8 COM XIII.37-38
Protection and Management of Properties Included on the World Heritage List: General Issues
37. The Secretariat informed the Committee of two activities being carried out since the sixth session concerning the management of cultural properties inscribed on the World Heritage List. One concerned the preparation of a "Handbook on Managing World Heritage" which deals with the preservation of these properties, ranging from general principles and legal considerations to practical means for carrying out a management programme. The outline was elaborated by an international group of experts during a meeting organised by ICCROM and ICOMOS in 1983 at the suggestion of the ...
39. The Committee took note of document SC-84/CONF.004/7 in which the Australian authorities, at the request of the Bureau at its eighth session, submitted a brief commentary on the judgment of the High Court of Australia regarding Western Tasmanian National Parks. The Committee agreed that the Tasmanian case gave an example of the strength of the Convention, particularly for States Parties having a similar system of Federal Government. The Committee requested the Secretariat to distribute this document to all the other States Parties to the Convention.
Sites: Tasmanian Wilderness
40. The Representative of IUCN recalled that the Committee at its seventh session had encouraged the advisory non-governmental organisations to collect information through their contacts and to inform the Committee on the state of conservation of World Heritage properties. IUCN reported to the Committee on four natural properties as follows:
a) Simen National Park (Ethiopia)
IUCN reported that the National Park personnel had apparently abandoned this park and that the area has been in the hands of armed groups. Although the group had informally assured IUCN that no ...
9 COM XIII.38-39
Monitoring of the State of Conservation of the World Heritage Properties: General Issues
38. The Committee thanked IUCN for these comprehensive reports and for regularly providing information on the status of natural properties. It furthermore welcomed the proposal of ICOMOS to submit similar reports, as far as its means would allow, in the near future.
39. Finally, the Committee welcomed document SC-85/CONF.008/INF.2 reporting on the measures taken by Yugoslavia to implement the World Heritage Convention and encouraged other States Parties to prepare such national reports for submission to the Committee.
Djoudj National Park, Senegal: The immediate situation of this Park, which is threatened by a large hydro-agricultural project, has been alleviated by the construction of a temporary canal. The longer term solutions were investigated by IUCN, Unesco, the Senegalese and Mauritanian authorities at a special workshop held in Senegal in July 1985. The main conclusions of this meeting included the agreement to establish the contiguous area to Djoudj in Mauritania known as Diawling as a national park and to eventually nominate this site with Djoudj as a transfrontier World Heritage property. ...
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania: The Tanzanian authorities had organised a commission of enquiry into the management of this property but as yet the conclusion had not yet been made known. However, with the financial support of NORAD (Norway), a major technical workshop was being held in December 1985 to study improving the management of this property. IUCN considered that this progress was positive and indicated that Ngorongoro could perhaps be removed from the List of World Heritage in Danger by 1987.
Sites: Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Garamba National Park, Zaire: The representative of Zaire, the President Delegate General of the Zaire Institute for the Conservation of Nature (IZCN), presented the Committee with an up-to-date report on the progress of work undertaken by IZCN and the consortium formed by Unesco-World Heritage, IUCN/WWF and the Frankfurt Zoological Society. The main objective of the project is to safeguard the population of endangered northern white rhinoceros in the park. The project was progressing well and the equipment provided with support of the World Heritage Fund had helped to strengthen the ...
Sites: Garamba National Park
Tai National Park, Ivory Coast: IUCN reported that the situation had not improved since its reports of 1982 and 1984. The Secretariat had written to the Ivory Coast authorities indicating the possibility of nomination to the List of World Heritage in Danger but to date no response had been received. The Committee requested the Secretariat to continue its contacts and inform the Bureau of progress in this respect.
Sites: Taï National Park
Ichkeul National Park, Tunisia: The critical situation of this park, as reported to the Bureau at its 9th session had not altered and IUCN noted that if compensatory measures to re-establish the water regime of this Park were not taken very soon, the property would lose its international importance for migratory wildfowl. IUCN therefore strongly recommended the inclusion of this Park in the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Tunisian authorities had not responded to the Secretariat's request for further information, however, the representative of Tunisia informed the Committee that he ...
Sites: Ichkeul National Park
Los Glaciares, Argentina: Part of this Park was being considered for reappropriation for a settlement scheme by the Province of Santa Cruz and the second phase of this project could result in the excision of a further 20,000 ha which included an important habitat for the humeal deer. The Argentine representative confirmed this report and indicated that this problem was in fact of concern to the central government authorities, who wished to take this matter up with the Provincial Government. The Committee requested the Secretariat to contact the Argentine authorities to obtain more ...
