Garamba National Park

• Armed conflict and political instability
• Poaching by nationals and trans-border armed groups
• Inappropriate management capabilities to address the poaching crisis (resolved)
• Lack of management plan

• Increased poaching
• Pressure linked to the civil war, thereby threatening the flagship species of the property

In progress

Adopted in 2010, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4082 
Revised in 2016, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6652 

In progress

Total amount granted: USD 937,000 from the United Nations Foundation, the Governments of Italy, Belgium and Spain and the Rapid Response Facility; USD 200,000 from the Government of Norway in 2020-2021.

On 8 April 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/136/documents, which provides the following information:

• The numbers of certain species characteristic of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property have stabilized, in particular the elephant, thanks to the professionalization of the fight against poaching, the operationalization of the ecological monitoring system and a strengthening of the collaboration between the Congolese Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN), the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), African Parks (AP), the local communities and the provincial authorities. The inventories carried out in 2021 reveal in particular the presence of 65 individuals of Kordofan Giraffe and approximately 902 elephants in the property;
• The subspecies of the northern white rhinoceros has not been observed in the property since 2008 and assessments were carried out by AP in 2018 and 2021 on the suitability of an introduction of the subspecies of the southern white rhinoceros. A consultation framework is proposed with UNESCO and IUCN to analyze the feasibility of this introduction;
• Poaching for bushmeat, illegal fishing, bushfires, the arrival of transhumant herders and artisanal mining remain the main management challenges. They mainly affect the hunting grounds adjacent to the property;
• A business plan for the property, financed mainly by the European Union and USAID, sets the management guidelines for the period 2022-2026. The creation of a 2 km buffer zone around the property is envisaged in the definition of the Land Use Plan (LUP) but the process is slowed down by negotiations on the relocation of artisanal mining sites existing in the hunting domains that surround the property;
• Sustainable socio-economic activities are implemented for the benefit of local communities with particular emphasis on sustainable agriculture, access to basic social services, increased availability and access to renewable energy;
• Transborder cooperation continued with South Sudan for concerted and efficient management of the Garamba-Lantoto landscape and the forthcoming signature of a protocol agreement between the two States Parties will formalise this cooperation;
• Progress is noted in the achievement of the indicators of the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) as well as in the implementation of the corrective measures, and a joint reactive monitoring mission is requested to assess the conservation efforts of the State Party and its partners.

On 17 February 2023, ICCN informed UNESCO of the introduction process of 76 individuals of southern white rhinoceros to the property from South Africa. On 21 February 2023, the World Heritage Centre invited the State Party, through ICCN, to submit the comprehensive study mentioned in its correspondence for examination by IUCN as soon as possible. At the time of writing the present report, no response has been received from the State Party. During a visit to the World Heritage Centre on 12 June 2023, the Director-General of ICCN confirmed that a first group of 16 rhinoceros had just been translocated to the property on 10 June 2023.

The State Party is also considering submitting a new nomination for the property to better reflect its Outstanding Universal Value.

9. General Decision on the World Heritage properties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

On 8 April 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the State of Conservation of the five properties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/documents/193020.

Unfortunately, the report did not include any specific information in response to Decision 44 COM 7A.46.

The information provided in response to Decision 44 COM 7A.41 and on the implementation of the corrective measures, notably the strengthening of management and monitoring capacities, strengthened multi-stakeholder collaboration and the development of income-generating activities for the benefit of local communities are welcomed, and the State Party is encouraged to continue its actions for the effective protection and management of the property.

