Decision 45 COM 7A.16

East Rennell (Solomon Islands) (N 854)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7A.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7A.53 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes the State Party’s continued efforts to implement the corrective measures and recommendations made by the 2019 Reactive Monitoring mission, yet reiterates its concern that limited progress has been made towards their effective implementation, and therefore requests the State Party to strengthen these efforts;
4. Reiterates once again its request to the State Party to adopt, as a matter of urgency, a new Cabinet Paper with the commitments and associated budgets of the respective ministries reflected in the budget allocation for the next fiscal year;
5. Commends the continued efforts by customary landowners, local communities of East Rennell and the Lake Tegano World Heritage Site Association (LTWHSA) to safeguard the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, also reiterates its concern that potential threats to the property’s OUV arising from commercial logging and mining still exist, in the absence of an adequate legal protective mechanism for the property;
6. Also reiterates its request to accelerate the pending finalization of the Management Plan and community dialogue on the Protected Areas Act 2010, including by exploring potential support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF-6)-funded project in this regard and urges all parties concerned to develop a workable long-term solution for the customary governance of the property, and requests the State Party to provide a detailed update in its next progress report, recalling its position that the long term conservation of the property’s OUV can only be secured with the full consent of the customary land owners and land users in full respect of their rights;
7. Expresses its utmost concern about the reported granting of bauxite mining exploration licenses possibly overlapping with the property, recalling its position that mining, including exploration, is considered incompatible with World Heritage status for natural sites, appreciates the clear position by the local communities against proposed bauxite mining exploration reportedly in the area bordering the property, also requests the State Party to unequivocally confirm that the mining project has been abandoned;
8. Also welcomes the cancellation of the commercial logging proposal and the proposed associated new road, and reminds the State Party to undertake a full Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for other planned developments, in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, including for the upgrade of the existing road, to assess any potential impact on the property’s OUV before any decision is made that would be difficult to reverse, in accordance with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and to submit a copy of the EIA to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
9. Regrets that no information was provided on the previously reported mass mortality of flying foxes, and thus also urges the State Party to undertake a scientific investigation on this issue to identify causes and appropriate management interventions to safeguard this population as an important attribute of the property’s OUV;
10. Notes the EIA conducted for the grounding of an industrial barge inside the property, and expresses concern regarding the extent of the damage to local coral reefs and the adverse socio-economic impacts on local communities, and thus calls upon the responsible company and licensee of SAPOR 2302 to adhere to the conclusions and recommendations of the EIA with regards to compensation for ecological, cultural and socio-economic impacts of the grounding;
11. Reiterates its great concern that local communities continue to face food insecurity, accelerated by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change, and further requeststhe State Party to address the issue as a matter of urgency, and also calls upon the international community to provide urgent humanitarian support;
12. Further welcomes the community and stakeholder consultations organized in April/May 2022 which identified priority actions for developing sustainable livelihoods in East Rennell, and the livelihood projects supported by the UNDP GEF Small Grants Programme and the UNESCO/Netherlands and UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trusts and the project jointly implemented by BirdLife International and local communities to study and mitigate the impacts of invasive rats, and encourages the State Party to continue mobilizing additional international support, including through the International Assistance mechanism under the World Heritage Fund, as well as climate change funding to conduct an integrated vulnerability assessment of the property;
13. Further reiterates its concern that achieving the full implementation of the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) by 2025 will be challenging without significant international support, and further calls upon the international community to provide the State Party with the necessary support;
14. Finally 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, including a progress report of the implementation of the recommendations made by the 2019 Reactive Monitoring mission, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session;
15. Decidesto retain East Rennell (Solomon Islands) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.