Decision 44 COM 7B.116

Pitons Management Area (Saint Lucia) (N 1161)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 42 COM 7B.84, adopted at its 42nd session (Manama, 2018),
3. Welcomes the State Party’s continued dialogue with stakeholders to ensure compliance with the Limits of Acceptable Change (LAC) regulations, but regrets that the regulations have not yet been integrated into the legal and regulatory framework of Saint Lucia due to funding constraints, and urges the State Party to ensure that funding for this integration is actively pursued and secured, including through considering existing international financing mechanisms;
4. Taking note of the confirmation that the Freedom Bay Development Project has not noticeably progressed since the last state of conservation report, also regrets that no information was provided on the Sugar Beach Development Project, and reiterates its request to the State Party to ensure that these and any other projects being considered for implementation are fully compliant with the provisions of the LAC study;
5. Also welcomes that the revision of the 2003 Management Plan is planned for 2020 and reiterates its request to the State Party to fully reflect the conclusions of the LAC study in the planned revision of the Management Plan, and to submit the draft revised Management Plan to the World Heritage Centre, for review by IUCN, once available;
6. Takes note of the confirmation that no geothermal development activities are currently taking place and that any future projects will include an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA), and also reiterates its request to the State Party to ensure that the property remains off-limits for any future geothermal development activities and that any potential impacts from activities outside the property are assessed through a comprehensive ESIA, in line with the State Party’s commitment, and submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, in conformity with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
7. Noting the State Party’s continued commitment to undertaking the demarcation of the boundaries of the property, encourages it to continue its efforts in this regard, and also urges it to:
   1. Formalize the status of the buffer zone of the World Heritage property as a ‘formal buffer zone’ through a Minor Boundary Modification, in conformity with Paragraphs 163 and 164 of the Operational Guidelines,
   2. Clearly define the types of activities permitted in this buffer zone, ensuring their compatibility with the conservation of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV);
8. Appreciates the State Party’s collaboration projects, its efforts to increase community engagement and capacity building for monitoring, and also encourages the State Party to continue this work and report on its results, including any updates on actions to decrease land degradation and eradicate invasive alien species;
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.