Decision 45 COM 7B.16

Lorentz National Park (Indonesia) (N 955)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.94 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Appreciates the activities undertaken to strengthen community engagement and the establishment of a Lorentz National Park Collaborative Management Forum, which has led to a revised national park management zonation and a Long-Term Development Plan for the property, and requests the State Party to submit both the revised zonation and the Development Plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
4. Notes that a Special Use Zone under the property’s new zoning plan is intended for community settlements that predated the creation of the park, but also noting that other projects are proposed in this zone, reminds the State Party that any development should firstly be compatible with the property’s World Heritage status and secondly no development project planned within and around a World Heritage property should proceed without a prior assessment of potential impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, in accordance with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
5. Expresses its utmost concern about the road developments in the property, in particular the two different parts of Trans-Papuan Highway, which are of significant length, the Enarotali-Ilaga-Mulia segment and the Habema-Kenyam segment, which will lead to fragmentation of its habitats and could negatively impact its OUV, and deeply regrets that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the former segment of the Trans-Papuan Highway was not submitted in one of the working languages of the Convention prior to construction, and furthermore appears not to have assessed the potential impacts of the development on the OUV of the property;
6. Urges the State Party to submit a clear assessment of the cumulative impacts of road developments on the OUV of the property;
7. Also notes that Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) patrols and biodiversity monitoring are being undertaken around the Habema-Kenyam Road, and also requests the State Party to report on the mitigation and monitoring measures being implemented for the Enarotali-Ilaga-Mulia road, and for both segments to develop and submit to the World Heritage Centre, a clear action plan, including a timeline for the rehabilitation of all areas inside the property damaged by the road construction;
8. Further requests the State Party to provide details of the biodiversity monitoring plan that is being implemented across the property;
9. Further notes that the cause of the Nothofagus dieback is inconclusive, but that natural regeneration is occurring well even in disturbed habitats, and encourages the State Party to seek international collaboration to further investigate and conclude on the causes of the Nothofagus dieback to inform long-term conservation planning;
10. Requests furthermore the State Party to provide all of the above requested submissions in one of the working languages of the Convention;
11. Regrets that the overdue IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission continues to be postponed due to security concerns and reiterates its request to the State Party to invite the mission as soon as feasible to assess the state of road projects in the property, their impacts on the OUV and the effectiveness of the mitigation measures, the effectiveness of new zoning of the property to ensure the long-term conservation of the property’s OUV, and any other threats that may concern the OUV of the property, including illegal fishing, logging and poaching, as previously raised by the Committee;
12. 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, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 46th session.