Maloti-Drakensberg Park

• Interpretative and visitation facilities: Need to improve presentation of cultural aspects, in particular the San rock art sites within the Environmental Centre
• Legal framework: Revisions, amendments and enactment of relevant laws pertinent to the property not yet finalized in Lesotho
• Major visitor accommodation and associated infrastructure, particularly a proposed cable car and a proposed petrol filling station within the property’s newly proposed buffer zone in South Africa
• Management activities: Continuation of a cautious approach to conservation interventions on rock art sites (except where rock art would otherwise become very fragile and vulnerable)
• Management systems/management plan: Need to strengthen the Lesotho heritage management, including adoption of a comprehensive management plan, annual budget allocation, risk preparedness and disaster response plan, monitoring indicators, staff training and transnational collaboration
• The buffer zones surrounding the property are not yet formalized
• Need for research and documentation to establish an inventory of rock art in Sehlabathebe National Park (issue resolved)
• Need for an assessment of the potential cultural contribution of other landscape elements to the cultural values of Sehlabathebe National Park (issue resolved)
• Renewable energy facilities: Proposed development of wind farms in areas neighboring the Sehlabathebe National Park (issue resolved)
• Oil and gas exploration: proposed shale gas, gas and oil exploration within the property’s newly proposed buffer zone in South Africa

Total amount granted: USD 50,000 in 2015 through the UNESCO World Heritage Sustainable Tourism programme (Flanders Funds-in-Trust); USD 40,000 in 2016-2017 for COMPACT community conservation programme (Netherlands Funds-in-Trust), USD 145,000 from the Government of Norway in 2020 for continued COMPACT activities

On 1 December 2022, the States Parties submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/985/documents, and reports the following:

• The States Parties reiterate their commitment to limiting conservation interventions for the rock art sites to addressing immediate and urgent vulnerabilities only, and to undertake Environmental and Heritage Impact Assessments (EIAs/HIAs) in line with IUCN and ICOMOS guidelines for the proposed cableway and the shale gas and oil explorations in the newly proposed buffer zone in South Africa, and to submit the reports to the World Heritage Centre;
• Mitigation measures put in place to ensure the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) during the construction and operational phases of the petrol filling station constructed in the buffer zone of the property include the installation of a functional oil trap for polluted water, strict monitoring of the storage and dispensing of petroleum products to avoid pollution, and the entrance is the same as that used for the shopping centre;
• The Integrated Management Plan (IMP) for the South African uKhahlamba Drakensberg component of the property was signed off by the Minister in September 2022 and submitted to the World Heritage Centre in October 2022. The consolidation of the management plans for the individual components of the property will be initiated soon as part of the process of reviewing the Joint Management Plan of the property, which will be used as an umbrella to harmonize the management system and submitted to the World Heritage Centre once finalized;
• The State Party of Lesotho confirms that the Biodiversity Resources Management Bill has been approved by the National Assembly and will be sent to the Senate for further discussion and presentation to the King for Royal Assent;
• A joint letter requesting a Minor Boundary Modification to formalize the buffer zone to the south of the Sehlabathebe National Park in South Africa was submitted to the World Heritage Centre in October 2022;

  On 12 April 2023, the World Heritage Centre organized an online meeting with both States Parties to advise them on the ongoing process to develop new maps for the minor boundary modification to be submitted in 2024.

The State Party of Lesotho completed the Conservation, Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Rock Art in Sehlabathebe National Park project, funded through the International Assistance fund. The report, completed in March 2022, provides an overview of the state of conservation of the rock art located within the Sehlabathebe National Park and includes management recommendations and a risk preparedness plan specifically focused on the conservation of rock art attributes. The need to improve the interpretation of rock art sites remains.

The reiterated commitment by the States Parties to undertake impact assessments for the proposed cableway and shale gas and oil exploratory activities is noted, recalling previous concerns States Parties continue to keep the World Heritage Centre informed of any decision to proceed with these projects.

Recalling the concerns expressed by the management authority in South Africa in previous reports regarding the visual and sense-of-place impacts of the recently constructed petrol filling station in the buffer zone, no information on measures to prevent visual impact was provided and it is recommended that the State Party provides more details on this.

It is positive that the IMP for the uKhahlamba Drakensberg component of the property in South Africa has been completed. The IMP should be assessed through technical review by the Advisory Bodies. It is equally positive that the Biodiversity Resources Management Bill has been approved by the National Assembly in Lesotho. However, noting that the latter still requires further discussion and approval, and recalling that the previous Joint Management Plan for the property is understood to have expired in 2013, and whilst acknowledging the ongoing cooperation between the States Parties, establishing the joint management plan remains a priority. The outcomes of the Conservation, Monitoring and Risk Assessment of Rock Art in Sehlabathebe National Park project should inform the joint management plan. It is recommended that these processes are further expedited in order to establish an integrated management framework for the transboundary property.

The submission of the joint letter signed by both States Parties for a Minor Boundary Modification is acknowledged, however noting that further information is required to complete the submission, it is recommended that all final requirements, including the preparation of the new maps adhering to the technical requirements as addressed during the meeting held between the World Heritage Centre and both State Parties in April 2023, are submitted to the World Heritage Centre.