Decision 44 COM 7B.187

Landscapes of Dauria (Mongolia, Russian Federation) (N 1448)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 8B.6, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Notes with utmost concern that the construction of the Onon-Ulz dam on the Ulz River, upstream of the property in Mongolia, has commenced without prior notification to the World Heritage Committee, despite the provisions of Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and could impact the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property by modifying the natural flow regimes of the river and lake levels;
4. Urgently requests the State Party of Mongolia to halt any further activities associated with the Onon-Ulz dam project until an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that includes an assessment of potential impacts on the OUV of the property has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre and reviewed by IUCN, in line with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
5. Welcomes the continued coordination between the States Parties through the framework of the China-Mongolia-Russia International Protected Area Agreement (DIPA) to manage transboundary conservation issues relating to the wider steppe ecosystem in which the property is located, and also requests the States Parties of Mongolia and the Russian Federation to further strengthen their coordination for the management of the property;
6. Encourages the States Parties to consider, possibly jointly with the State Party of China, a potential future expansion of the transboundary World Heritage property in order to cover additional areas of forest steppe and critical habitats, notably for migratory birds and the Mongolian gazelle;
7. Also welcomes the confirmation that there is currently no mining exploration or exploitation activity within the boundaries of the property or its buffer zone and the commitment made by the State Party of Mongolia not to allow any future mining operation within the Mongolian components of the property or their buffer zones;
8. Takes note that the management plans of the Mongolian components of the property are being revised, further requests the State Party of Mongolia to submit these revised management plans to the World Heritage Centre prior to adoption, and also encourages the State Party of Mongolia to strengthen its resources and capacities for the effective implementation of the updated management plans, once they are finalized;
9. Finally requests the States Parties to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, an updated joint 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.