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iSimangaliso Wetland Park

South Africa
Factors affecting the property in 2021*
  • Land conversion
  • Management systems/ management plan
  • Mining
  • Other Threats:

    Conflicting land use

Factors* affecting the property identified in previous reports
  • Land conversion
  • Management systems/ management plan
  • Mining
  • Lack of institution coordination

Additional Details:
Conflicting land use 

UNESCO Extra-Budgetary Funds until 2021
Total amount granted: EUR 4,573 between 2001 and 2002 through the France-UNESCO Convention agreement; USD 200,000 between 2001 and 2007 through the UNF/UNFIP project "Enhancing our Heritage"
International Assistance: requests for the property until 2021
Requests approved: 1 (from 2003-2003)
Total amount approved : 20,000 USD
2003 Greater St. Lucia (Approved)   20,000 USD
Missions to the property until 2021**
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 2021

The World Heritage Centre sent letters to the State Party on 13 November 2017, 12 November 2018, 4 March 2019, 3 September 2019, 23 October 2019 and 16 February 2021 requesting information related to the reported clearing and burning of swamp forest in the property, prospective mineral mining activities, impact of water use on Lake Sibaya, granting of an environmental authorization for proposed offshore exploration drilling and the artificial breaching of the sand barrier separating the Lake St. Lucia.

These issues were the subject of several consultation meetings between the World Heritage Centre, IUCN and the State Party. In follow-up, the State Party submitted reports in May 2019, December 2019, June 2020 and March 2021 (available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/914/documents/), which provide the following information:

  • The management authority has formally objected to the application for prospective mining activities lodged within the kwaSokhulu Area, located outside of the property, and is awaiting a response from the Department of Minerals and Energy. No mining is allowed in protected areas in South Africa. Objection was also raised against the proposed offshore exploration drilling some 75 km from the property. The State Party commits to keeping the World Heritage Committee informed of these two proposals;
  • The management authority is commissioning scientific assessments on the impact on the water resources of Lake Sibaya, including use of water resources and pesticides. Measures currently taken include a moratorium on issuing of licenses for commercial forestry, which are requiring vast amounts of water. Work is also underway to establish a buffer zone for the property as a tool, to identify and mitigate/abate such negative impacts;
  • At least 92 ha of swamp forest in the Sondwana Bay area inside the property have been cleared by local communities for subsistence agriculture. In response, several meetings have been organized with communities, land claimants and traditional and local authorities. In 2021, no new clearance has been observed, possibly linked to the exceptionally wet season;
  • While in its May 2019 report, the State Party noted that artificial breaching of the St. Lucia Estuary mouth to the Indian would be contrary to the efforts to allow the ecological restoration of the Lake St. Lucia estuarine system, in its February 2021 report, the State Party confirms that an assisted breach was implemented on 6 January 2021 with a channel being excavated. Following objections raised by scientists, the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries commissioned an independent Panel of Experts who will review all the relevant studies, recommendations and decisions taken in relation to the breaching.
Analysis and Conclusion by World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2021

It is recalled that human-induced changes in the catchments, upstream water abstraction and agricultural practices were already of concern to the integrity of the property at the time of the property’s inscription in 1999.

The clearing and burning of swamp forest for subsistence agriculture within the property is of great concern, as this not only destroys the forest vegetation, but also involves digging irrigation trenches and draining the land. The activities are reported to be the result of a conflict with local communities, and the efforts of the State Party to resolve this issue through dialogue are appreciated. However, ecological restoration of these areas will be complicated. It is therefore important that further damage does not take place. While it is positive that no further burning of vegetation has taken place since December 2020, this might be linked to the exceptionally wet conditions due to abundant rainfall. It is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to continue monitoring the situation, and in particular to continue its dialogue with the local communities to resolve outstanding issues and ensure that no further damage to the forests of the property takes place.

The significant drop in average water levels in Lake Sibaya since the time of inscription is also concerning. Lake Sibaya is the largest and deepest natural freshwater lake in the property and has a unique relict estuarine fauna, which is an important attribute of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV). As mentioned in the State Party report, the drop in water level is linked to water abstraction but also the increase of commercial Eucalyptus plantations in the vicinity of the property. The reported efforts to develop a holistic approach to mitigating the water loss in Lake Sibaya system in consultation with all stakeholders is welcomed.

