Decision 47 COM 7A.4

Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/25/47.COM/7A.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 46 COM 7A.42 adopted at its 46th session (New Delhi, 2024),
3. Notes with appreciation the progress made towards addressing issues of land tenure, including the completion of the land titling process in the cultural zone of the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, the continued issuance and maintenance of Family Usufruct Contracts in the buffer zone and the ongoing work of the Mosquitia Subcommission, and encourages the State Party to continue these efforts and ensure that management responsibilities and usage rights are assigned through continued issuance and maintenance of Family Usufruct Contracts, as appropriate;
4. Also notes with appreciation the increase in law enforcement actions undertaken in 2024 for the surveillance, intervention and prevention of illegal activities in the property, notably poaching, deforestation and illegal settlements, and requests the State Party to continue these efforts in coordination with relevant authorities and local and indigenous communities;
5. Notes with concern nonetheless, that the reported rate of deforestation in the property has almost doubled since the last reporting period, and urges again the State Party strengthen efforts to halt deforestation and promote recovery of forest cover in the property;
6. Notes the launch of the National Forest Restoration Strategy 2023-2030 and Zero Deforestation by 2029 Strategy as a positive step towards addressing forest loss in the property and throughout the country, and also requests that adequate financial resources and technical capacity, as well as coordination with existing management and conservation initiatives for the Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve, are secured for the implementation of these new strategies;
7. Also notes with concern that the process to develop a proposal for a Significant Boundary Modification is reportedly paused for the coming years, and reiterates its request to the State Party to secure the necessary technical and financial resources required for consultations, especially with indigenous and Afro-Honduran territorial councils, and to fully consider the archaeological heritage of the property in this process;
8. Also notes the intention to establish the Indigenous Anthropological Reserve Miskitu Warunta protected area in the region, and further requests the State Party to clarify the new reserve’s location and management approach in relation to the World Heritage property, and ensure that conservation and management activities are complementary and coordinated, where appropriate;
9. Welcomes the capacity building efforts offered by the State Party of Panama to support the State Party of Honduras in the preparation of a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) to assess potential impacts of the Patuca III Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and urges the State Party of Honduras to advance the SEA process, in consultation with the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, and implement adequate management decisions according to the assessment’s findings;
10. Further notes the proposed revisions to the indicators for the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) and requests furthermore the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to review the proposal to ensure that revisions adequately reflect the required corrective measures to address the concerns indicated in Decision 35 COM 7B.31 upon the property’s inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger, and also assess the situation with regards to the continued deforestation and illegal activities, and the progress made in the SEA for the Patuca III HPP, particularly in relation to assessing the impacts on the OUV;
11. 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;
12. Decides to retain Río Plátano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.