Sites: Los Glaciares National Park
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia: In reply to the Bureau's request for further information on the impacts of the construction of a road on the fringing reef adjacent to Cape Tribulation National Park, the Australian authorities had provided a comprehensive report which outlined a 3 year scientific research programme costing approximately 1 million $ to determine any short or possible long-term damage these reefs. The Committee expressed its satisfaction with this programme although it noted the comment by the IUCN representative that 3 years would be necessary before any ...
Sites: Great Barrier Reef
Pirin National Park, Bulgaria: The construction of a hotel and a ski-resort at the head of the Vihren Valley within this Park was being undertaken, against strong opposition by local conservation groups. The representative of IUCN requested whether an environmental impact assessment had been made for these developments. The representative of Bulgaria confirmed these developments and informed the Committee that she would request the Pirin National Park authorities to provide a full report which she would transmit to the Bureau at its next ...
Sites: Pirin National Park
Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada: It was recalled that, when inscribing this property on the World Heritage List in 1983, the Committee had drawn the attention to the harmful consequences of the possible construction of a dam on the Slave River to the natural characteristics of this property. The Committee was informed that the plans for such a dam had been definitively cancelled and expressed its satisfaction to both the Provincial and National Canadian authorities.
Sites: Wood Buffalo National Park
Galapagos National Park, Ecuador: A man-caused fire on Isabela Island in March 1985 had resulted in an international appeal to aid the efforts of the Ecuadorian Government and Park authorities to extinguish the blaze, which had burnt over 30,000 ha. A contribution of US$10,500 from the World Heritage Fund under emergency assistance had been provided, in addition to contributions from WWF-Germany and the United Kingdom and contributions in kind from the Province of Quebec (Canada) and the United States. There had been no serious losses of animal species and it was reported that the fire ...
Sites: Galápagos Islands
Simen National Park, Ethiopia: The management plan for this park, which resulted from a workshop supported by the World Heritage Fund, had been finalised. However, the situation described by IUCN at the 8th session of the Committee in 1984 had not developed further and no further information had been obtained.
Sites: Simien National Park
Durmitor National Park, Yugoslavia: This property had been threatened by the construction of a dam on the Tara River, however, due to public pressure from within and without Yugoslavia, this proposal had been cancelled. The Committee noted its satisfaction that this threat had now been removed and congratulated the Yugoslav authorities on making the best use of the Convention to support efforts to protect this property.
Sites: Durmitor National Park
14. As in previous years, IUCN reported on the conservation of natural properties inscribed on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. An information document (CC-86/CONF.003/INF.4) prepared by IUCN presented up-to-date information on some 16 natural properties.
15. The Committee was glad to learn of improvements or of a stabilisation in the previously deteriorating situation of certain properties, notably Djoudj National Park (Senegal), Ngorongoro Conservation area (Tanzania) and Garamba National Park (Zaire) (all inscribed on the List of World Heritage in ...
Sites: Aldabra Atoll Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary Garamba National Park Great Barrier Reef Ichkeul National Park Iguazu National Park Los Glaciares National Park Manas Wildlife Sanctuary Mount Nimba Strict Nature Reserve Ngorongoro Conservation Area Niokolo-Koba National Park Pirin National Park
10 COM IX.A.18-19
SOC: Mana Pools, Sapi and Chewore Reserves (Zimbabwe) & Selous Game Reserve (Tanzania)
18. The Committee, when learning of the dramatic increase in poaching reported by IUCN for Mana Pools, Sapi and Chewore Reserves in Zimbabwe and for Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania, recognised that this particular problem should also be approached globally, by stemming the illicit trade in wildlife and especially of elephant tusks and rhinoceros horn. In this regard, the Committee requested that its Chairman contact the Secretariat of the Convention on the International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES), which has been ratified by many States Parties to the ...
16. As concerns the Galapagos Archipelago (Ecuador) the Committee noted with satisfaction the recent addition of the surrounding marine area to the national park and requested the Secretariat to contact the Equatorian authorities encouraging the possible inclusion of this area in the site inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Sites: Galápagos Islands
17. The Committee was greatly concerned with the continuation of the serious threats to Tai National Park (Côte d'Ivoire) and requested the Secretariat to redouble efforts with the national authorities to inscribe this property on the List of World Heritage in Danger and, at the same time, to develop a project, in cooperation with IUCN, to improve the protection of this Park.
Sites: Taï National Park