federal Wildlife Refuge and Sochi National Park immediately adjacent to the property, given the high likelihood that such construction could have a negative impact on the property’s OUV, and further requests the State Party to submit an EIA, in line with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, for review by IUCN before any investment project is considered;
8. Requests furthermore the State Party to provide clarification on Resolution No. 97 of the Government of the Republic of Adygeya of 21 May 2020, which allegedly enables the establishment of an economic zone inside the property where logging and the construction of linear facilities would be possible;
9. Also urges the State Party not to conduct any further works on the road to Lunnaya Polyana and reiterates the assessment of the 2012 mission on this road project, which stressed that it should be ensured that all infrastructure facilities, even if deemed necessary for management and research purposes, have no negative impacts on the OUV and that an EIA should be submitted to the World Heritage Centre before any final decision is taken on this development, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
10. Requests moreover the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to evaluate whether the property meets the conditions for inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger with regards to the following issues, in line with Paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines:
    1. The scale of impacts from invasive alien species (IAS) on the OUV of the property and whether they represent an ascertained danger to the OUV of the property,
    2. The creation of the biosphere polygon and the changes in status of the nature monuments included in the property has affected the legal protection of these areas,
    3. Whether the envisaged infrastructure and road development projects inside and near the property and their cumulative impacts represent a potential danger to 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, with a view to considering, in case of confirmation of potential or ascertained danger to its OUV, the possible inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.