Decision 46 COM 7A.54

Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal) (N 153)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7A.Add.3,
2. Recalling Decisions 44 COM 7A.50 and 45 COM 7A.13 adopted at its 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and 45th (Riyadh, 2023) extended sessions respectively,
3. Notes the results of the joint UNESCO/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission conducted in March 2024 and commends the actions taken by the State Party in effectively implementing various recommendations and corrective measures stemming from the 2015 mission, as well as the significant progress made in achieving the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);
4. Recalling that the property is inscribed on the World Heritage List on the basis of criterion (x) alone, notes with satisfaction the increase in the encounter rate of the characteristic species of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), in comparison with the situation during the last Reactive Monitoring mission in 2015, and the continuation of the monitoring protocol with a view to collect updated data for the coming years 2024, 2025, 2026, in particular through the ongoing updating of the property’s Development and Management Plan thanks to funding already mobilized;
5. Noting the clarification provided by the State Party with regard to the existing Memorandum of Understanding between the National Parks Directorate (DPN) of Senegal and the Gambia River Basin Development Organization (OMVG) concerning ongoing monitoring to mitigate any potential indirect negative impact of the Sambangalou Dam on the OUV of the property, in particular when the dam is put into operation, as well as a formal commitment from the Senegalese authorities to permanently and immediately close the Mansadala basalt quarry, and to implement a rehabilitation plan for the pits resulting from its exploitation,
6. Notes with appreciation the strengthening of anti-poaching measures, combining land, air and sea methods, as well as the continuing improvement in relations with local populations that have led to a drastic reduction of poaching;
7. Urges the State Party to fully implement the following indicators based on the recommendations of the Reactive Monitoring mission:
   1. Urgently update and implement the property’s Development and Management Plan, ensuring that it incorporates an operational ecological monitoring plan targeting the characteristic species of OUV,
   2. Document the stated upward trend observed in the property’s characteristic species of the OUV through a census of the wildlife species in order to establish a new baseline to monitor further recovery of the OUV,
   3. Immediately and definitively close the Mansadala basalt quarry, with a validated and implemented rehabilitation plan,
   4. Provide the World Heritage Committee with the necessary and sufficient guarantees for the mitigation of the potential indirect negative impacts on the property arising from the modification of the hydrological regime caused by the filling of the reservoir behind the Sambangalou Dam;
8. Also requests the State Party to implement the main additional recommendations made by the 2024 Reactive Monitoring mission;
9. While noting that the construction of the dam in Sambangalou is continuing, notes the availability of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report on the project, and recalls the need for a thorough analysis of the ESIA report by IUCN to draw conclusions on the effective consideration of the property’s OUV in light of the potential negative impacts of the project, as indicated by preliminary analysis of the supplementary environmental and biodiversity studies of the property;
10. Commends the State Party on the various measures taken to reduce accidents with wild animals on National Route 7 through the property, and encourages the State Party to continue implementing these measures to reduce to a minimum the number of registered collisions;
11. Notes that the Barrick Gold mining project has not yet started and that no environmental approval has been issued for it, and also recalls the concerns previously expressed about the many major potential impacts identified by the project’s ESIA report;
12. Thanks the State Party and its financial partners who continue to support the conservation of the property, in particular the Government of Norway through its funding to the World Heritage Fund to support the improvement of the state of conservation of the property;
13. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2025, 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;
14. Decides to remove Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal) from the List of World Heritage in Danger.