Decision 46 COM 7B.59

Serengeti National Park (United Republic of Tanzania) (N 156)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7B.Add.3,
2. Recalling Decision 45 COM 7B.76 adopted at its extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023),
3. Welcomes the conclusion of the 2024 joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission that the different attributes which underpin the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property are being maintained and commends the State Party for the significant efforts it has undertaken in implementing the 2010 mission recommendations;
4. Notes with appreciation that the State Party confirms its commitment that the stretch of the northern road traversing the property from Tabora B to Klein’s Gate will remain under the management of Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) and maintained as a gravel road for tourism and administrative duties and that the southern bypass road is under construction;
5. Requests the State Party of Kenya to confirm that the proposed dam projects upstream of the property in the Mara River basin in Kenya, which could have a negative impact on the OUV of the Serengeti National Park and Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley World Heritage properties will not go forward, and also requests the State Party to develop together with the State Party of Kenya the planned Joint Water Allocation Plan (JWAP) as soon as possible to ensure Minimum Environmental Flows as established by the Environmental Flows Assessment;
6. Further requests the State Party to ensure that the proposed expansion of the Serengeti National Park to include the ecologically important Speke Gulf is implemented effectively and equitably, and ensure that any planned resettlement of people follows a human-rights based approach in line with international best practice and norms and that full and just compensation is provided to the people being resettled;
7. Noting that the pressure on the natural resources in and around the wider transboundary landscape of the Greater Serengeti Mara Ecosystem (GSME) has increased substantially over the past decades, expresses concern about the long-term integrity of the property, which is dependent on the ecological health of GSME, and requests furthermore:
   1. The States Parties of the United Republic of Tanzania and Kenya to establish a formal transboundary cooperation of the GSME in order to address these pressures,
   2. The State Party of Tanzania to develop an overall management plan for the protected areas included in the Tanzanian part of GSME, as part of the preparation of a management plan for the Serengeti – Ngorongoro Man and Biosphere Reserve, and to establish a permanent management coordination mechanism between the TANAPA, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) and Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA) to facilitate its implementation;
8. Further expresses concern about the growing impacts of tourism inside the property and noting the conclusion of the mission that there is increasing evidence that the current tourism footprint is already starting to impact the OUV of the property, urges the State Party to ensure that the revision of the General Management Plan (GMP) and decisions on future tourism development should be informed by the best available science, including in setting measurable and monitorable limits of acceptable change (LAC), particularly in the behavior, demographics and population of the migrating wildebeest, zebra and gazelle;
9. Requests moreover the State Party to develop a scientific rationale for the management zonation of the property, the permissible use in the different zones, and the establishment and implementation of the LAC, based on the best available science and knowledge in preparation of the planned revision of the GMP and ensure that the next GMP considers the following key points:
   1. Ensure the management of the property is underpinned by an analysis of its OUV as documented in the Statement of OUV for the property,
   2. Includes an improved monitoring system by defining quantifiable baselines, thresholds, and metrics for measuring change and outcomes,
   3. Provides effective mechanisms for community participation and includes best practices for ensuring fair and equitable governance including transparency, and appropriate grievance mechanisms,
   4. Is informed by a Strategic Environmental Assessment to ensure it considers the local socio-economic contexts and priorities, and considers the cumulative impacts of tourism,
   5. Ensures sufficient staffing and funding that is guaranteed from the national budget but also allows for revenue retention,
   6. Is approved at Ministerial Level and fully implemented and enforceable,
10. Notes with concern that the proposed golf development at Fort Ikoma is likely to impact the wildebeest migration and also urges the State Party not to proceed with the project and to revise the current Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), to assess the feasibility of alternative locations, to comprehensively assess the potential impact of the development on the migration in the area, including whether this impact can be adequately mitigated, in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context;
11. Requests furthermore the State Party to implement the other recommendations of the 2024 Reactive Monitoring mission, in particular:
    1. Once the southern bypass road is completed, to divert further traffic away from the property by downgrading the status of the Karatu – Nyamusa road as a trunk road to a park road, closing it for heavy transit traffic from Arusha to Musoma and by disincentivizing other vehicle transit traffic,
    2. Postpone the implementation of the road hardening project Goleni – Seronera - Fort Ikoma within the property, in order to link the timeframe of the project to the completion of the Lodoare – Goleni stretch in Ngorongoro Conservation Area World Heritage property, and the finalization of the southern bypass road,
    3. Limit the development of the Mugumu airport to a regional airport for light aircraft only, with a 1.2 km gravel runway in order to divert the tourism flight traffic away from the Seronera and Kogatende airstrips inside the property, closing these for tourism traffic,
    4. Provide as soon as possible a more detailed report and overview of the progress of current infrastructure development applications within the property, ensure that all EIAs are prepared in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context to assess the potential impacts on the OUV and are submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN prior to making any decision to authorize construction in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
12. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 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 48th session.