Decision 44 COM 7B.106

Golden Mountains of Altai (Russian Federation) (N 768rev)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7B.26, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Regretting that the State Party did not provide sufficiently elaborated information on the different points raised by the Committee in its previous Decision,
4. Welcomes the restated confirmation by the State Party that the Altai gas pipeline would pass around the property, however reiterates its request to the State Party to provide additional information on the exact alternative route of the pipeline, and to continue to update the World Heritage Centre on the status of the project, also recalling that any decision to route the Altai gas pipeline through the property would constitute a clear case for inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in line with Paragraph 179 of the Operational Guidelines;
5. Notes the information about the delineation and demarcation of water protection zones of Lake Teletskoye, but noting with concern that half of the lake remains without appropriate legal protection regime and that the State Party has not provided any information on the proposed extension of the Strict Nature Reserve to ensure legal protective status over the entire Lake Teleskoye, recalls its strong support for this initiative and urges the State Party to provide further information on its status;
6. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to provide detailed information about the exact location of the proposed tourism infrastructure at Lake Teletskoye and not to approve the project until an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been undertaken, including a specific assessment of potential impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, in line with IUCN’s Advice Note on Environmental Assessment;
7. Also recalling its established position that mining is incompatible with World Heritage status, also urges the State Party to ensure that any current or proposed mining operations within the Brekchiya or Maly Kolychak deposits are subject to a full EIA, which specifically assesses the potential impact on the property’s OUV, in line with IUCN’s Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, and to submit these EIAs to the World Heritage Centre for consideration by IUCN, once available;
8. Encourages again the States Parties of the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan and Mongolia to continue consolidating efforts to engage in transboundary conservation measures, including within the framework of the World Heritage Convention;
9. 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.