Decision 44 COM 7B.111

Iguazu National Park (Argentina) (N 303)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.83, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Welcomes the approval and formal adoption of the new Management Plan for the property;
4. Notes the reported significant increase in visitor numbers since 2000 and requests the State Party to continue its efforts to monitor the visitation and carrying capacity, as foreseen in the Management Plan, and, to further strengthen measures to regulate visitor numbers;
5. Also welcomes the confirmation that there are no further plans to pave or modify the National Route 101 inside the property, and reiterates its request to the State Party to develop a long term management plan for the RN 101 with the National Routes Authority and other relevant national authorities to implement control and conservation initiatives, and to confirm that there are no plans for extension or further paving of the road outside the property, which might potentially affect its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
6. Also requests the State Party to complete the identification and demarcation of the buffer zone for the Iguazú National Park, and to develop and submit a Minor Boundary Modification, as per Paragraphs 163 and 164 of the Operational Guidelines, in order to formally establish a buffer zone for the property;
7. While welcoming the continued collaboration with the State Party of Brazil, regrets that no specific cooperation occurred to jointly assess the potential impacts of the new Baixo Iguaçu hydropower plant, and also reiterates its request to the States Parties of Argentina and Brazil to cooperate on the development of a comprehensive overall monitoring system both for aquatic fauna and water flow, which would provide oversight and ensure compliance with the requirements and action plans prescribed for the hydropower project, thus assessing their effectiveness in mitigating adverse impacts on the OUV of the two properties;
8. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above.