The results of the ecological monitoring confirm a temporary stabilization in the numbers of Kordofan giraffes (65) and elephants (902), and an increase in hippos (2655) and buffaloes (8446). However, these populations remain extremely limited compared to the situation at the time of inscription of the property. The elephant population in the property was estimated at more than 11,000 individuals before the start of the conflict in 1996 and at 1,191 individuals during the last census in 2017. The high level of poaching for commercial and subsistence purposes in the hunting grounds adjacent to the property remains of concern. It is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to the State Party to continue efforts to control poaching in order to promote optimal conditions for wildlife restoration. Recalling that the northern white rhinoceros subspecies is most likely extinct within the property, the consideration of introducing 76 individuals of the southern white rhinoceros to replace the northern white rhinoceros based on the findings of the risk assessment conducted by AP in 2021 is noted. However, considering the ongoing efforts to study the feasibility of in vitro reproduction of the northern subspecies on the basis of genetic material preserved on the last surviving individuals in captivity, such an introduction must be subject to consensus within the scientific and conservation community. It is noted that the State Party and its partners have begun implementation of a white rhinoceros introduction programme in the property with the translocation of a first group of 16 individuals of the southern white rhinoceros subspecies in June 2023, and that a second risk-benefit analysis was carried out in 2021 following that of 2018, which concluded that the benefits of white rhinoceros introduction outweighed the risks. While noting that the southern white rhinoceros could potentially fulfill the ecological functions of the northern white rhinoceros in the Garamba ecosystem, it is unclear to what extent the long-term management of the subspecies in the property as well as the risks that may be associated with such an introduction have been taken into account, notably the security situation in the property area and the persistence of poaching, disease, competition with other herbivorous species and veterinary considerations. It is recommended that the State Party submit the 2018 and 2021 risk-benefit assessment reports to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, and consult with the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) African Rhino Specialist Group prior to any rhinoceros translocation operations, in line with IUCN SSC best practice principles.

The report on progress towards achieving the Desired state of conservation indicators for removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) as proposed by the 2016 mission is noted. However, the State Party has not yet submitted the final version of the DSOCR, with clear indicators for the recovery of the key wildlife populations based on recent inventory data available from aerial surveys and the monitoring system, as well as the recommendations of the June 2022 regional workshop held in Kinshasa on support for the process of removing natural properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger in the French-speaking countries of Africa, in order to identify a feasible timetable for the eventual removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger. It is therefore recommended that the State Party submit this document as soon as possible.

The existence of a business plan guiding management actions for the period 2022-2026 and the financing of its implementation thanks to support of the European Union and USAID are positive. However, the constraints linked to the relocation of the existing artisanal mining sites in the hunting grounds are noted, and the limited progress for the definition of a LUP and the creation of a functional buffer zone of 2km around the property are of great concern. It is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to the State Party to expedite the finalization of the LUP and the creation of the buffer zone in line with the sustainable development strategy of the Park, the ministerial decree of 2019 prohibiting artisanal mining in the hunting grounds, the strategy for the relocation of refugee camps outside the Park, and any other strategic document.

The continued cooperation with South Sudan, through the conduct of a technical assessment mission for the establishment of a bilateral cooperation framework for the enhanced management of the Garamba-Lantoto landscape is welcomed. It is imperative that the Memorandum of Understanding between the two States Parties be formalized and implemented as soon as possible in order to effectively control illegal transborder activities such as poaching and trade in wildlife products.

Furthermore, the willingness of the State Party to receive a joint UNESCO/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to analyze the progress made with a view to possible removal from the Danger List is noted.

The proposal to re-nominate the property is noted. Indeed, the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value for the property inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1980 places considerable emphasis on the presence of the last population of the northern white rhinoceros, now considered probably extinct in the wild. A new nomination would examine the justification for the original inscription under criterion (x), taking into account both the likely extinction of a key species, but also the wider range of species of high conservation value that were not recognized at the time of listing. This could potentially enable the definition of an updated DSOCR for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

Finally, it is recommended that the Committee retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.

9. General Decision on the World Heritage properties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

It is regrettable that the State Party did not provide any specific information in response to Decision 44 COM 7A.46, which raises several important general issues related to the state of conservation of the properties in DRC and the implementation of the Kinshasa Declaration, adopted in 2011. An in-depth analysis of these issues is therefore not possible, and it is recommended that the Committee reiterates the points raised in its Decision 44 COM 7A.46.

