Lorentz National Park

• Mining
• Human resources (Security limitations)
• Ground transport infrastructure (Development threats)
• Fishing/collecting aquatic resources (Exploitation of marine resources)
• Management systems/management plans (Absence of a co-ordinating agency, Absence of a finalized strategic management plan, Park boundaries not physically demarcated)
• Financial resources (Inadequate financing)
• Other climate change impacts (Nothofagus dieback)
• Illegal activities

On 3 December 2018, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/955/documents, providing the following information:

• The review of the zoning of the property, which engaged all relevant stakeholders including local communities, has been completed in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and has resulted in almost doubling of the property, as well as increase in the area of “traditional zone” while drastically reducing the “utilization zone” among other changes. The Wilderness zone has been decreased from 42% to 36% of the total area of the property. Further documentation will be provided on this at a later stage;
• Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) patrols have been carried out in the property since 2016 covering a total area of 600,000 ha over 2016-2018; however, due to the challenging terrain they can only be undertaken in the lowlands.
• So far, large-scale poaching has not been detected within the property and that hunting occurs only on small scale by local communities for traditional use and cultural ceremonies. This type of use is permitted in the enlarged traditional zone according to the newly adopted zoning of the property;
• Monitoring of the conditions of Nothofagus species affected by the previously reported dieback has been carried out since 2017 along the road between Wamena and Habbema. The Ministry of Environment and Forestry is also developing an agreement with the Ministry of Public Works and Housing in order to require managing the impact of the Habbema-Kenyam road on the dieback;
• The Habbema-Kenyam road has been completed and opened for public use. A protection plan was developed to address the impacts on the property identified through the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) elaborated for the road project. The existence of the road was also taken into account in the revision process of the property’s zoning;
• The State Party confirms its commitment to invite an IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, but notes that it was not yet possible to do so due to regional and national elections in 2018 and 2019 respectively. The State Party proposes to invite the mission after the national elections schedule in mid-2019.

In response to third party reports, the World Heritage Centre sent a letter to the State Party on 18 December 2018, requesting to verify the information regarding a proposed new paved “Trans-Papuan Highway” in view of potential threats to the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and integrity of the property. A response by the State Party remains pending at the time of writing of this report. 

The completion of the revision of the property’s zoning is noted. However, it is considered that the information provided does not sufficiently clarify how conservation of the OUV of the property has been taken into account in the development of the revised zoning. It is recommended that the pending IUCN mission to the property reviews this matter in more detail.

The additional information about the patrolling activities, including how much of the property is covered, and which species are being monitored as was requested by the Committee, is noted with appreciation. It is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to continue its efforts in this regard.

It is noted with utmost concern that the Habbema-Kenyam road has now been completed and opened for public use. It should be recalled that in its Decision 41 COM 7B.29, the Committee considered that the construction of the road represented a significant risk for the fragile alpine environments of the property. Whilst it is noted that a protection plan was developed to address the impacts from the road on the property, it is regrettable that a Reactive Monitoring mission has not yet taken place as requested by the Committee in order to assess this. It is also regrettable that the State Party did not reply to the World Heritage Centre’s letter requesting verification of the third party information about the construction of “Trans-Papuan Highway”.

The information provided by the State Party regarding the monitoring of the condition of Nothofagus species is noted. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to continue this monitoring so that the extent to which the Habbema-Kenyam road is contributing to the dieback threat can be further assessed, in order to inform the development of an agreement between the Ministry of Environment and Forestry and the Ministry of Public Works and Housing on the management of the road and its impacts on the dieback.

Considering the aforementioned issues, it is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to the State Party to invite an IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property, to take place as soon as feasible and no later than 31 December 2019, to assess the effectiveness of the new zoning in ensuring the long-term conservation of the property’s OUV, to assess current and potential impacts of the Habbema-Kenyam road on the property and the effectiveness of the protection plan in mitigating them, as well as the measures being developed to reduce the impact of the road on the dieback of Nothofagus species.