East Rennell

• Changes to oceanic waters
• Fishing/collecting aquatic resources (Over-exploitation of coconut crab and other marine resources)
• Forestry/wood production (Commercial logging)
• Invasive/alien terrestrial species
• Storms
• Mining
• Management systems/management plans (Management planning and administration of the property)
• Legal framework (Legislation)

• Logging
• Invasive species
• Over-exploitation of coconut crab and other marine resources
• Climate change
• Legislation, management planning and administration of the property

Adopted; see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6965

Adopted; see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/7423

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/7423 

Total amount granted: USD 56,689 UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust (2015): Technical Support to East Rennell; USD 35,000, UNESCO/Flanders Funds-in-Trust (2015): Support to East Rennell; USD 38,398, UNESCO/Netherlands Funds-in-Trust (2019-present); and USD 298,000, UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust (2022-present): Developing sustainable livelihoods in East Rennell

On 29 February 2024, the State Party submitted a report on the state of conservation of the property, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/854/documents/, which reports the following:

• Despite limited resources made available by the national government, some progress has been made towards achieving the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR), notably addressing issues of invasive alien species (IAS), establishing an effective network of protected areas, and developing sustainable livelihoods in East Rennell;
• A carbon financing project is being implemented led by “Live & Learn Environmental Education” in collaboration with local communities and national and provincial governments to support forest conservation and community development through the sale of carbon credits;
• “BirdLife International” together with “Lake Tegano World Heritage Site Association” (LTWHSA) and in collaboration with the concerned ministries is supporting efforts to establish sustainable IAS/rodent control in four communities and province-wide biosecurity, to contribute to food security, livelihood resilience, conservation of endemic species and national and regional IAS responses, including recruitment of local rangers, installation of rodenticide baits, establishment of community-based monitoring and undertaking of a socio-economic baseline assessment;
• Meetings took place with customary landowners to apply the Protected Areas Act 2010 in East Rennell with support from the Global Environment Facility GEF-6 funded project ‘Ensuring Resilient Ecosystems and Representative Protected Areas in Solomon Islands’ led by the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM). As a result, the State Party indicates that twelve “tribal groups” submitted their Expression of Interest (EOI), while four are yet to submit theirs. A new Management Plan will be developed following the finalization of a land use map;
• An investigation was undertaken by MECDM following the mass mortality of flying foxes in 2021, which concluded that they may have become locally extinct in the property;
• The environmental damages caused by the grounding of the barge (SAPOR 2302) in the property in 2021 persist. Landowners are facing challenges to take legal action to pursuit the case;
• Planning of livelihood activities is underway with support of the UNESCO/Netherlands and UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust, including consultation meetings planned for May 2024;
• An International Assistance request was submitted by the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD) to accelerate the implementation of the DSOCR. The current timeframe for achieving the DSOCR by 2025 is feasible.

The State Party’s continued efforts towards the implementation of the corrective measures to achieve the DSOCR within the current timeframe, in close cooperation with local communities and provincial, national and international partners are appreciated. In order to ensure long-term, sustainable allocation of budget for the property, the Committee should reiterate once again its request to adopt, as a matter of urgency, a new Cabinet Paper with the commitments and associated budget of the respective ministries.

The support by international NGOs “Live & Learn Environmental Education” and “BirdLife International” to explore carbon financing as a viable alternative to logging and other land use and to control rodents and IAS is welcomed, as they are addressing three out of five corrective measures for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger, i.e., forest cover, extractive activities (logging and mining) and IAS. It is reiterated that, if the assessment confirms that it will not be possible to completely eradicate invasive rats, the State Party might wish to propose an update of the DSOCR, in which the eradication of rats is currently listed as a method of verification, and the State Party should develop and implement an adequately resourced strategy to focus on minimizing the impact of already introduced invasive species and fully operationalize effective biosecurity measures.

The significant progress made by the State Party in obtaining consensus from the customary landowners to apply the Protected Areas Act 2010, which resulted in the submission of the EOIs from three-quarters of the “tribal groups”, to be followed by the development of a new Management Plan is welcomed. It should be encouraged that the consultations continue to obtain full consent from all the customary landowners to ensure legal protection for the entire property, in particular, against existing and potential threats of mining and commercial logging in the area adjacent to the property.

It is regrettable that no information was provided by the State Party concerning the previously reported bauxite mining exploration proposal, recalling that local communities have opposed the proposal. It is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request to the State Party to clarify the status of the mining proposal, recalling the Committee’s position that mining, including exploration, is considered incompatible with the World Heritage status (Decision 37 COM 7).

It is of utmost concern that an investigation undertaken by MECDM following the mass mortality of flying foxes in 2021, appears to confirm the flying fox to have become locally extinct in the property. Given that the property is inscribed under criterion (ix) for attributes including flying fox species, one of which is endemic to Rennell Island, further details of the results of the investigation are needed. It is requested that the State Party undertake further study and clarify whether flying fox have become locally extinct from the property, and further investigate the cause of mortality. Noting the reported possible sightings of a flying fox species in West Rennell that may have disappeared from the property, the State Party is encouraged to survey to determine if measures to promote restoration of the population across the Island could be identified and implemented.

It is also of utmost concern that communities still suffer from the damages caused by the grounding of the barge (SAPOR 2302) in 2021, and that no compensation has been made following the assessment which estimated USD 1.6 million damage to the coral reefs. It is recommended that the Committee reiterates its request to the responsible company and licensee of SAPOR 2302 to adhere to the conclusions and recommendations of the assessment, with regards to compensation of the ecological, cultural and socio-economic impacts of the grounding and urges the State Party to support the communities in their claims for compensation.

The State Party’s continued efforts to develop livelihood activities for local communities with support of the UNESCO/Netherlands and UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust as well as to accelerate the implementation of the DSOCR through applying to the International Assistance are welcomed. The international community should be encouraged to continue providing necessary support to the State Party, both financially and technically, to meet the current timeframe to achieve the DSOCR by 2025, as well as climate change funding to conduct an integrated vulnerability assessment of the property.