Rwenzori Mountains National Park

• Mining (Kilembe mine)
• Staffing and budgetary deficiencies (issue resolved)
• Degradation of buffer zone (issue resolved)
• Climate change
• Management systems/ management plan
• Impacts of tourism (cable car)
• Fires

N/A

On 1 December 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/684/documents, which reports the following:

● The establishment of a wildlife migratory corridor between the property and other Ugandan National Parks is not tenable since the area is heavily settled by communities established for more than 100 years. Relocation would be inappropriate and costly;

● Small-scale hydropower (HEP) projects are located outside the property, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and mitigation measures have been implemented, and monitoring activity reports have not reported any detrimental activities. A Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is therefore not required;

• The Kilembe Mines have not been operational since the 1970s. In 2021, water assessments confirmed no significant difference between the water quality of the three rivers flowing out of the property, all recording low mineral content;

  ● The State Party considers the recommendation to abandon the proposed cable car project as premature since only a pre-feasibility study has been undertaken to date and the project has so far not been recommended for approval;

  ● A wildlife monitoring plan and review of the Tourism Strategy to focus on low-impact tourism activities remain to be completed due to COVID-19 related financial constraints;

  ● Biodiversity monitoring continues with drones, Spatial Monitoring And Reporting Tool (SMART), Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing. In 2021, an animal census of key species was undertaken (line transects, camera traps). A report was appended;

  ● Implementation of the 2016-2026 General Management Plan (GMP) has been continued and will be renewed when it expires;

  ● Transboundary collaboration through the Transboundary Greater Virunga Transboundary Collaboration Secretariat (GVTCS) continued, including coordinated patrols along the boundary with Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Insecurity in the DRC limited the extent of patrol coverage by DRC rangers. Patrols were resumed in 2022 following COVID-19 suspension;

• Through International Assistance funding, a Climate Change, Disaster Risk Management Plan for the property was developed as a framework for disaster risk management planning and guidance for site managers, and infrastructure destroyed by floods was reconstructed.
• A project with WWF-Uganda addressed protecting the property against climate change and human induced activities like encroachment and poaching, focused on sustaining biodiversity, maintaining connectivity between habitats and the functioning of ecosystems in the Greater Virunga Landscape for the benefit of biodiversity and surrounding communities.

  The State party submitted an International Assistance request for the project entitled: “Chimpanzee census and other mammal species in Rwenzori World Heritage site” for an amount of USD 30.000, which was approved on 25 September 2022. The project is currently under implementation in close collaboration with the World Heritage Centre.

The continued implementation of the 2016-2026 GMP is welcomed. Recalling that the 2019 mission recommended the GMP be revised to fully integrate all attributes that underpin the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, and noting that the current GMP expires in 2026, it is recommended that the State Party ensure the attributes are fully reflected in the next GMP.

to explore potential options to improve the connectivity between the property and the overall Greater Virunga ecosystem to ensure the OUV is maintained, in particular the viability of the remaining elephant population within the property, including by further strengthening the transboundary cooperation with Virunga National Park in DRC.

The reported ecological monitoring activities, including a 2021 animal census on the property using camera traps and line transects, are noted with appreciation. It is of concern however that the census indicates only seven elephants to now be present within the property, which is a further decline on the 2019 census, further highlighting the need to strengthen ecological connectivity and to urgently develop an action plan for its conservation as requested by the Committee. The estimated chimpanzee population of 576 would point to an increase since the last line transect census in 2010 was undertaken which reported 384 individuals. In this regard, the State Party’s International Assistance request to undertake the chimpanzee census, following previous committee requests, especially the consideration of the use of the standard line transect methodology using nest counts, is appreciated. It is recommended that monitoring is continued and that the requested wildlife monitoring plan, and the review of the Tourism Strategy to focus on low impact tourism activities, both of which could not be completed due to COVID-19 related financial constraints, are completed as soon as possible.

It is recalled that the 2019 mission considered that the proposed cable car project would impact both the scenic value of the property, as well as its fragile ecosystems and biodiversity, and if approved, would constitute a clear case of ascertained danger to the OUV. The confirmation by the State Party that so far the project has not been recommended for approval is therefore appreciated and it is recommended that the State Party not proceed with this project.

The State Party’s confirmation that HEP projects have undergone EIAs, mitigation measures are implemented, and monitoring has reported no detrimental activities is appreciated. However, it is useful to recall that an SEA is a tool that allows for strategic level planning and provides means to assess cumulative effects at an early stage, and guide decision making for the Rwenzori catchment. An SEA is therefore separate to an EIA and will help inform decisions on future projects that would still be subject to project-level EIAs. The State Party should therefore be requested again to undertake an SEA guide strategic level planning and to understand the cumulative effects in the catchment.

It is appreciated that the Kilembe mine remains closed and 2021 water assessments recorded low mineral content in all three rivers flowing out of the property. In line with the mission recommendation, the State Party should be requested to also report on the water quality of the groundwater.

The reconstruction of important infrastructure (trails/bridges) following flash flooding and landslides in 2020 through the Emergency Assistance is appreciated. In this regard, the new Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management Plan for the property will provide an important framework to inform future disaster risk planning and management decisions and should be welcomed.