The artificial breaching of the mouth of the St. Lucia Estuary in January 2021 is a serious and complex matter and raises concerns. The hydrological and ecological functioning of Lake St. Lucia has been subject to major historical modification but in recent decades, the focus has been on restoring its natural estuarine functioning. It is recalled that the property’s Integrated Management Plan and its Estuarine Management Plans since 2012 foresee hydrological restoration by allowing the uMfolozi River to follow its natural path back into the St. Lucia estuary and implement a policy of minimum interference in the estuarine system to facilitate as much natural functioning as possible. The multi-disciplinary study on Lake St. Lucia commissioned by the management authority under the Global Environment Fund (GEF) project, recommended that artificial breaching of the system should be stopped, and emphasized the need for natural hydrological and ecological restoration. The World Heritage Centre and IUCN therefore note that the decision to breach the mouth of the St. Lucia Estuary is departing from the management plan and scientific advice. In this regard, the State Party’s decision to commission an independent Panel of Experts to review all the relevant studies, recommendations and decisions taken in relation to the breaching of Lake St. Lucia Estuary mouth is welcomed. It is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to ensure that the work of this Panel be guided by the objective of protecting the OUV of the property.

The objections raised by the management authority against prospective mining activities outside the property, and the offshore exploratory drilling are appreciated.

Decisions adopted by the Committee in 2021
44 COM 7B.176
iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa) (N 914)

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
  2. Recalling Decisions CONF 209 VIII.A.1, 27 COM 7B.6 and 28 COM 15B.5, respectively adopted at its 23rd (Marrakesh, 1999), 27th (UNESCO, 2003) and 28th (Suzhou, 2004) sessions,
  3. Noting with concern the clearing and burning of swamp forests for subsistence agriculture in the property, requests the State Party to continue to monitor the situation and to continue its dialogue with the local communities to resolve outstanding issues and to ensure that no further damage takes place;
  4. Also noting with concern the significant drop in average water levels in Lake Sibaya since the time of inscription, welcomes the reported efforts to develop a holistic approach to mitigate water loss in Lake Sibaya system in consultation with all stakeholders, and also requests the State Party to assess the effectiveness of these efforts and strengthen its management responses where considered necessary;
  5. Also welcomes the reported objection of the management authority to the proposed prospective mining and offshore exploratory drilling activities outside of the property, and further requests the State Party to ensure any activity that has the potential to negatively impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), undertaken in line with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, to inform decision-making;
  6. Also recalling that ecological restoration is an important management objective of the Lake St. Lucia Estuary and key to maintaining the property’s OUV, notes with concern that the artificial breaching of the estuary in January 2021 departs from the management plan and scientific advice, and further welcomes the decision to commission an independent Panel of Experts that will review all the relevant studies, recommendations and decisions taken in relation to the breaching of Lake St. Lucia Estuary mouth, and urges the State Party to ensure that the work of this Panel be guided by the objective of protecting the OUV of the property and submit the findings of the Panel to the World Heritage Centre;
  7. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 45th session.
Draft Decision: 44 COM 7B.176

The World Heritage Committee,

  1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
  2. Recalling Decisions CONF 209 VIII.A.1, 27 COM 7B.6 and 28 COM 15B.5, respectively adopted at its 23rd (Marrakesh, 1999), 27th (UNESCO, 2003) and 28th (Suzhou, 2004) sessions,
  3. Noting with concern the clearing and burning of swamp forests for subsistence agriculture in the property, requests the State Party to continue to monitor the situation and to continue its dialogue with the local communities to resolve outstanding issues and to ensure that no further damage takes place;
  4. Also noting with concern the significant drop in average water levels in Lake Sibaya since the time of inscription, welcomes the reported efforts to develop a holistic approach to mitigate water loss in Lake Sibaya system in consultation with all stakeholders, and also requests the State Party to assess the effectiveness of these efforts and strengthen its management responses where considered necessary;
  5. Also welcomes the reported objection of the management authority to the proposed prospective mining and offshore exploratory drilling activities outside of the property, and further requests the State Party to ensure any activity that has the potential to negatively impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property is subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), undertaken in line with the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment, to inform decision-making;
  6. Also recalling that ecological restoration is an important management objective of the Lake St. Lucia Estuary and key to maintaining the property’s OUV, notes with concern that the artificial breaching of the estuary in January 2021 departs from the management plan and scientific advice, and further welcomes the decision to commission an independent Panel of Experts that will review all the relevant studies, recommendations and decisions taken in relation to the breaching of Lake St. Lucia Estuary mouth, and urges the State Party to ensure that the work of this Panel be guided by the objective of protecting the OUV of the property and submit the findings of the Panel to the World Heritage Centre;
  7. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2022, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 45th session in 2022.
Report year: 2021
South Africa
Date of Inscription: 1999
Category: Natural
Criteria: (vii)(ix)(x)
Documents examined by the Committee
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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