Maya Site of Copan

• The foreseen construction of an airport in the vicinity of the World Heritage property in a national protected area (issue resolved)
• Deterioration of construction materials due to natural decay phenomena
• Risk of structural failure of archaeological complexes resulting from tunnels excavated for archaeological purposes
• Deterioration derived from uncontrolled visitation and potential to exceed carrying capacity at specific time periods
• Legal issues concerning the ownership of the land and the delimitation of the property and its buffer zone

On 30 November 2016, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/129/. Subsequently additional information was provided in March 2017, which includes maps of the property, a proposal for the buffer zone and the no-fly zone around the site, as well as the planning for revision of the Management Plan. Progress in conservation measures is reported as follows:

• The State Party informs that the recommendations of the Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) have been accepted and that all the mitigation measures at the Rio Amarillo airport are in execution. A no-flying zone of a radius of 1,850 meters around the Maya Site of Copan has been confirmed;
• The boundary of the property is physically marked by a wire fence built in 1975 and enclosing the principal group of ruins (15 ha), corresponding to the description in the nomination dossier. The buffer zone covers an area of 452 ha around the World Heritage property, with the river as it southern border, and limits at an average of 1,000m from the property to the east, north and west. The property is under the exclusive management of the Honduran Institute for Anthropology and History (IHAH) whereas its surroundings include visitors services and agricultural and livestock pasture;
• The State Party accepts the recommendations of ICOMOS regarding the Management Plan. The management strategy now includes participation of local authorities and communities, awareness, education and communication programmes and a high priority to sustainable development and employment generation;
• Significant advances were achieved on stone conservation thanks to the Santander Program for Research and Conservation of Maya Sculpture. Regarding the Hieroglyphic Stairway, further on-site and laboratory tests will be conducted during 2017 and 2018. A final decision about the protective shelter is expected to be taken by the end of 2018. Construction can then begin in 2019;
• Finally the State Party mentions that IHAH envisages buying the land on the eastern side of the property, to create a park of cultural and natural attractions.

It is noted with satisfaction that the State Party responded positively to the recommendations of the Committee and ICOMOS regarding the management of the property.

Following the opening of the Rio Amarillo airport, the establishment of a no-fly zone is an important measure to reduce impact of flights at the property. Mitigation and rescue interventions around the airport have been completed. The opening of the airport did not cause a significant increase in visitor numbers that remain relatively low.

The clarification of the boundaries is an issue that has required the Committee’s attention since 2011 (Decision 35 COM 8B.59). The State Party confirms the boundaries of the property that were defined and physically constructed in 1975. These are consistent with the maps submitted at the time of inscription of the property on the World Heritage List and with the new cartography submitted in March 2017. It is recommended that the Committee commend the State Party for the accomplishment in clarifying the boundaries of the property within the framework of the Retrospective Inventory.

However, regarding the proposal for a buffer zone, as requested by the Committee in its previous decisions, the map included in the most recent report, and resubmitted in March 2017, differs from the map included in the 2015 state of conservation report provided by the State Party. This implies a reduction of the proposal for the buffer zone. It is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to clarify this matter and submit a Minor Boundary Modification, according to paragraphs 163-165 of the Operational Guidelines.

Progress can be noted in the management approach that now explicitly includes the local communities and authorities. A financing strategy, tourism management, interpretation for young people and disaster preparedness are among the issues that are being addressed. These matters will need to be incorporated in the 2014-2020 Management Plan, as per ICOMOS recommendations issued in 2015.

Finally, it is noted that the use of technology in the conservation programmes is of high standards. This is being applied for the documentation of stone sculptures (3D scanning of reliefs), mapping of the tunnel systems (robot topographic survey and 3D modeling) and the creation of a conservation laboratory. The protective structures for the hieroglyphic stairway are continuously tested and monitored. This will lead to decision making by the end of 2018 and the construction of the structure in 2019.