Djoudj National Bird Sanctuary

Draft Decision: 46 COM 7B.58

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined document WHC/24/46.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 44 COM 7B.83 and 45 COM 7B.8, adopted at its 44th (Fuzhou/online, 2021) and 45th (Riyadh, 2023) extended sessions respectively,
3. Takes note of the sustained efforts of the State Party to contain and dissipate the threat posed by the advance of agriculture into the area around the property through appropriate measures taken to definitively resolve encroachments, demarcating the property boundaries and having environmental and social impact assessments (ESIA) carried out by certain agro-industries installed around the property; and requests that the State Party continue its efforts to ensure the integrity of the property in accordance with the recommendations of the 2022 Reactive Monitoring mission;
4. Notes positively the progress made in combating the proliferation of invasive species through the manual removal of Tamarix senegalensis and the cleaning of the drainage water recovery channel in the flamingo sector, expresses its concern about the ongoing colonization of Ludwigia erecta within the property, as well as the invasion of some water bodies by water lettuce and Salvinia molesta, as noted by the World Heritage Centre project monitoring mission of March 2024, and reiterates its request to the State Party to develop and implement a specific urgent invasive plant management plan for the property;
5. Noting that discussions are underway with the European Union, in the context of a project proposal submission to LIFE IP GrassBirdHabitats, for the installation of infrastructure to pump and evacuate water from the channel into the Gorom backwater, as mentioned in the World Heritage Centre project monitoring mission of March 2024, also requests that the State Party and its partners engage in urgent discussions with the World Heritage Centre and IUCN on this crucial issue and share all available and useful documentation for better current analysis of the situation on the ground;
6. Notes with appreciation the commitment of the State Party to monitor trends in the character-defining elements of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) through regular ecological monitoring, including the annual international count and monthly monitoring of waterbirds within the property, and encourages the State Party to continue its ecological monitoring efforts while standardizing the data collection method;
7. Also notes that the State Party has developed and is implementing a 2022–2026 Development and Management Plan (DPM), as requested by the Committee, with the financial support of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and that this document will be reviewed by IUCN to ensure that it addresses all of the critical issues identified by the 2022 Reactive Monitoring mission, such as water management, disaster risk management and invasive plants;
8. Expresses its deep concern about the potential negative impacts of the proposed construction of the “Rice Loop” road, which would cross the property for approximately 10 km and, according to the ESIA, have a negative impact on the property OUV, recalls that any planned project within the property, its buffer zone or its wider setting that could have an impact on the OUV should be assessed for its potential impacts in accordance with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage context, before decisions are taken that are difficult to reverse, and further requests that the State Party review the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and the Biodiversity Action Plan of this project and that this be submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN, prior to any approval of the project, and inform the World Heritage Centre of the progress of this project by 1 October 2024;
9. Regrets that the State Party has not provided any information in relation to several of the Committee’s requests and further reiterates its request that the State Party continue to implement the recommendations of the 2022 mission, as highlighted in the mission report and recalled in Decision 45 COM 7B.8; in particular:
   1. Urgently take all necessary steps to complete construction of the drainage water removal channel by the end of 2024,
   2. Work with UNESCO and IUCN as soon as possible to draw up a PNOD clean-up plan, an action plan to resolve problems linked to increasing salinization of the soil and progressive sedimentation and make the water quality monitoring system operational, including monitoring heavy metals,
   3. Maintain vigilance with regard to land use around PNOD and carefully monitor the impact of bankruptcy of the largest agro-industrial unit located on the outskirts of PNOD in order to avoid uncontrolled resettlement in areas that could be left vacant by the closure of the Compagnie Agricole de Saint-Louis (CASL),
   4. Ensure that no new rice paddies can be allocated within the buffer zone of the property and that a noise abatement plan can be drawn up and implemented as soon as possible to limit the impact of bird-scaring cannons on birds,
   5. Undertake an analysis of the impact of avian influenza on the outstanding universal value of the property as soon as possible and implement the recommendations resulting from the study,
   6. Retain in post for a reasonable period (at least three years) any Conservator appointed to be responsible for the property and appoint a director with the necessary qualifications to run the Biological Research Station, with this station reporting hierarchically to the PNOD Conservator, who is solely responsible for the state of conservation of the property,
   7. Strengthen the management team with around ten additional trained and equipped staff and consider innovative mechanisms for sustainable financing of the property,
   8. Reactivate the Management Committee to make the property’s buffer zone operational by issuing a regulatory text setting out its role, composition and operating procedures, as well as the budget required for its operation; this action should include revitalizing the inter-village committees (CIV) and their ancillary bodies (eco-guards and eco-guides);
10. Notes positively that no case of avian influenza has been recorded on the property and furthermore requests that the State Party maintain a high level of surveillance for avian influenza until the outbreak has been declared eradicated in a coordinated manner throughout the Senegal River Delta, including the Diawling Park in Mauritania, given the importance of migratory waterbirds for the property OUV;
11. Expresses its concern about the persistence of the various threats to the ecological integrity of the property and its OUV, in particular water pollution, the proliferation of invasive species induced by agro-industrial projects located in the buffer zone and the vulnerability of the communities bordering the property, as described by the 2022 mission, and also recalls that if these threats are not addressed urgently and rapidly, the property could soon meet the conditions for inclusion on the List of World Heritage in Danger, in accordance with Paragraph 180 of the Operational Guidelines;
12. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2025, a progress report and, by 1 December 2025, an updated report to the World Heritage Centre on the state of conservation of the property and implementation of the above points, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 47th session.