Decision 45 COM 7A.7

Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (N 718)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 43 COM 7A.9 and 44 COM 7A.43 adopted at its 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes the efforts undertaken by the State Party to further strengthen the surveillance of the property but reiterates once more its concern regarding the persistent insecurity in the region, which limits surveillance coverage and effective management of the property, also reiterates its request to the State Party to implement all the corrective measures in order to restore the integrity of the property and calls upon donors to provide the necessary financial support;
4. Expresses its utmost concern about the continuous and increasing pressure from illegal mining in the property, including the emergence of semi-industrial mining operations approved by the mining regulatory authorities within the boundaries of the property, in contradiction to the protected area legislation, coupled with persistent insecurity, which results in large-scale deforestation and environmental damage, and also facilitates access to the property and attracts further migrants into the property leading to further illegal settlements, agricultural invasions, illegal logging and increased poaching pressure, and considers that the expansion of mining and associated illegal activities is jeopardizing the integrity of the property and therefore directly affecting its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
5. Recalls the commitments made by the State Party as part of the 2011 Kinshasa Declaration, in particular to enforce the conservation laws and mining code, which forbid any mining in protected areas in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and urges the State Party to urgently address the issues of illegal mining at the highest level, to revoke all mining permits attributed within the property, close all mining sites inside the property and access roads to them and initiate restoration activities in the degraded areas;
6. Regrets again that no information was provided on the updating of the Integrated Management Plan (PAG) for the property and the formalization of the Central Integral Conservation Zone and urges again the State Party to expedite these processes to integrate provisions relating to the different zones of the property, including the subsistence zones, the Central Integral Conservation Zone and forestry concessions for local communities, and ensure immediate implementation;
7. Notes again the intention to repopulate the okapi breeding station and also urges again the State Party to postpone any plans to capture okapi from the wild until the security situation is stable and to develop an integrated in-situ/ex-situ conservation strategy as part of the PAG for the long-term sustainability of okapi within the property, consulting best practice expert guidance, such as the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Giraffe and Okapi Specialist Group;
8. Also welcomes the continued efforts for the participatory demarcation process of the western boundary of the property including through the support provided by the World Heritage Centre with funding from the Government of Norway, and requests the State Party to finalize the full demarcation of the property boundaries;
9. Requests again the State Party to provide further details on:
   1. The number of residents within the villages located inside the property in order to assess the impacts of population increases on land-use in the property,
   2. The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) data to enable an assessment of the impact of illegal activities on the OUV of the property,
   3. Data concerning progress accomplished with regard to the indicators defined in the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);
10. Also requests the State Party to invite a joint UNESCO/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to assess its state of conservation, the status of increased threats and impacts from semi-industrial mining, implementation of the corrective measures, and the progress towards achieving the DSOCR;
11. Further 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, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session;
12. Decides to continue to apply the Reinforced Monitoring Mechanism for the property;
13. Also decides to retain Okapi Wildlife Reserve (Democratic Republic of the Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.