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Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks

Brazil
Factors affecting the property in 2021*
  • Legal framework
  • Management systems/ management plan
Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • 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) (issue resolved)
UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2021

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

International Assistance: requests for the property until 2021
Requests approved: 0
Total amount approved : 0 USD
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2021

On 1 December 2020, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1035/documents/, and reports the following progress:

  • Following the approval by the Committee of a minor boundary modification in 2019 to reflect the new boundaries of the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (PNCV), this component of the property now includes the recently created Nova Roma Ecological Station (ESEC CNR) and nine Private Natural Heritage Reserves (RPPNs);
  • The PNCV supports the management and protection of the other protected areas (conservation units) comprising the property. Three of the RPPNs (Cara Preta, Tocantins River Springs and Catingueiro) are currently elaborating their Management Plans, with technical and financial support from an international project;
  • The revision process for the Management Plan of the PNCV was initiated in November 2017, and the revised plan was due to be published by the end of 2020, pending the preparation of the Public Use Plan (PUP). However, delays associated with the global COVID-19 pandemic have prevented the finalisation of the Management Plan;
  • Management and protection effectiveness of the PNCV is monitored through the use of the Management Analysis and Monitoring System (SAMGe);
  • The “land regularization” (i.e. land tenure clarification) process has continued with identification of private properties and their respective landowners, georeferencing, demarcation of boundaries and installation of relevant signs in the PNCV component of the property. There are approximately 125 ongoing private property processes underway. The strategies and pathways for their land regularization are currently being analysed;
  • The Integrated Fire Management strategy developed for the property has been consolidated and expanded through cooperation with the ESEC CNR and the capacity building programme carried out with local RPPNs.

On 6 October 2020, a request was received by the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) for urgent support to address fires in the PNCV and its buffer zone. According to the request, the fire had already affected 16.000 ha of the Park and 46.000 ha of its buffer zone. On 7 October, a letter was sent to the State Party requesting more information on the impacts of the fires.

Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2021

The measures taken by the State Party to ensure that management approaches are harmonized and focused on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property are welcomed. Given the multiple management and governance arrangements across the different conservation units comprising the Chapada dos Veadeiros component of the property, it remains critical to ensure that management is further aligned across them. It is regrettable that the State Party did not provide any information regarding whether development of an overarching Management Plan for these conservation units has been considered. Acknowledging the delays imposed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, and noting the positive steps towards the review of the Management Plan for the PNCV, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to expedite the review of the Plan and to ensure that adjoining conservation comprising the Chapada dos Veadeiros component of the property, including RPPNs and the Nova Roma Ecological Station, are considered in this process to ensure further harmonization of management approaches across the entire property.

It is noted with appreciation that the significant financial resources mobilized towards the land regularization process have enabled a number of measures to clarify land tenure in the property. In particular, the identification of private properties and their respective landowners, georeferencing, and appropriate demarcation of boundaries are welcomed measures. However, it is regrettable that the State Party has not submitted a timeframe for the finalization of the process. Noting also that land tenure arrangements for over half of the area of the PNCV component of the property remain unknown, it is recommended the State Party is requested to continue to pursue the land regularization process within the property, including to submit a timeframe for its finalization to the World Heritage Centre.

It is regrettable that the report did not provide any further information on the impacts of the fire of October 2020 on the property. While the Cerrado is a fire-dependent ecosystem, since the early 2000, more intense fires have been occurring every few years, linked to extremely hot and dry weather conditions. Intense fires like the 2017 fire can seriously impact wildlife species such as the jaguar, the manned wolf, the giant armadillo as well as sensible vegetation of riparian forests and other humid areas, which are not affected by normal fires.

