Decision 46 COM 7A.47

Garamba National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (N 136)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined document WHC/24/46.COM/7A.Add.2,
2. Recalling Decision 45 COM 7A.5 adopted at its extended forty-fifth session (Riyadh, 2023),
3. Regrets that the State Party did not submit in time a state of conservation report on the four properties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) included on the List of World Heritage in Danger, contrary to Paragraph 169 of the Operational Guidelines;
4. Notes with concern that the lack of reporting by the State Party makes it difficult to monitor the state of conservation of the DRC properties included on the List of World Heritage in Danger by the World Heritage Committee, given the significant conservation threats facing these properties;
5. Notes the ongoing efforts to prepare a new nomination for the property that would review the justification for the original listing under criterion (x), taking into account both the likely extinction of a key species characteristic of the property's OUV, and also the wider range of species of high conservation value that were not recognised at the time of listing;
6. Requests that the State Party provide information on the implementation of the following paragraphs mentioned in Decision 45 COM 7A.5;
7. Notes the results of the ecological monitoring in 2021, which show a temporary stabilisation in the numbers of Kordofan giraffes and elephants and an increase in the hippopotamus and buffalo populations, but points out that the populations are still very small compared with the situation when the property was listed, is concerned about the high level of poaching for bushmeat for commercial and subsistence purposes in the hunting grounds, and reiterates its request to the State Party to continue efforts to control poaching in order to promote optimal conditions for fauna restoration, as well as to submit the strategy and action plan for the conservation of giraffes in the property to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
8. Reiterating its utmost concern about the likely extinction of the northern white rhino subspecies within the property due to the lack of evidence of its presence since 2008, notes the launch of the implementation of a programme for the re-introduction of the white rhino into the property with the transfer of a first group of 16 specimens of the southern white rhino subspecies in June 2023, urges the State Party to:
   1. Submit the reports of the 2018 and 2021 southern white rhino introduction risk assessments, as well as the report of the comprehensive study conducted in accordance with the IUCN Guidelines, to the World Heritage Centre as soon as possible for review by IUCN,
   2. In collaboration with the World Heritage Centre, consult and take into consideration the advice of the IUCN African Rhino Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission (AfrRSG SSC) prior to the implementation of any translocation of southern white rhino to the property,
   3. Implement rigorous long-term management measures for the risks that may be associated with the introduction of the southern white rhino subspecies into the property; in particular the safety of individuals, disease, competition with other herbivorous species and veterinary considerations to ensure the survival of translocated specimens in accordance with the advice of the IUCN AfrRSG SSC;
9. Notes with concern the constraints related to the relocation of existing artisanal mining sites in the hunting grounds and the limited progress in the definition of a Land Use Plan (LUP) and the creation of a functional 2km buffer zone around the property, and reiterates its long-standing request to accelerate the finalisation of the LUP and the creation of the buffer zone in line with the Park's sustainable development strategy, the 2019 Ministerial Decree banning artisanal logging in hunting grounds, and the strategy for relocating refugee camps outside the park;
10. Welcomes positively the continuation of cross-border cooperation with South Sudan, as recommended by the Committee, with a view to establishing a bilateral cooperation framework for the enhanced management of the Garamba-Lantoto Landscape and reiterates its call on both States Parties to expedite the formalisation of the Memorandum of Understanding in order to reduce illegal cross-border activities such as poaching and trade in wildlife products;
11. Takes note of the information on the progress made by the State Party towards the achievement of the indicators as proposed by the 2016 mission and reiterates its request to the State Party to finalise these indicators on the basis of the recent inventory data available, as well as the recommendations of the regional workshop on support to the process of removal of natural properties from the List of World Heritage in Danger in the French-speaking countries of Africa in Kinshasa in June 2022, and to submit the final version of the desired State of Conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) to the World Heritage Centre for adoption by the World Heritage Committee;
12. Reiterates its request to the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN reactive monitoring mission to review the implementation of corrective measures and progress made towards achieving the indicators as proposed by the 2016 mission, the current state of conservation of the property, the finalisation of the DSOCR as well as the status and proposed plans for the introduction of southern white rhinos to replace northern white rhinos that may be extinct in the wild as a key attribute of Outstanding Universal Value;
13. 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 implementation of the above points as set out in Decision 46 COM 7A.5, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session;
14. Decides to maintain Garamba National Park (Democratic Republic of Congo) on the List of World Heritage in Danger.