Decision 45 COM 7B.84

Shiretoko (Japan) (N 1193)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 41 COM 7B.30, 43 COM 7B.10 and 44 COM 7B.186 adopted at its 41st (Krakow, 2017), 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) sessions respectively,
3. Noting that effects of climate change are generating greater concern and that there is a lack of data to monitor climate change impacts, welcomes the planned development by 2024 of an adaptive management strategy that minimizes climate change-driven impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and reiterates its request for the State Party to submit the final strategy to the World Heritage Centre and to ensure that full support is provided for its implementation and the ongoing protection of the OUV of the property;
4. Also noting that Stellar sea lions, including their impacts on fisheries, have been managed in line with a Basic Management Policy and that research on population dynamics is underway, however reiterates its concern regarding the continued culling of sea lions in the continued absence of population data, and urges the State Party to continue to accelerate the development of a population dynamic model to inform the revision of the Basic Management Policy in 2024;
5. Urges again the State Party to reconsider, reduce or eliminate, if necessary, the current levels of culling of the Western Steller sea lion population, consulting the IUCN Species Survival Commission as required, and adopting a precautionary approach until accurate and comprehensive data on this subspecies become available;
6. Taking note of the Comprehensive Evaluation Report of the 2012-2021 Long-Term Monitoring Plan (LTMP) for the property, expresses concern regarding the reported decrease by half of some seabird populations since inscription and recalls that seabird populations are an important attribute of the OUV;
7. Also welcomes the planned revision of the LTMP by 2023 and that this will include biodiversity attributes under Criterion (x), and reiterates its request for the State Party to ensure that the attributes of the property’s OUV are fully reflected in the LTMP to ensure aquatic biodiversity, specifically the salmonid species, seabirds and marine mammals, are all included and monitored, and requests the State Party to submit the final revised LTMP to the World Heritage Centre;
8. Also takes note of the State Party's ongoing response to the 2019 mission recommendations, including the monitoring of biological variables, and also encourages the State Party to continue to:
   1. Take measures to improve the representation of biological variables in river ecosystems, to enhance the current understanding of river restoration approaches and options,
   2. Consider alternative methodologies to capture large wooden debris as a way to better balance river restoration needs with the fishery stakeholders' concerns,
   3. Monitor the impacts of the riverbed path pilot project, especially in relation to erosion, fish passage and disturbance to the benthic habitat, and take prompt remedial actions in relation to any identified impacts, as necessary, based on comprehensive scientific understanding;
9. Also 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.