Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks

• Legal framework (Insufficient legal framework and protection in place)
• Management systems/ management plan (Lack of submission of a significant boundary modification to reflect the new boundaries of the property)
• Fire (wildfires)

Total amount granted: USD 100,000 - World Heritage Biodiversity Programme for Brazil; USD 30,000 - Rapid Response Facility support for firefighting

On 30 November 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/1035/documents, providing the following information:

• In 2017, the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park was expanded from 65,514 to 240,611 ha, and a strict reserve corresponding to IUCN protected areas Category I.a named Chapada de Nova Roma Ecological Station was created. The new reserve covers an area of 6,811 ha within the property and is surrounded by the expanded national park. It has its own approved Management Plan and advisory council;
• The “land regularization” (i.e. land tenure clarification) process continues with several indemnification procedures currently ongoing; about 20,000 ha are still at the stage of data collection at notary offices to identify ownership. Funding of several million dollars is allocated for environmental compensation. Consultations were held with local communities, including on clarification of the new boundaries of the expanded national park;
• Private reserves (RPPN, in Portuguese), a legal category of protected areas in Brazil forming part of the National System of Protected Areas (SNUC), were established within the property in 2017, adding to those established earlier in 2013. Together, these eight RPPN constitute a continuous block of protected areas across the territory of the property;
• In 2017, fires affected the whole Chapada dos Veadeiros region, including the property. Significant resources were mobilized through inter-agency cooperation to combat this threat and the Integrated Fire Management approach implemented in the property is reported to have contributed to maintaining certain areas as refuges for fauna. Natural regeneration of the vegetation following the fires is already being observed in affected areas.

The confirmation of the expansion of the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park reported by the State Party at the 42nd session of the Committee in 2018, the creation of the strict reserve of Chapada de Nova Roma Ecological Station and the creation of new private reserves within the property are welcomed. While multiple protected areas can constitute an effective legal protection regime for the property, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to ensure that the management of these different conservation units is harmonized and focused on the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, through the development of an overarching Management Plan or other appropriate mechanisms.

It is further welcomed that significant financial resources have been allocated for the land tenure regularization process for the areas within the property. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to continue the process and clarify a timeframe for its finalization.

Finally, it is noted that the State Party submitted a proposal for a minor boundary modification of the property, which will be examined by the World Heritage Committee at its 43rd session in 2019 under Agenda Item 8B (see Document WHC/19/43.COM/8B.Add).

The information provided by the State Party regarding other conservation issues is noted with appreciation, particularly the updated information regarding the fires that occurred in the property in 2017 and the measures undertaken to combat them, involving strong inter-agency cooperation. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to ensure that capacities to respond to fires are maintained in the long-term, including through the continued implementation of the Integrated Fire Management approach.