Decision 43 COM 7B.97

Churches of Chiloé (Chile) (C 971)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/19/43.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7B.59, adopted at its 41st session (Krakow, 2017),
3. Noting the progress made in the identification and protection of the buffer zones, welcomes the submission of the buffer zones of 10 of the 16 churches as a Minor Boundary Modification, and recommends the State Party to proceed urgently with the implementation of recommendations that the Committee may make in this regard,
4. Also noting that the buffer zones of four other churches are in the final stage of being approved, urges the State Party to proceed as early as possible with their submission as a Minor Boundary Modification;
5. Also urges the State Party to conclude the identification of the buffer zones for the churches of Castro and Caguach;
6. Strongly regrets that the buffer zone for the Church of Castro is now limited to the blocks immediately surrounding the church and does not include the entire Meseta and Palafitos area as earlier proposed;
7. Expresses its serious concern about the inadequate protection of the wider environment of the church and the sea edge that requires considerably more measures than the temporary building height limitation of 16 metres, and notes that the final definition of building heights on the Meseta needs to be examined in conjunction with a proposed buffer zone;
8. Further urges the State Party to consider a substantive extension of the buffer zone and to submit proposals for the legal protection, management and conservation measures under national and local legislation, including building heights, for the Meseta and Palafitos area as soon as they become available and to involve the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in this process;
9. Recalls the importance of an Integrated Management Plan including all 16 churches and their buffer zones, and requests the State Party to pursue this matter as soon as possible;
10. Also welcomes the monitoring of traffic around the Castro Church, the continued closure of the San Martin entrance of the shopping mall, the efforts to continue the construction of the Castro by-pass, and the decision to halt the underground parking garage in front of the Church;
11. Reiterates its extreme concern and regret, as expressed in its earlier decisions, particularly Decision 41 COM 7B.59, that the construction of the shopping mall in Castro was completed without significant modifications to its design, that potential mitigation measures would be limited to the application of colours, textures and material on the facade facing the sea and the planting of trees, and that to date no mitigation measures have been undertaken, and also requests the State Party to urgently submit the designs and mitigation measures agreed between the owner of the mall, the National Service for Cultural Heritage and the National Monuments Council for review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies, prior to their implementation;
12. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2020, 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 45th session in 2021.