Decision 47 COM 7B.27

Natural System of Wrangel Island Reserve (Russian Federation)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/25/47.COM/7B.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decisions 43 COM 7B.17 and 45 COM 7B.25, adopted at its 43rd (Baku, 2019) and extended 45th (Riyadh, 2023) sessions respectively,
3. Notes with appreciation the progress made in updating the Management Plan for the property, including measures to address pollution, sustainable tourism management and climate change adaptation, and requests the State Party to submit the 2025-2030 Management Plan to the World Heritage Centre;
4. Notes the efforts to assess the impact of plastic pollution and accumulated environmental damage on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, but reiterates its request to the State Party to expedite the removal of all garbage and clean-up of associated contaminants, to submit a timetabled plan for its completion and to report on progress;
5. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to undertake a carrying capacity study and recalls that the scope of this carrying capacity study is to assess the various increasing pressures on the property’s fragile arctic ecosystem from human activities, including climate change, in order to inform spatial zoning and overall human presence;
6. Notes that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be required prior to the approval of oil extraction in the offshore waters in the vicinity of the property where seismic testing is underway, and further requests the State Party to notify the World Heritage Centre should it proceed further, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines, and to submit an EIA scoping report for consideration by the Committee before proceeding with the full EIA;
7. Notes with concern that limited human, financial and expert capacity constrains environmental monitoring efforts, as reported by the State Party, and encourages the State Party to address these capacity gaps through all available means;
8. Recalls again the conclusion of the 2017 Reactive Monitoring mission, of which the Committee has already taken note, that the inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger could be justified if it is not proven that the military presence within the boundaries of the property does not constitute an ascertained danger to its OUV;
9. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2027, 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 50th session.