Decision 45 COM 7B.70

Pitons Management Area (Saint Lucia) (N 1161)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.116 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Welcomes that funding has been secured to integrate the recommendations of the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) study into the legal and regulatory framework of Saint Lucia and requests the State Party to undertake the process to amend the Physical Planning and Development Act as soon as possible;
4. Notes with concern the reported development, in particular in Sugar Bay, which does not comply fully with the Policy Area Design Guidelines of the LAC and reiterates its request to the State Party to ensure that these -and any other projects being considered for implementation- are fully compliant with the provisions of the LAC study;
5. Recalling the revision of the 2003 Management Plan for the property was planned for 2020, also requests the State Party to provide an update on the progress of the revision, submit the draft updated Plan to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
6. Noting that exploratory drilling for geothermal energy sources has been agreed under the Renewable Energy Sector Development Project (RESDP), urges the State Party to confirm that exploratory drilling will not be undertaken in the property and to ensure that the property remains off-limits for any geothermal development activities in the future in line with previous Committee decisions;
7. Further requests the State Party to ensure that any potential impacts from geothermal energy development activities outside the property are assessed through a comprehensive Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, and that no such activities are approved that would threaten the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
8. Also welcomes that funding has been secured for the demarcation of the boundaries of the property, encourages it to complete the process, and again urges it to:
   1. Formalise the status of the buffer zone of the World Heritage property as a ‘formal buffer zone’ through a Minor Boundary Modification, in conformity with Paragraphs 163 and 164 of the Operational Guidelines,
   2. Clearly define the types of activities permitted in this buffer zone, ensuring their compatibility with the conservation of the property’s OUV;
9. 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.