The Integrated Fire Management approach, within the property which includes controlled burning actions to avoid extremely hot fires, is welcomed, in particular measures to build capacity in the ESEC CNR and RPPNs to respond to fires appropriately through planning and execution of fire management-related activities. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to ensure ongoing implementation of the Integrated Fire Management approach across all conservation units comprising the property and continue to build capacities to respond to fires in the long-term. The State Party should also be encouraged to evaluate the effectiveness of the Integrated Fire Management approach in reducing the frequency and impacts of intense fires.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2021
44 COM 7B.194
Cerrado Protected Areas: Chapada dos Veadeiros and Emas National Parks (Brazil) (N 1035)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
  2. Recalling Decisions 43 COM 7B.22 and 43 COM 8B.42, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
  3. Expresses its concern about the increasing number of intense fires in the property and its surroundings, and regrets that no information on the impacts of the fire of October 2020 was provided by the State Party;
  4. Welcomes the measures taken by the State Party to ensure that management of the property is further harmonized and focused on the Outstanding Universal Vale (OUV) of the property;
  5. Notes the measures taken towards the revision of the management plan for the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (PNCV), but also regrets that no information has been provided regarding whether the development of an overarching Management Plan for the conservation units comprising the Chapada dos Veadeiros component of the property has been considered;
  6. Requests the State Party to expedite the finalization of the Management Plan for the PNCV and to ensure that adjoining conservation units comprising the Chapada dos Veadeiros component of the property are considered in this process to ensure further harmonization of management approaches across the entire property, and to submit the revised Plan to the World Heritage Centre;
  7. Takes note of further measures taken by the State Party in clarifying land tenure in the property through the land regularization process, but further regrets that no information was provided regarding the timeframe for the completion of this work, and urges the State Party to clarify the timeframe and to finalise this process, as a matter of priority;
  8. Also welcomes the ongoing consolidation of the Integrated Fire Management within the property, also requests the State Party to ensure ongoing implementation of the Integrated Fire Management approach and continue to build capacities to respond to fires in the long-term across all conservation units comprising the property and encourages the State Party to evaluate the effectiveness of the Integrated Fire Management approach in reducing the frequency and impacts of intense fires ;
  9. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above.
Draft Decision: 44 COM 7B.194

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B,
  2. Recalling Decisions 43 COM 7B.22 and 43 COM 8B.42, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
  3. Expresses its concern about the increasing number of intense fires in the property and its surroundings, and regrets that no information on the impacts of the fire of October 2020 was provided by the State Party;
  4. Welcomes the measures taken by the State Party to ensure that management of the property is further harmonized and focused on the Outstanding Universal Vale (OUV) of the property;
  5. Notes the measures taken towards the revision of the management plan for the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park (PNCV), but also regrets that no information has been provided regarding whether the development of an overarching Management Plan for the conservation units comprising the Chapada dos Veadeiros component of the property has been considered;
  6. Requests the State Party to expedite the finalization of the Management Plan for the PNCV and to ensure that adjoining conservation units comprising the Chapada dos Veadeiros component of the property are considered in this process to ensure further harmonization of management approaches across the entire property, and to submit the revised Plan to the World Heritage Centre;
  7. Takes note of further measures taken by the State Party in clarifying land tenure in the property through the land regularization process, but further regrets that no information was provided regarding the timeframe for the completion of this work, and urges the State Party to clarify the timeframe and to finalise this process, as a matter of priority;
  8. Also welcomes the ongoing consolidation of the Integrated Fire Management within the property, also requests the State Party to ensure ongoing implementation of the Integrated Fire Management approach and continue to build capacities to respond to fires in the long-term across all conservation units comprising the property and encourages the State Party to evaluate the effectiveness of the Integrated Fire Management approach in reducing the frequency and impacts of intense fires ;
  9. Further requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above.
Report year: 2021
Brazil
Date of Inscription: 2001
Category: Natural
Criteria: (ix)(x)
Documents examined by the Committee
SOC Report by the State Party
Report (2020) .pdf
arrow_circle_right 44COM (2021)
Exports

* : The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).

** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.


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