Decision 41 COM 7B.28

Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (India) (N 338)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/17/41.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 39 COM 7B.11, adopted at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
3. Notes with appreciation the successful reduction of poaching at the property in recent years, but considers that poaching remains a significant threat to the property, which requires continued high priority attention;
4. Welcomes the State Party’s efforts to boost staff morale and address shortages in front-line staff by engaging Armed Home Guards, casual labourers and service providers, and encourages the State Party to provide them with specialized training, in an effort to fill vacant positions in the long term;
5. Takes note of the report that an eviction operation was carried out peacefully in the Bhuyanpara Range and also welcomes the activities undertaken by the State Party, including in the framework of the joint IUCN-KfW (German Development Bank) funded livelihoods support programme, in an effort to reduce dependency on the property’s resources, ensure the participation of women, and seek long-term solutions to encroachment;
6. Regrets that no further information was provided on the use of fire in grassland management and its potential role against the proliferation of invasive species such as Bombax ceiba, and reiterates its request to the State Party to undertake or commission a detailed study on this matter, in order to ensure that the use of fire does not further complicate the long-standing threat of invasive species in the property;
7. Also regrets that the State Party of Bhutan has still not provided to the World Heritage Centre a copy of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the Mangdechhu Hydro Electric Project; also reiterates its request to the State Party of Bhutan to provide a copy of this EIA as well as the information about the status of the project, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines; and urges the State Party of Bhutan to consult with the State Party of India regarding an assessment of potential impacts of this project on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
8. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2018, 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 43rd session in 2019.