Decision 45 COM 7B.67

Galápagos Islands (Ecuador) (N 1bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/23/45.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 44 COM 7B.113 adopted at its extended 44th session (Fuzhou/online, 2021),
3. Appreciates the significant progress made by the State Party in addressing the longstanding issues facing the property and in implementing the recommendations of the 2017 Reactive Monitoring mission, in particular the recent progress towards the operationalization of the Galápagos Biosecurity Agency (GBA);
4. Encourages the State Party to continue the current biosecurity measures to control the entry and spread of invasive alien species throughout the property, including through the effective implementation of the 10-year Galápagos Invasive Species Management Plan;
5. Notes the development of indicators and identification of threats related to attributes of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and requests the State Party to integrate these, in close collaboration with the relevant local institutions, into an updated version of the 2014 Management Plan for the property;
6. Reiterates its continued concern on the steady growth of tourism and commercial flights to the property and urges again the State Party to develop and implement a clear tourism strategy with a clear action plan with urgent measures to achieve the zero-growth model, including maintaining the moratorium on construction of new tourism projects and the limits on the number of flights, and to submit this strategy and action plan to the World Heritage Centre for review;
7. Takes note that the majority of fishing vessels around the property are Ecuadorian flagged and registered with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission and operate under strict regulatory control, and further urges the State Party to ensure compliance with regulations and to ensure the continued monitoring of any illegal or unregulated fishing vessels that may encroach on or operate at the peripheries of the property;
8. Commends the implementation of the new zoning system and the designation of the Hermandad Marine Reserve between the Galápagos Marine Reserve (GMR) and Cocos Island in Costa Rica and encourages the State Party to continue to strengthen regional collaboration with neighboring countries for a collective approach to reducing illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing practices in the region;
9. Also commends the States Parties of Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama for adopting a declaration on the sustainable management of the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR) and also encourages them to work towards the establishment of a transboundary marine biosphere encompassing the World Heritage sites of Cocos Island National Park (Costa Rica), Galápagos Islands (Ecuador), Malpelo Fauna and Flora Sanctuary (Colombia) and the Coiba National Park and its Special Zone of Marine Protection (Panama);
10. Further 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.