Niokolo-Koba National Park

• Poaching, capture and relocation of wildlife
• Drying up of ponds and invasive species
• Illegal logging
• Livestock grazing
• Road construction project
• Potential dam construction
• Potential mining exploration and exploitation
• Loss of chimpanzee habitat

• Poaching
• Livestock grazing
• Dam construction project at Sambangalou

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4087
Revised (finalization of indicators) in 2015, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6232  

Adopted, see page  

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6232 

Total amount granted: USD 250 000 from the Government of Norway (2021-2022)

On 23 March 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/153/documents/. Additional information was provided on 23 January 2023 in the framework of the implementation of a project funded by the generous contribution of the Government of Norway in support of the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The reports include the following information:

• The partnership with the NGO Panthera and the installation of camera traps in approximately 30% of the property enabled the observation in 2021 of 45 species of mammals including species of Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), except for the elephant, which is in a critical situation within the property;
• A 2016-2021 comparative study has confirmed the relict presence of a small number of chimpanzees in the impact zone of the Petowal Mining Company (PMC);
• A biannual emergency plan to prevent the extinction of the last population of the lycaon in West Africa is being launched in partnership with IUCN’s Save Our Species programme;
• Surveillance has been considerably strengthened (145 additional agents, three mobile brigades, two new surveillance posts, 321 km of surveillance trails rehabilitated, a ULM acquired). Surveillance missions in the Park's eastern zone have helped reduce the impact of illegal gold mining;
• Analyses carried out on water samples near the Mako mine demonstrate its compliance with standards except in its levels of manganese, ammonium and sulphate in the groundwater, and its levels of iron and suspended matter in surface waters;
• A soil and water testing laboratory has been installed in the Park premises, and a mobile laboratory has been set up to identify pollutants in the property;
• Control measures against the invasive species Mimosa pigra are planned and funded in partnership with the US Forest Service and Niokolodge in three infested ponds;
• The Mansadala quarry remains open to finalize National Road N°8 (RN8). Various faunistic species are present for which protection and restoration measures are implemented;
• Funding for the Sambangalou dam has been secured and as part of the construction work, the Gambia River Basin Development Organization (OMVG) has requested the support of the IUCN Regional Office for Central and West Africa (Central and West Africa Programme (PACO)) to carry out an evaluation of all the studies linked to the impact of the dam and the modification of the hydrological regime of the Gambia River (studies on the biodiversity of the PNNK and the chimpanzees in particular, and the Adaptive Environmental Flow Strategy (SADE)). In addition, water level gauges have been installed in the Simenti, Kountadala and Nianaka ponds for hydraulic monitoring in order to have reference benchmarks;
• The State Party has not provided the necessary environmental approval for the launch of the Barrick Gold project and an ESIA was conducted;
• Awareness-raising sessions for livestock breeders are held in the villages on the outskirts of the property concerning the dangers of cattle roaming, particularly those linked to the risk of transmitting zoonotic diseases;
• A traffic control system has been set up to limit the speed of traffic on this stretch of Route Nationale 7; 26 road signs have been erected to make users aware of the risks of colliding with wildlife, and 6 speed bumps installed to regulate vehicle speed;
• There has been no improvement in marking the boundaries of the property, due to the land dispute in the Mako sector and the sensitivity of the border with the Republic of Guinea.

On 27 April 2022, the State Party submitted a report on the round table consultation with technical and financial partners which took place in November 2021 with a view to strengthen the effective dialogue and collaboration of all stakeholders in the sustainable conservation of the property.

In June 2022, the State Party took part in a workshop to support the process of removing natural properties from the List of World Heritage in Danger in French-speaking Africa. In June 2023, a workshop is planned to follow up on the Desired state of conservation, in order to present progress in implementing corrective measures and achieving the DSOCR.

On August 27, 2022, the State Party sent the World Heritage Centre the additional studies carried out on the environment and biodiversity of the Niokolo Koba National Park in connection with the Sambangalou Hydroelectric Development Project (PAHS).

The State Party’s continual efforts to implement corrective measures is positive. The means of surveillance have been strengthened considerably, notably with the significant increase in the number of agents, the creation of two control posts and the organization of the 2021 round table to reinforce conservation in the property, among others. Illegal gold mining is on the decline. It is recommended to congratulate the State Party on its significant efforts, to encourage it to continue its actions, and to request that it now provides further precise mapping information on the location of infractions and on the urgent measures requested to restore habitats degraded by illegal gold mining.

