Decision 47 COM 7B.25

Golden Mountains of Altai (Russian Federation)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/25/47.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 43 COM 7B.16, 44 COM 7B.106 and 45 COM 7B.95, adopted at its 43rd (Baku, 2019), extended 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and extended 45th (Riyadh, 2023) sessions respectively,
3. Expresses once again its utmost regret that the State Party did not provide sufficiently elaborated information on the different points raised by the Committee in its previous decisions to enable an adequate assessment of the state of conservation of the property;
4. Urges once again the State Party to provide detailed information on the exact route of the proposed Altai gas pipeline and the current status of the pipeline project as soon as possible and no later than 1 February 2026;
5. Reiterates its concern that parts of the buffer zone of the Lake Teletskoye component of the property remain without legal protection, in contradiction with the requirements of the Operational Guidelines, and urges furthermore the State Party to expedite this extension and to ensure that legal protection is also extended to the buffer zone of the Lake Teletskoye component of the property;
6. Requests the State Party to provide further information on the scope and plans for the proposed tourism infrastructure at Lake Teletskoye, including information on the planning processes and justification for the decision-making process that excludes the requirement for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA);
7. Requests, as a matter of urgency, the State Party to cease all mining operations at the Brekchiya deposit and not to approve the exploitation of the Maly Kalychak deposit, until the EIAs for both mining operations have been submitted to the World Heritage Centre, including a specific assessment of the potential impact on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property to ensure that it will not be negatively impacted;
8. Encourages again the States Parties of the Russian Federation, China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia to explore the feasibility of a potential further extension of the property to also include components in China, Kazakhstan and Mongolia;
9. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2026, 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 48th session.