Decision 44 COM 7B.81

Simien National Park (Ethiopia) (N 9)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decisions 41 COM 7A.13 and 42 COM 7B.91, adopted at its 41st (Krakow, 2017) and 42nd (Manama, 2018) sessions respectively,
3. Welcomes the progress made by the State Party in responding to past Committee decisions and the 2017 Reactive Monitoring mission recommendations, including the submission of a draft 2020-2029 General Management Plan (GMP) for the enlarged Simien Mountains National Park, a draft monitoring protocol for the populations of Walia ibex, Ethiopian wolf and gelada, and a draft Tourism Development Plan, and requests the State Party to:
   1. Ensure that the GMP fully considers the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property under both criteria (vii) and (x) as the primary objective of management for the Simien Mountains National Park and its buffer zone,
   2. Integrate measures to ensure quality control in the implementaion of the draft species monitoring protocol,
   3. Develop a Tourism Management Plan to guide the monitoring and management of proposed tourism developments, and impacts from increased visitors;
4. Expresses its utmost concern that some of the new lodges are proposed inside the Simien Mountains National Park and reiterates its request to the State Party to ensure that all new lodge developments are located outside the boundary of Simien Mountains National Park;
5. Considers that the Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) of the proposed lodges do not sufficiently consider the OUV of the property in their respective site selection or project design, and therefore urges the State Party not to permit these developments to proceed in their current locations and also requests the State Party to submit EIAs for all proposed lodges, ensuring they are in line with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, and in particular consider their visual impact on the property;
6. Notes with concern the high impacts of the 2019 fires on the OUV of the property and further requests the State Party to provide further information on the affected area and impact on the OUV, to monitor the recovery of vegetation, and to submit the fire management strategy to the World Heritage Centre as soon as it is available;
7. Also welcomes the continued implementation of the Grazing Pressure Reduction Strategy that has resulted in a decline in area grazed by livestock, and requests furthermore the State Party to ensure that the previously reported revised grazing strategy is aligned with the GMP and to submit this to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
8. Further welcomes the ongoing financial and technical support from the Austrian and German Governments for the management of the property, community tourism and alternative livelihoods;
9. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to continue its ongoing support to the livelihoods and well-being of the relocated Gich community while ensuring that the highest standards are applied, especially in support of vulnerable households and individuals;
10. Appreciates the State Party’s confirmation of its intention to submit a proposal for a Significant Boundary Modification for the entire Simien Mountains National Park, and further reiterates its request to the State Party to simultaneously formalize the buffer zone and harmonize the currently differing names of the Simien Mountains National Park and the property, and also encourages the State Party to request technical advice from the World Heritage Centre and IUCN as needed;
11. Notes the further delay in completing the alternative road aiming at reducing disturbance of the existing main road in important afro-alpine habitats, and urges again the State Party to complete this overdue project, and to submit the EIA for the part of the new road crossing the Simien Mountains National Park to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN as soon as possible;
12. Also appreciates that the re-alignment of the power transmission line, which currently affects the property’s exceptional natural beauty and conditions of integrity, will be subject to an EIA, and requests moreover the State Party to assess the visual and ecological impacts on the property and the Simien Mountains National Park, and to submit the EIA to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN before any activities begin;
13. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, 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 46th session.