In addition, the rehabilitation of 321 km of tracks in the property in 2021, the organization of awareness-raising sessions to combat cattle roaming and the introduction of a road control system are positive developments. While noting that there has been no improvement in the marking of the property's boundaries, it is recommended that the Committee commends the State Party for the actions undertaken and requests it to continue implementing the corrective measures as updated by the 2015 Reactive Monitoring mission, the various recommendations made in the 2021 roundtable report, as well as the recommendations of the June 2022 and June 2023 workshops.

It is recommended to welcome the improvement of the ecological monitoring and to request the State Party to provide data on the state of conservation and population trends of all the species characteristic of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), notably with regard to the elephant and the lycaon.

Although the 2016-2021 comparative study of the fauna in the impact zone of the PMC demonstrates the presence of many species, in particular chimpanzees, the information provided is not sufficient to assess the size, trends and sustainability of the populations, and no mitigation measures seem to have been undertaken to limit the negative impacts of the mining operations.

Improvements in pollution monitoring, notably in the Gambia River, with the installation of a mobile laboratory and in Tambacounda are positive. Nevertheless, the results obtained from the analyses of groundwater and surface water in 2021 continue to show abnormally high concentrations of ammonium, manganese, sulphate, iron and sediment loads respectively. It is recommended that urgent measures be taken to identify the cause of this pollution in order to limit it and that additional microbiological analyses be carried out.

Work to control the invasive species Mimosa pigra in the three heavily invaded ponds is welcomed, but beyond these cases, no information is provided on the invasive species and the associated control strategy.

Although the intended restoration and protection measures at the Mansadala quarry will limit the environmental impacts following its closure, it is worrying to note that this quarry remains open and it is recommended to stop its activity and restore the zone as soon as possible.

Noting that funding for the Sambangalou dam works has now been secured and that construction work has effectively begun on the site, the concerns previously expressed about the potential impacts of the dam on the OUV of the property remain valid. The technical support requested by the State Party from IUCN PACO through OMVG to carry out the evaluation of all the studies linked to the impact of the dam, in addition to the installation of limnometric scales in the ponds of Simenti, Kountadala and Nianaka for hydraulic monitoring in order to have reference situations on the evolution of the hydrological regime of the Gambia River are noted. A preliminary assessment of the additional studies carried out on the environment and biodiversity of the Niokolo-Koba National Park shows that the construction of the Sambangalou dam will cause a non-negligible change in the hydrological regime of the Gambia River, downstream of the dam, and that the dam's impacts on the ecosystems of the Niokolo-Koba Park, notably the distribution of large and medium-sized mammalian fauna, in particular elephant, Derby eland, buffalo, hippopotamus, lion, lycaon and chimpanzee, will be considerable. Bearing in mind that a detailed analysis of these studies by IUCN will be made available to the State Party at a later date, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to provide, on the one hand, the Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) from which the additional studies derive and, on the other hand, the report of the working group responsible for producing the synthesis of the various studies concerning the analysis of potential impacts and the proposal of selected compensation measures, to ensure that a full assessment of the potential impacts on the OUV has been carried out in accordance with World Heritage impact assessments guidelines and best practices, and that the proposed mitigation measures, including any adjustments to project implementation, will effectively reduce these unavoidable residual impacts.

The ESIA provided for the Barrick Gold Corporation’s mining project indicates numerous potential environmental threats including the decline in the quality and quantity of water, variation in the sediment regime of the Niokolo Koba River, the spread of pollutants, the destruction of pristine terrestrial and aquatic habitats of endangered species, like chimpanzees. Furthermore, the increase in traffic on the RN8, in the risk of poaching, and in the spread of invasive exotic species related to the flows of population also constitute worrying potential threats highlighted in the ESIA. Considering that this project could have direct, indirect and cumulative negative consequences on the ecological integrity and the OUV of the property, the State Party is requested not to pursue the project as currently proposed.

In view of the positive developments in the management of the property, the progressive improvement of the ecological monitoring system, and the efforts undertaken to preserve the integrity of the property despite ongoing development projects, it is recommended that the Committee requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission to the property.