Decision 47 COM 7A.2

East Rennell (Solomon Islands)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/25/47.COM/7A.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 46 COM 7A.[57], adopted at its 46th session (New Delhi, 2024),
3. Appreciates the State Party’s continued commitments and efforts towards the implementation of the corrective measures to achieve the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), with support of International Assistance and in close collaboration with local communities and stakeholders;
4. Noting that the submission of a new Cabinet Paper regarding budgetary allocation for the management of the property needs to be reviewed following the change of government in 2024, urges the State Party to allocate sufficient budget, as a matter of priority, to ensure the long-term, sustainable management of the property, including to support the implementation of the 3-year Strategic Plan for sustainable management of the property developed by the Lake Tegano World Heritage Site Association (LTWHSA);
5. Welcomes the continued efforts by the State Party to apply the Protected Areas (PA) Act 2010, including the ongoing consultations with the 16 customary landowner tribal groups, establishment of the PA Management Committee and initiation of participatory land use planning and mapping, and encourages the State Party to continue consultations to obtain full consent from all the customary landowners to ensure legal protection for the entire property, in particular, against existing and potential threats of mining and commercial logging in the area adjacent to the property;
6. Notes with concern that the establishment of the coconut rhinoceros beetle and new invasive plant species emphasises the urgent need to strengthen biosecurity measures, also welcomes the continued efforts to address invasive alien species (IAS) including through support provided by BirdLife International to control rodents, develop a biosecurity plan for Rennell and Bellona Islands (Renbel Biosecurity Plan) and support ranger monitoring, and requests the State Party to:
   1. Undertake further assessment of the impacts of any new IAS threats on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and impacts on food security for local communities,
   2. Ensure that the full findings of the assessment of impacts on indicator species informs IAS management measures for the property,
   3. Finalise the Rennel Biosecurity Plan;
7. Notes with appreciation that the 3-year Strategic Plan for the sustainable management of the property was expected to be finalised in 2025, and requests the State Party to submit the finalised plan to the World Heritage Centre;
8. Further welcomes continued efforts to support sustainable livelihoods and food security for the local communities including through the support of the Netherlands and Japan (UNESCO Funds-in-Trusts) and Italy (UNESCO Earth Network), and also encourages the State Party to continue these efforts;
9. Takes note that a Participatory Rapid Appraisal (PRA) identified climate-related vulnerability and community perceptions of on-ground climate change impacts, and further encourages the State Party to continue plans to conduct an “integrated vulnerability and adaptation assessment” to inform management measures that fully address climate change impacts on the property and local communities;
10. Noting that a mining lease was issued for two companies for tenements in West Rennell outside the property, recalls the Committee’s position that mining is considered incompatible with World Heritage status including that any mining outside of World Heritage properties should not negatively impact the OUV, also requests the State Party to:
    1. Provide further details on the two mining leases,
    2. Ensure that any potential impacts on the OUV of the property and local communities are fully assessed through an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), prior to making any decision to proceed with operations, in accordance with Paragraphs 118bis and 172 of the Operational Guidelines and in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context;
11. Regrets that no information was provided concerning the mass mortality of flying foxes in 2021 given that the previous State Party report indicated a possible local extinction of this attribute of the OUV, reiterates its request to the State Party to clarify the status of flying foxes in the property and the cause of its mortality;
12. Notes with appreciation the progress made by the State Party in pursuing a case against the company responsible for the grounding of the barge (SAPOR 2302) in 2021, and encourages furthermore the State Party to continue its support for the communities in their claims for compensation;
13. Also takes note that additional time is required to fully achieve the DSOCR and that the State Party has requested to extend the timeframe to 2026, decides to extend the timeframe until 2026 to implement the corrective measures towards achieving the DSOCR, yet expresses concern that achieving full implementation of the DSOCR within this timeframe will continue to be challenging without ongoing and additional support, both financially and technically, and calls upon the existing and potential partners to provide the State Party with the necessary support;
14. Further requests the State Party to provide a specific update on progress to date in implementing the corrective measures and achieving the DSOCR indicators, towards the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger;
15. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2026, 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;
16. Decides to retain East Rennell (Solomon Islands) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.