Decision 44 COM 7B.199

Canaima National Park (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of) (N 701)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Welcomes the information provided by the State Party regarding different conservation and management activities in the property, many of which continued despite the difficulties posed by the global COVID-19 pandemic;
3. Notes the clarifications provided by the State Party regarding the recently established National Strategic Development Zone “Arco Minero del Orinoco” (ZDENAMO), including that it does not spatially overlap with the property, but expresses its concern that, despite the establishment of a 1-km buffer between ZDENAMO and the property, some areas foreseen for mining activities are located in close vicinity to the northern border of the property and that it remains unclear whether a specific assessment of possible negative impacts of mining activities on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property has been undertaken;
4. While welcoming the information that most of the property remains intact, notes with concern the confirmation by the State Party that some illegal mining activities occur in the property as concluded by the State Party based on its analysis of satellite images;
5. Considering that, based on the available information and as also confirmed by the State Party, it is difficult to assess the current extent and status of such illegal activities in the property and to conclude whether any impacts on the OUV of the property might have occurred, requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to:
   1. Assess, including through on-the-ground visits where feasible, the degree to which the property’s OUV, including its integrity, might have been affected by illegal mining activities,
   2. Review the planned and ongoing legal mining activities in the parts of ZDENAMO located in the vicinity to the northern border of the property and assess whether they might result in any potential negative impacts on the OUV of the property and provide advice to the State Party in ensuring that assessment of possible impacts on the OUV of the property is integrated into existing national regulations for mining;
6. Also requests the State Party to submit an official proposal for clarification of boundaries of the property within the framework of the Retrospective Inventory, according to Paragraphs 163-165 of the Operational Guidelines concerning Minory Boundary Modifications and to provide further information on the proposals for futher expansion of the Canaima National Park;
7. Finally requests 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.