Decision 45 COM 7B.15

Komodo National Park (Indonesia) (N 609)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.93 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Considers that the identification of Komodo National Park (KNP) as one of five high-priority tourism destinations in Indonesia, the State Party’s intention to shift away from mass tourism, and the development of an Integrated Tourism Master Plan for Komodo National Park and Labuan Bajo Flores (ITMP), present a positive opportunity to position the property as a leading sustainable tourism destination that ensures the protection and management of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
4. Noting however the planned expansion of tourism in KNP and the wider Labuan Bajo region, including a projected significant increase in visitor numbers and allocation of private concessions within the property, and noting with concern the 2020 Ministerial decree exempting tourism infrastructure within KNP from Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements, notes with appreciation the State Party’s confirmation that a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and EIAs for individual projects will be undertaken, and also requests the State Party to:
   1. Take a strategic and precautionary management approach to tourism development that is focused on sustainable high-quality visitor experience, as opposed to exclusivity,
   2. Conduct an SEA of tourism development within the property and its wider setting prior to the approval of individual projects, including private tourism concessions, in line with the 2022 mission recommendation,
   3. Ensure that all proposed development projects are appropriately assessed for their potential impact on the OUV in line with the Guidance and Toolkit on Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, prior to making any decision that would be difficult to reverse, including undertaking consultations with relevant rightsholders and stakeholders prior to the approval and construction of a project,
   4. Ensure that no concessions or development projects are approved without an appropriate assessment and that no approval is issued for projects that would have a negative impact on the OUV;
5. Takes note of the revision of the EIA for the Loh Buaya Resort (Rinca Island) and requests furthermore the State Party to ensure proactive monitoring and management measures are in place, including through implementation of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP), to effectively protect and manage the OUV and avoid any potential future negative impacts that may result from increasing visitation, such as increased tourism pressure, especially on the Komodo dragon population;
6. Expresses concern about the changes to the zoning plan of the property that took place in 2012, which the World Heritage Centre was not informed of by the State Party and which resulted in the transformation of wilderness zones into utilization zones that allow for tourism development, and requests the State Party to review whether the current zoning and resulting tourism development is adequate to ensure the protection status and the OUV of the property and submit the results to the World Heritage Centre;
7. Recalling that in 2021 the status of the Komodo dragon moved from Vulnerable to Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the impact of climate change and habitat loss from ongoing human activities, notes with appreciation that monitoring activities report a stable population trend in KNP, and requests moreover the State Party to continue regular population monitoring and implement management measures that ensure the long-term protection of the species, especially in the context of tourism expansion;
8. Noting with appreciation the reported significant reduction in poaching and illegal fishing, reiterates its concern regarding the lack of operational equipment and technical capacity to manage the property’s marine area, and reiterates its request for the State Party to urgently strengthen marine management and law enforcement capacities in the property, with a specific emphasis on controlling illegal fishing activities and boat anchoring, and to allocate a sufficient budget for marine research, monitoring, education and compliance with marine regulations;
9. Requests furthermore the State Party to implement the recommendations of the 2022 joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission, including to:
   1. Provide training and capacity building to key stakeholders on impact assessment processes to support planning and decision‐making for the protection and management of the property,
   2. Ensure a proactive and strategic management approach to tourism development under the ITMP which includes an assessment of the carrying capacity for the property, prior to approving any major tourism developments,
   3. Ensure the engagement of local communities in decision-making processes in line with international best-practice policies, including tourism development,
   4. Finalize the ITMP to enable the State Party to provide best practice guidance to stakeholders for future tourism development that ensures the protection of OUV, support local livelihoods, and provide business and economic opportunities from conservation and includes actions to combat climate change,
   5. Implement the necessary management and monitoring measures to ensure the long‐term protection of the Komodo dragon, its prey species, and important habitats, including to effectively plan, monitor and manage key pressures, such as poaching and the projected increase in tourism, including through the ITMP,
   6. Strengthen marine monitoring and management measures for the property, including ensuring the effective regulation of the liveaboard (LOB) and cruise tourism industry, establishing a systematic and transparent revenue capture mechanism to return income to the property, and incorporate a marine monitoring programme into the core management of the property,
   7. Explore the potential for utilizing the multi-stakeholder Komodo Biosphere Reserve Coordinating Forum as a mechanism to support the management of the World Heritage property,
   8. Clarify the boundaries of the property, and specifically the status of the three reserves (Wae Wuul Nature Reserve, the Mburak Forest, and the Mbeliling and Nggorang Protected Forests) located on Flores island, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre;
10. 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.