Salonga National Park

• Armed conflict, lack of security and political instability (issue resolved)
• Poaching by the army and armed groups (issue resolved)
• Conflicts with local communities concerning Park boundaries
• Impact of villages located within the property
• Threat of oil exploitation
• Poaching

• Impact due to conflict
• Increased poaching and illegal encroachment affecting the integrity of the site

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4575 
An update is proposed for adoption in the draft decision below.

In progress

Total amount granted: USD 320,000 from the United Nations Foundation and the Governments of Italy and Belgium; USD 250,000 from the Government of Norway (2021-2022) 

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/280/documents/, which summarizes as follows its response to Decision 44COM 7A.44:

• A co-management agreement for the property, incorporating the recommendations of the 2020 independent panel report, was signed between the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN) and WWF on 7 October 2021. It notably provides for the creation of the Salonga Foundation, the professionalization of the fight against poaching, the establishment of a framework for the peaceful management of conflicts with village communities, strict respect for human rights in conservation activities and the establishment of a Unit with responsibility for human rights, improving the economic resilience of communities and their involvement in the management of the property. The agreement prescribes not to proceed with the involuntary relocation of the Yaelima and Kitawala communities, and foresees a supervision programme to limit the impacts on the property;
• The European Union and USAID are the main funders of the management of the property over the next three years, and discussions are underway with KfW, WWF and via the Salonga Foundation to complete this funding;
• Management effectiveness decreased slightly in 2020 after the evaluation via the Integrated Management Effectiveness Tool in connection with the health crisis and financial constraints;
• The management team (47 executives and 222 eco-guards) has undergone human rights training. In 2021, 160 patrols were carried out, covering 48.9% of the property. These patrols led to arrests and the seizure of equipment used for poaching. A rejuvenation and increase in the number of eco-guards to 650, the creation of operational surveillance posts and the establishment of a Command Centre for surveillance operations are planned;
• The installation of photo traps allowed the observation of many forest elephants and 13 other species;
• The local communities (11,000 people) were briefed on the preservation of the property and the sustainable management of natural resources. Empowerment activities have been undertaken in the areas of education, water, agricultural and forestry production;
• Actions are planned to improve the ecological connectivity between the two blocks of the property, in particular with the establishment of a community forest concession for conservation purposes with funding from the Global Environment Facility;
• The participatory demarcation of the non-natural boundaries of the property has been postponed to 2022;
• The oil concessions overlapping the property are not canceled but the advocacy continues in accordance with the last recommendation of the steering committee on this subject.

On 18 May 2022, UNESCO sent a letter to the State Party, requesting information (especially in terms of location) about an auction approved by the Council of Ministers of 8 April 2022 for new oil concessions in the central basin, as well as on the state of progress on the cancellation of the concessions overlapping the property. At the writing of this report, no response from the State Party has been received.

Following the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger in 2021, the State Party and its partners have continued their efforts to implement the recommendations of the 2020 reactive monitoring mission. These efforts, and in particular the formalization of the new co-management agreement between ICCN and WWF which remained pending since the last session, are welcomed. It is recommended that these efforts be continued and that priority community activities be identified during the development of the Environmental and Social Management Framework for the Salonga Landscape to strengthen the involvement of local communities in the management of the property.

The various measures taken in response to the results of the Independent Review of Human Rights Violations by Eco-Guards are also noted with appreciation, in particular the establishment of a functional mechanism for the management of complaints and appeals in response to Decision 44 COM 7A.46. It is recommended that the implementation of the mechanism as well as other measures taken be evaluated regularly, and that lessons learned be applied and disseminated to other World Heritage properties in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Actions aimed at the creation of new surveillance posts, the rejuvenation and increase in the number of eco-guards as well as the setting up of a Command Centre for surveillance operations associated with the pursuit of awareness raising of the communities for the protection of natural resources are noted. These measures should be operationalized as soon as possible in order to increase the surveillance rate of the property from 48.9% to 80% and effectively combat illegal activities. It is also recommended to request to intensify the collection of data on the species present in the property to complement the data shared in the annual report.

The development of a sustainable funding system through the creation of the Salonga Foundation to improve the management efficiency of the property is positive. The State Party should accelerate its operationalization with the support of its partners (European Union, USAID, KfW) to allow the implementation of all the management functions of the property.

The decision not to undertake an involuntary relocation of the Yaelima and Kitawala communities and to create a supervision programme to limit their impacts on the property is noted. However, as requested by the Committee (Decision 40 COM 7A.40), there is an urgent need to initiate a constructive dialogue with these communities to identify possible solutions and assess their socio-economic situation in order to guide the strategy to be adopted regarding their presence in the property or their voluntary relocation, in accordance with the policies of the Convention and international standards. UNESCO and IUCN remain available to provide technical advice on this matter.

The sustainable management of the ecological connectivity between the two blocks of the property remains a conservation priority and it is recommended that the State Party quickly finalize the creation of community forest concessions for conservation purposes by proposing a protection status and a simple management plan. Furthermore, it is recommended that the participatory demarcation of the non-natural boundaries of the property be finalized as soon as possible.

Noting with concern the auctioning approved by the Council of Ministers on 8 April 2022 of new oil concessions in the central basin, and that the oil concessions allocated by presidential order and overlapping the property have still not been cancelled despite Decisions 43 COM 7A.10 and 44 COM 7A.44, it is recommended that the Committee again urge the State Party to cancel the current oil concessions, while not granting new concessions in the property and its buffer zone which could have negative and irreversible impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property.