Decision 45 COM 7B.90

Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (Viet Nam) (N 951bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.189 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes the continued efforts of the State Party to implement the recommendations of the 2018 joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission;
4. Notes with appreciation ongoing measures to address invasive alien species (IAS) including a proposed project to assess the invasive plant Merremia boisiana, and reiterates its request to develop a clear strategy and action plan informed by the results of the pilot project that is sufficiently resourced to address the threat posed by the 14 previously reported invasive species identified within the property, and to submit to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN, the strategy and action plan;
5. Takes note of the ongoing assessment of existing tourism operations and capacity of cave tourism within the property and wider province, also requests the State Party to ensure that any future planned tourism development is based on the carrying capacity of the property, and also reiterates its requests to the State Party to revise and update the 2010-2020 Sustainable Tourism Development Plan and its integration with other key management tools, to enhance governance based on the overarching principles of sustaining and preserving the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property by paying careful attention to the balance between tourism development and biodiversity conservation, as well as increased benefit sharing among stakeholders;
6. Also notes with appreciation the confirmation that no infrastructure projects will be approved in or near the caves within the property to avoid impacting the OUV, and that impact assessments will be conducted for construction projects and large-scale tourism projects likely to impact on the OUV, and further requests that all potential developments are assessed for their potential impact in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, prior to taking any decision that would be difficult to reverse;
7. Also welcomes management measures including to strengthen enforcement, limit encroachment, address poaching, and undertake wildlife surveys to identify high priority conservation areas, and requests furthermore that such measures be continued to inform priority management actions for the property, and to maintain sufficient staffing capacity to ensure the ongoing protection and management of the property;
8. Further reiterates its request that the State Party fully implement the recommendations of the 2018 mission, in particular by integrating and harmonizing the various management and conservation plans and tools under a concerted vision of governance;
9. Further welcomes the continued cooperation with the State Party of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) for the conservation of biodiversity in the transboundary protected area, and continues to encourage the submission of a nomination for a transboundary significant boundary modification to extend the property and include Hin Nam No National Park (Lao PDR);
10. Further notes with appreciation the confirmation by the State Party that reported cattle grazing within the property is subsistence based and that management measures are in place to prevent negative impacts on the OUV, but noting its location in a strictly protected part of the property, requests moreover the State Party to continue monitoring the grazing activities to prevent negative impacts on the property’s OUV while ensuring that no illegal grazing occurs within the property;
11. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 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 47th session.