Decision 45 COM 7A.5

Garamba National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (N 136)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 44COM 7A.41 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes the significant progress made by the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN) and the partner African Parks in close collaboration with the provincial political-administrative and military authorities and the local communities in the implementation of the corrective measures of the 2016 joint Reactive Monitoring mission and previous decisions of the World Heritage Committee, and encourages the State Party to pursue, with the support of its partners, its actions for the effective protection and management of the property;
4. Notes the results of the 2021 ecological monitoring, which show a temporary stabilization in the numbers of Kordofan giraffes and elephants and an increase in the population of hippopotamuses and buffaloes, but recalls that the populations remain very small compared to the situation at the time of the inscription of the property, is concerned about the high level of poaching for bushmeat for commercial and subsistence purposes in the hunting grounds and reiterates its request to the State Party to continue efforts to control poaching in order to promote optimal conditions for wildlife restoration, and to submit to the World Heritage Centre the strategy and the Action Plan for the conservation of giraffe in the property, for review by IUCN;
5. Reiterating its deepest concern about the probable extinction of the northern white rhinoceros subspecies within the property due to the absence of evidence of presence since 2008, notes the launching of the implementation of an introduction programme of white rhinoceros in the property with the translocation of a first group of 16 individuals of the subspecies of southern white rhinoceros in June 2023, and urges the State Party to:
   1. Submit to the World Heritage Centre the risk assessment reports carried out in 2018 and 2021 on the introduction of southern white rhinoceros, as well as the in-depth study carried out in accordance with IUCN’s Guidelines, as soon as possible, for review by IUCN,
   2. In collaboration with the World Heritage Centre, consult and take into consideration the advice of the African Rhino Specialist Group of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC AfrRSG) prior to the implementation of any translocations of southern white rhinoceros to the property,
   3. Implement rigorous long-term management of the risks that may be associated with the introduction of the southern white rhinoceros in the property, notably as concerns the security of the individuals, disease, competition with other herbivorous species, and veterinary considerations, to ensure the survival of translocated individuals in accordance with the advice of the IUCN SSC AfrRSG;
6. Commends the State Party for the validation of the business plan for the property which guides the management actions for the period 2022-2026 and thanks the European Union and USAID for their financial contribution for the implementation of the said plan;
7. Notes with concern the constraints related to the relocation of existing artisanal mining sites in hunting grounds and the limited progress in defining a Land Use Plan (LUP) and creating a functional buffer zone of 2km around the property, and reiterates its long-standing request to accelerate the finalization of the LUP and the creation of the buffer zone in line with the Park's sustainable development strategy, the 2019 ministerial decree prohibiting artisanal exploitation in the hunting areas, and the strategy for relocating refugee camps outside the Park;
8. Welcomes the continuation of transboundary cooperation with South Sudan, as recommended by the Committee, with a view to establishing a bilateral cooperation framework for the enhanced management of the Garamba-Lantoto landscape and again invites the two States Parties to expedite the formalization of the Memorandum of Understanding in order to reduce illegal transborder activities such as poaching and trade in wildlife products;
9. Takes note of the information on the progress made by the State Party towards achieving the indicators as proposed by the 2016 mission and reiterates again its request to the State Party to finalize these indicators on the basis of the recent inventory data available, as well as the recommendations of the regional workshop on support for the process of removing natural properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in French-speaking African countries of June 2022 in Kinshasa, and to submit the final version of the Desired state of conservation for removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) to the World Heritage Centre, for adoption by the World Heritage Committee;
10. Requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to review the implementation of the corrective measures, and progress made to achieve the indicators as proposed by the 2016 mission, the present state of conservation of the property, the finalization of the DSOCR, as well as the status and proposed plans for the introduction of the southern white rhinoceros to replace the northern white rhinoceros, possibly extinct in the wild, as a key attribute of Outstanding Universal Value;
11. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2024, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above points, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session;
12. Decides to retain Garamba National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.