Los Katíos National Park

a) Armed conflict;

b) Illegal extraction of natural resources;

c) Lack of control of management agency. 

Based on information gathered during exchanges with the State Party over the past year and on several site visits carried out by experts from the Colombian Parks Agency during the last two years, The World Heritage Centre and IUCN note that although armed conflict is still an issue of concern at this property, the overall state of conservation of the property remains satisfactory in relation to forest coverage and its conservation as well as integrity of the boundaries.

IUCN has received reports on the review and assessment process under implementation by the State Party. This process focuses on assessing the conservation and social challenges to which the property is subjected, and on developing clear directions for management actions. IUCN has also been providing information to the State Party with an emphasis on using the World Heritage Convention as a means of engaging local and national stakeholders in a broad effort to strengthen conservation and management of this property.

In this context it is important to note that the State Party has initiated an assessment of key environmental, social and governance factors related to the management of Los Katios. Whilst the existing situation in the property is still complicated by armed conflicts, a number of actions have been identified with the objective of:

a) Increasing management capacity at the local level;

b) Promoting sustainable management practices, such as sustainable fisheries, and to reduce illegal logging;

c) Assessing capacity building needs for the park managers and local communities, developing innovative participatory management and governance arrangements and assessing overall management effectiveness.