Decision 46 COM 7A.43

Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California (Mexico) (N 1182ter)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/24/46.COM/7A,
2. Recalling Decision 45 COM 7A.2 adopted at its extended 45th session (Riyadh, 2023),
3. Reiterates its utmost concern about the critical status of the vaquita, specifically recognized as part of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and endemic to the Gulf of California, and that illegal fishing of totoaba has continued in the Upper Gulf of California resulting in a threat of imminent extinction of the vaquita species;
4. Welcomes the measures taken to monitor the vaquita population in the property, and requests the State Party to continue these efforts in order to inform conservation measures;
5. Welcomes the confirmation that the sole remaining vaquita population appears to be stable and breeding, and considers it essential that the remaining vaquita are fully protected through all means necessary, in particular by eliminating the illegal use of gillnets in their habitat;
6. Notes with concern that, despite renewed commitments and improvements to inter-institutional surveillance and law enforcement efforts, illegal fishing in the property persists, and reiterates its requests to the State Party to strengthen law enforcement efficiency through increased surveillance and inspection accompanied by improved criminal prosecution procedures and development of necessary legislation to increase the penalties foreseen for illegal traffic, capture, possession, import and export of wildlife species, parts and products considered, threatened, endangered or specially protected and/or regulated under national law, or by international treaties adopted by the State Party;
7. Also welcomes the cooperation between the State Party with the relevant international institutions and States Parties, notably the United States of America and the People’s Republic of China, to combat illegal trafficking of totoaba products, including within the framework of the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the development of a Terms of Reference for the Trilateral Law Enforcement Contact Group, and strongly recommends that the State Party of Mexico, together with the transit and destination countries, continue these efforts to establish the Trilateral Law Enforcement Contact Group and take urgent action in line with all CITES decisions to effectively address the illegal totoaba bladder trade;
8. Further welcomes the ongoing retrieval of abandoned fishing gear, including through collaboration with civil society organizations, and again urges the State Party to continue these efforts alongside surveillance and law enforcement to ensure that the Zero Tolerance Area (ZTA) is completely free of gill nets;
9. Notes with appreciation the novel mechanism to deter illegal fishing through sunken seabed hooks, and also requests the State Party to assess and monitor the efficacy of this technique alongside regular maintenance to ensure that trapped nets are removed from the hooks and do not become a source of entanglement for vaquita and other marine species;
10. Also reiterates its request to the State Party to urgently expedite the production and deployment of alternative gear and provide information to the World Heritage Centre on the uptake of alternative gear across all fishing communities of the Upper Gulf of California;
11. Urges the State Party to implement, with utmost priority, all of the corrective measures for the property and approves the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) proposed by the State Party in its January 2024 state of conservation report on the property, including the following indicators:
    1. Sustainable fisheries based on legal fishing gear systems that do not cause entanglement of marine mammals, sharks and turtles have been successfully adopted and modified as necessary in the property, the “Upper Gulf of California Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve (marine portion)” in particular, in collaboration with the relevant stakeholders,
    2. As an attribute of the OUV of the property, the vaquita species population has been increasing for at least 5 years, individuals appear healthy and are producing calves,
    3. The property is effectively protected from illegal fishing activities through increased surveillance and prosecution of illegal acts,
    4. The Vaquita Refuge and the “Upper Gulf of California - Colorado River Delta Biosphere Reserve (marine portion)” are free of illegal fishing gear, while the use, sale, possession, manufacture, and transport of gillnets has been eliminated, including among the surrounding communities,
    5. International cooperation is operating systematically to combat illegal totoaba fish poaching and trafficking;
12. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2025, 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 47th session;
13. Decides to retain Islands and Protected Areas of the Gulf of California (Mexico) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.