Decision 44 COM 7B.177

Mosi-oa-Tunya / Victoria Falls (Zambia, Zimbabwe) (N 509)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 18 COM IX, 41 COM 7B.22 and 43 COM 7B.34, adopted respectively in its 18th (Phuket, 1994), 41st (Baku, 2019) and 43rd (Krakow, 2017) sessions,
3. Welcomes the further progress of the two States Parties in strengthening the joint management of the transboundary property, including the organisation of joint patrols and monitoring, and the continued efforts to control the invasive alien plant species;
4. Notes its utmost concern over the increasing tourism infrastructure development pressure within and around the property, including the start of the construction of the Mosi-oa-Tunya Livingstone Resort Hotel within the buffer zone of the property, contrary to its request to abandon the proposal, urges the States Parties to halt further activities until further consultation with the World Heritage Centre and IUCN has taken place, all relevant Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) have been submitted to the World Heritage Centre and reviewed by IUCN, and the potential impacts of the infrastructure developments on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property have been adequately assessed;
5. Notes with concern the likely negative impacts of the Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Scheme (BGHES) on the OUV, also urges the State Party to not proceed if the proposal will encroach on the property or has the potential to impact on the OUV, and reiterates its request to the States Parties to submit the completed ESIA to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN before making any decisions on the project;
6. Requests the States Parties to provide details of the planned Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), including its scope, to the World Heritage Centre, and strongly encourages the States Parties to seek early inputs and technical guidance from IUCN in undertaking the SEA;
7. Also requests the States Parties to provide a summary of the key findings of the analysis undertaken earlier on the water flow, rainfall and upstream activity data in order to inform management, and the measures subsequently taken to ensure water abstraction from the Zambezi River continues to be adapted in the face of climate change;
8. Takes note that the joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission could not take place due to the COVID-19 restrictions but that the States Parties have invited the mission, and further requests that the mission takes place as soon as possible in order to assess the potential threat posed to the property’s OUV by the growing tourism development pressure in and around the property, the potential impacts of BGHES, to review the regulations to control this pressure and to make recommendations to the Committee on the proposed boundary modification;
9. Requests furthermorethe 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.