Regarding the overall security situation in the five properties of the DRC, the individual state of conservation reports show that the security situation appears to have now normalized in Salonga National Park and improved in Kahuzi-Biega and Garamba National Parks. The situation remains challenging in Okapi Wildlife Reserve. However, the most concerning is the situation in Virunga National Park, which has again been the scene of heavy fighting since 2022. Large areas of the park are now again controlled by the rebel forces. This situation is having serious impacts on management activities such as patrolling, wildlife monitoring and enforcement, and has tragically resulted in further loss of life among park staff and in particular park rangers. More details are provided in the report on Virunga National Park (see Item 7A, sub-item n°8). It is recommended that the Committee again strongly condemn this violence, offer its sincere condolences to the families of the victims and ICCN staff, express its utmost concern regarding the continuing insecurity in and around Virunga National Park, Kahuzi-Biega National Park and Okapi Wildlife Reserve and urge the State Party to continue to strengthen the capacity of ICCN to continue to ensure the management of the properties in the current difficult security situation as well as the efforts to restore peace and stability in and around the properties.

The continued cooperation between the ICCN and the DRC military (FARDC) for the protection of the properties is considered essential, however allegations of human rights abuses linked directly to law enforcement operations are of deep concern. While the challenges of protecting World Heritage properties in a region characterized by ongoing armed conflict and the proliferation of armed groups engaging in activities that may threaten the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), such as the exploitation of natural resources or mining and wildlife trafficking, are acknowledged, it is essential that human rights are respected, and that human rights are never abused as a result of conservation interventions. It is recommended that the Committee reiterate again the importance of implementing strong measures to ensure that the rights of IPLCs are fully respected in all management decisions and actions. Measures already taken in Salonga National Park and Kahuzi-Biega National Park to establish a code of conduct for park rangers, provide rangers with training on human rights issues (also underway for Virunga National Park), as well as the establishment of a grievance mechanism for human rights abuses, are all welcomed, and such initiatives should be expanded urgently to all World Heritage properties in the DRC.  The establishment of a specific entity in charge of human rights in the ICCN General Direction could catalyze good practice and sharing of experiences between the sites. It is recommended that the Committee recall once again the importance of management processes that are founded on rights-based approaches and ensuring full involvement of all rightsholders and stakeholders, in particular IPLCs, in line with the 2015 Policy on World Heritage and Sustainable Development and the UNESCO Policy on Engaging with Indigenous Peoples.  The State Party is therefore requested to further strengthen on-going efforts by establishing and implementing a national code of conduct for eco-guards and a grievance mechanism for human rights abuses in all properties, as well as ensuring human rights issues are included in all regular training of law enforcement staff.

The news that the State Party included the two oil blocks overlapping with Virunga National Park in the new public tender process for oil blocks in 2022 is of utmost concern (see also report on Virunga National Park). At the time of writing of this report, it is unclear if these blocks have been attributed.

It needs to be recalled that one of these blocks had been opened up for oil exploration in the past but that the company involved finally relinquished the block in 2014 after public outcry and several investors divesting from the company. Since then, the World Heritage Committee has consistently requested the State Party to revoke all oil concessions attributed by Presidential Decree and overlapping with Virunga and Salonga National Parks.

In addition, several semi-industrial gold mining operations are now active in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve (see report on Okapi Wildlife Reserve, Item 7A, sub-item n°7). Reportedly the companies involved were attributed mining licenses based on erroneous map used by the mining cadaster.  It is therefore recommended that the Committee express its utmost concern on these new developments, reiterate its clear position concerning the incompatibility of mining, oil exploration and exploitation with World Heritage status and urge once again the State Party to cancel all concessions for oil blocks and mining concessions that overlap with World Heritage properties.

On 14 March 2023, the UNESCO Assistant-Director General for the Culture Sector informed the State Party on UNESCO’s willingness to organise a national workshop on heritage protection in conflict zones in the DRC.