Financial assistance to the urgent works required for the restoration of monuments in the Historic Centre of Quito

27. The Bureau,

- reviewed document SC-87/CONF.004/7 on technical cooperation requests submitted by States Parties and

- made the following recommendations:

- People's Republic of China

a) The Bureau noted that the Jixian/Tianjian Area, for which US$30,000 has been requested for supporting geological research, has not been recommended for inscription on the World Heritage List.

b) In relation to the requests for training of specialists in management of natural heritage (US$80,000) and the research studies on the Imperial Palace (US$35,000) and Caves of Mogao (US$52,000), the Bureau noted that the Secretariat will be examining details with the Chinese authorities and report back to the Committee.

- Yugoslavia

The Bureau recommended that the Committee approve the allocation of US$50,000 for the purchase of field and laboratory equipment which would help in ecosystem conservation work at Durmitor National Park.

- Ecuador

The Bureau recommended that the Committee approve an allocation of US$70,000 for restoration of monuments in the Historic Centre of Quito, Ecuador, which were damaged by the recent earthquake.

The Bureau approved the release of US$30,000 immediately, under emergency assistance.

- Honduras

In considering the request for US$114,576 for improving the protection of the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve, the Bureau decided to approve an initial amount of US$30,000.

As for the remaining amount (US$84,576), the Bureau asked the Secretariat to contact the Honduran authorities to assess priorities for international assistance projects for this natural property which had already received considerable support from the World Heritage Fund.

- Madagascar

The Bureau approved US$25,000 for the organization of a workshop on the conservation of tropical forests. In this connection, the Bureau expressed the wish that the meeting would result in the drawing up of nominations to the World Heritage List.