Decision 45 COM 7B.87

Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal) (N 120)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 42 COM 7B.70 and 44 COM 7B.96 adopted at its 42nd (Bahrain, 2018) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes that the revision of the 2016-2020 Management Plan for the property is underway, and requests the State Party to finalize, as soon as possible, the revision to include the various pressures to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and to submit the revised Plan to the World Heritage Centre;
4. Also recalling concerns regarding the impacts of increasing visitor numbers on the property, welcomes the State Party's intention to include a tourism chapter in the revised Management Plan, however requests the State Party to provide an update on the planned development of a Tourism Management Plan and reiterates its request to the State Party to:
   1. Undertake a visitor carrying capacity study to establish an appropriate carrying capacity for the property, especially during the peak season, and use the findings to inform the Tourism Management Plan,
   2. Address how monitoring and regulation of tourism-related helicopter traffic within the property and the nationally designated buffer zones of the Park can be strengthened to reduce impacts,
   3. Ensure that the Tourism Management Plan aligns with the revision of the Management Plan for the property;
5. Further recalling its concerns regarding the serious threats of the Kongde View Resort to the OUV, takes note of the activities to patrol, monitor and control any environmental impacts and illegal activities relating to the continued operation of the resort, and urges the State Party to continue these measures and finalise a detailed environmental plan to mitigate the impacts of the resort, submit this plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, and take any necessary measures to monitor its implementation;
6. Recalling furthermore the State Party's decision to request a revision of the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the optical fibre project based on the comments provided by IUCN, further requests the State Party to keep the World Heritage Centre informed of progress and ensure the revised EIA is completed in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context;
7. Recalling again the proposal in the 2016-2020 Management Plan to consider introducing zonation as a management instrument within the property and the distinction between a zonation scheme and a buffer zone, requests furthermore the State Party to develop a zonation system as part of the revision of the Management Plan, notably as a means of ensuring appropriate provisions for enclave villages located within the property;
8. Appreciates the ongoing engagement by the State Party to consult with local communities regarding the formalization of the nationally designated buffer zone of Sagarmatha National Park as a buffer zone to the property, and encourages it to continue the implementation of the Management Plan which applies to the nationally designed buffer zone, possibly with the aim of formalizing a buffer zone, with the support of local people, in line with Paragraph 164 of the Operational Guidelines; also encourages the World Heritage Centre to organise an online meeting with the State Party and the management authority of the property to allow IUCN to provide further guidance;
9. Notes with appreciation the continued ban on firewood collection in the property, implementation of law enforcement, and planned interventions to reduce this activity and promote alternative energy, and further encourages the State Party to continue these measures and ensure their incorporation in the revised Management Plan;
10. Takes note that the Himalayan musk deer poaching incidence occurred when surveillance was impacted by COVID-19 and that surveillance has since resumed, and requests moreover that antipoaching measures are continued and included in the revision of the Management Plan;
11. Also notes with appreciation the commitment to monitor climate change impacts on biodiversity and the local community, and futher reiterates its request to develop a climate adaptation strategy, and integrate this into the revised Management Plan;
12. Notes with significant concern the confirmation by the State Party that construction of a hydropower project has been initiated in the Chaurikharka and Lukla areas without prior notification in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and without providing clarity on whether the potential impacts of the project on the OUV were assessed prior to approval in line with Paragraph 118bis, and considering the potential impact of the project on the OUV given its location in the vicinity of the property and within the nationally designated buffer zone,
13. Urges the State Party to halt the aforementioned hydropower project until the impact on the OUV has been determined, and to provide details including the type of hydropower project and associated developments, a map of its location in relation to the property, and the Initial Environmental Examination Report including any assessment of the project’s potential impact on the property’s OUV, as soon as possible and no later than 1 December 2023, to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
14. 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.