Ephesus

• Insufficient legislative protection of the buffer zone
• Incomplete Management Plan
• Need to assess the management planning proposals, including visitor management, infrastructure, landscaping, and transport/coach park

On 2 December 2016, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1018/documents/, informing that:

• Progress has been made to achieve the highest level of legislative protection for the entire buffer zone, and it is anticipated this would be completed by the end of 2016;
• The normal cycle for revising the management plan is every 5 years after approval, with the next cycle to be completed in 2019. It also advises that registration of the conservation status of the entire buffer zone, due for completion at the end of 2016, will enable studies to commence for revising the management plan;
• There are no major restoration, alteration and/or new construction projects which may affect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) either within the property or buffer zone;
• With regard to the cable car project, a range of options for the alignment have been considered, many have been rejected by the regional conservation council, because of their impact on the property. An alignment outside the property and buffer zone is being considered for approval by the Ministry for Forestry and Water Affairs, which has instructed the relevant company that a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) will be undertaken for the project in accordance with the ICOMOS Guidance on HIAs for Cultural World Heritage properties (2011). Project details and the HIA will be provided to ICOMOS when available.

The reported progress in achieving legislative protection for the entire buffer zone, and the commitment to revise the management plan are welcome. It is however recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide confirmation of this legislative protection.

However, the lengthy delay in revising the management plan is unfortunate. These revisions are to include the research and conservation programmes for the overall property, with provision for findings to be integrated into future management, education and interpretation, as well as the extension of the monitoring system to relate to the inventory/database of the property.  The earliest possible revision of the management plan should be encouraged, and the date of completion confirmed.

Information about the cable car project is also welcomed, in particular the choice of an alignment outside of the property and buffer zone.  It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to submit the details of the project and the results of the HIA, as soon as they are available, to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies, and before any irrevocable decisions are taken about this project.