Simien National Park

• Road construction through the property
• Power transmission line affecting exceptional natural beauty and conditions of integrity
• Identity, social cohesion, changes in local population and community
• Agricultural encroachment at the borders of the property and crop cultivation in the property
• Growing resource-dependent, economically poor population around the national park
• Overgrazing by livestock
• Human-wildlife conflict, including fatal leopard attacks, livestock predation and crop-raiding
• Declining populations of Walia ibex, Ethiopian wolf and other large mammal species
• Poaching in remote areas, including of Walia ibex and Ethiopian wolf
• Impacts and risks associated with tourism development and visitation
• Management suffering from scarce human and financial resources
• Limited local participation in management and governance
• Pending Significant Boundary Modification to recognize the substantial expansion of the national park
• Uncommon precipitation and temperature patterns over recent years attributed to climate change

• Major declines of the Walia ibex and Ethiopian wolf populations and of other large mammals
• Agricultural encroachment at the borders of the property
• Impacts of road construction through the property

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4085 

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4085 

Total amount granted: USD 100,000 (2012-2015) in support of community conservation programme with co-financing from Global Environment Fund (GEF) and development of the grazing pressure reduction strategy (UNESCO-Spain-Funds-in Trust and UNESCO-Netherlands-Funds-in-Trust)

On 26 January 2018, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/9/documents, providing the following information:

• The removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2017 was marked jointly with the high-level celebration of the National Park’s 50th anniversary;
• Funding from the German Government (KfW) has been secured to further address the impacts of the relocation of the Gich community and to support park management, to be implemented by the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) in cooperation with the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA), according to an action plan being developed. The Austrian Development Agency (ADA), a long-standing partner, renewed its commitment to support the property and its surroundings;
• EWCA is planning an independent study to confirm the population status of the three flagship mammals – Walia ibex, Ethiopian wolf and gelada – and is considering the development of comprehensive monitoring protocols;
• The Ethiopian Wolves Conservation Project is continuing, with research activities underway to understand behavior and impacts of habitat change;
• The approved livelihood restoration strategy and programme aim to address the vulnerability of the voluntarily relocated Gich community, having to transform from rural to urban lifestyles and livelihoods;
• The construction of the road re-alignment from Mekane Birhan to Dilyibza is almost completed, and the related Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) will be submitted to the World Heritage Centre. The re-alignment of the power transmission line will follow the completion of the alternative road;
• The development of four additional lodges along the park’s border is facing delays, and to date, only one project proponent has submitted an EIA to EWCA, which will be shared with the World Heritage Centre;
• Implementation of the Grazing Pressure Reduction Strategy has already resulted in the recovery of vegetation in some areas, but the strategy is expected to be revised by late 2018 to make the work plan more realistic;
• Task forces at various governance levels have been strengthened to improve community participation and benefit-sharing;
• The existing draft nomination to formalize the requested Significant Boundary Modification will be further elaborated in parallel to the development of the new General Management Plan (GMP) for the park and its buffer zone by the end of 2019.

On 5 March 2018, the State Party submitted three supporting documents: Regulation no. 337/2014 designating the new boundaries of the Simien Mountains National Park, a 2013 draft proposal for a boundary modification; and a map displaying the current boundaries of the National Park and a surrounding buffer zone.

The high-level celebration organized to mark the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger and the anniversary of the national park constitutes an impressive re-affirmation, on the part of the Ethiopian authorities, of the iconic status of the Simien Mountains and the Walia ibex in Ethiopia. The renewed donor interest is similarly encouraging and can make a decisive contribution to address the well-documented challenges Simien continues to face. It is therefore encouraged that the related project documents and operational plans be shared with the World Heritage Centre. While appreciating progress made, continued efforts are required to secure effective management and conservation of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), guided by the Committee’s requests and the recommendations of the 2017 Reactive Monitoring mission.

Acknowledging the challenges surrounding the relocation of the Gich community, the KfW-funded efforts to fulfill all commitments, including implementing the livelihood restoration strategy and programme, should be continued, taking care to apply the highest standards, especially in support of vulnerable households and individuals.

The revision of the General Management Plan (GMP) presents the first opportunity to determine priorities at the scale of the substantially enlarged national park and establish a buffer zone in the adjacent areas. Key objectives of management should continue to focus on effective reduction of overgrazing, while promoting alternative livelihoods and meaningful local participation in management and governance, along with tourism management. The reported recovery of the vegetation resulting from the implementation of the existing Grazing Pressure Reduction Strategy is welcomed, and the commitment to further develop this strategy is appreciated. The updated grazing strategy should be incorporated into the next GMP. Clear monitoring protocols for the populations of Walia ibex, Ethiopian wolf and gelada need to be agreed upon as soon as possible and should also be integrated in the GMP as part of a systematic long-term monitoring programme.

The State Party’s commitment to a Significant Boundary Modification to align the boundaries of the property and the National Park is highly welcomed, and the World Heritage Centre and IUCN are prepared to provide advice to complete the draft nomination dossier to be submitted for adoption by the Committee. The State Party should take advantage of this process to simultaneously formalize the buffer zone and to harmonize the currently differing names of the national park and the property.

While noting progress made to complete the overdue alternative road aiming at reducing disturbance caused by the existing main road traversing the park, it is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to complete the works and to submit the EIA for the part of the new road crossing the national park. It is appreciated that the State Party is committed to re-align the power transmission line, which currently affects the property’s natural beauty and its conditions of integrity, upon completion of the new road. As recommended by the 2017 mission, the management of all road and energy infrastructure should be specified in the upcoming GMP. Recalling Decision 41 COM 7A.13, and that no new lodges are foreseen in the current GMP and that they are prohibited in national parks according to Regulations No. 163/2008, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to ensure that all new lodge developments are located outside the boundary of the National Park and that EIAs for these projects are submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review.