Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area
Factors affecting the property in 1998*
- Flooding
- Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation
- Management systems/ management plan
International Assistance: requests for the property until 1998
Total amount approved : 60,000 USD
| 1998 | Rehabilitation of Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic ... (Approved) | 60,000 USD |
Missions to the property until 1998**
September 1998: World Heritage Centre/IUCN mission
Conservation issues presented to the World Heritage Committee in 1998
The Bureau was informed of the findings of a Centre/IUCN mission to this site in September 1998. The mission found this site to be overrun with tourist facilities, having a considerable impact on the aesthetic qualities of the site. The Chinese authorities have not taken any steps to implement the recommendation of the Committee, made at the time of the site’s inscription in 1992, to prepare a species status conservation report in order to determine whether the site would qualify for inscription under natural heritage criterion (iv). At present the site is inscribed under natural heritage criterion (iii) only. The mission found that several buildings and roads have been damaged as this site has been severely impacted by the recent floods in China. The site management has been encouraged to consider submitting a plan for rehabilitation of damaged areas within the site and a financial assistance request to the World Heritage Fund for emergency assistance. The site requires enhanced support from the Central and Provincial Governments of China owing to its location in a relatively remote region with a poorly developed economy.
The Bureau invited the Provincial and Central Government authorities to augment the resources for the management of the site. Co-operation with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other such institutions may be needed in order to assess the World Heritage values of the site’s biodiversity. The Bureau drew the attention of the State Party to manage tourism development in and around the site on a sustainable basis. Furthermore, the Bureau urged the State Party to assess the extent of damage caused to the site by the recent floods and prepare a rehabilitation plan for implementation with financial support from Provincial and Central Governments, the World Heritage Fund and other sources. The Bureau recommended that the report of the Centre/IUCN mission to China be transmitted to the relevant Chinese authorities.
Summary of the interventions
Decisions adopted by the Committee in 1998
22 COM VII.27
Reports on the State of Conservation of Natural Properties Noted by the Committee
VII.27 The Committee noted the decisions of the twenty-second extraordinary session of the Bureau as reflected in the Report of the Bureau session (Working Document WHC-98/CONF.203/5) and included in Annex IV on the following properties:
- Heard and McDonald Islands (Australia)
- Shark Bay, Western Australia (Australia)
- Wet Tropics of Queensland (Australia)
- Belovezhskaya Pushcha/Bialowieza Forest (Belarus/Poland)
- Iguacu National Park (Brazil)
- Dja Faunal Reserve (Cameroon)
- Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks (Canada)
- Jiuzhaigou Valley Scenic and Historic Interest Area (China)
- Huanglong Scenic and Historic Interest Area (China)
- Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area (China)
- Los Katios National Park (Colombia)
- Morne Trois Pitons National Park (Dominica)
- Nanda Devi National Park (India)
- Whale Sanctuary of El Viscaino (Mexico)
- Royal Chitwan National Park (Nepal)
- Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal)
- Arabian Oryx Sanctuary (Oman)
- Huascaran National Park (Peru)
The Committee noted that the Bureau's decision reflected the suggestion to establish an informal contact group on mining and World Heritage and that the IUCN "Draft Policy on Mining and Protected Areas" will be circulated.
- Kamchatka Volcanoes (Russian Federation)
- Virgin Komi Forests (Russian Federation)
- Skocjan Caves (Slovenia)
- Thung Yai-Huay Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuaries (Thailand)
- St. Kilda (United Kingdom)
- Ha Long Bay (Vietnam)
- Durmitor National Park (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)
The Committee noted the UN official name for the State Party: Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
- Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls (Zambia/Zimbabwe)
22 COM XII
Requests for International Assistance: Natural Heritage
Natural Heritage: Requests examined by the Committee
|
Paragraph No. as presented in WHC-98/CONF.203/14Rev. |
Requesting State Party |
Type of Assistance |
Description |
Amount Approved(US$) |
Comments/ Observations/ Conditions |
|
A.2.1.1 |
Cameroon |
Training |
Three training fellowships at the School for the Training of Wildlife Specialists, Garoua, Cameroon for the Academic Biennium 1999-2001 |
45,000 |
|
|
A.2.1.2 |
Oman |
Training |
Regional capacity building training workshop for the promotion of awareness in natural heritage conservation |
40,000 |
The Committee requested the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre and IUCN, a revised proposal with well-focused and clearly defined objectives, better definition of target groups, exact dates for the workshop and links to IUCN/WCPA's activities for the Arab region. The workshop programme should include a field exercise component where workshop participants would review the status of the management planning and boundary demarcation project for the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary, and prepare a report for submission to the 23rd session of the Committee in 1999. The Committee welcomed the opportunity to link the outcome of this training activity to its concerns regarding the state of conservation of the Arabian Oryx Sanctuary of Oman and called for similar linkages in training activities that may be organized in the future. |
A.2.1.3 |
Russian Federation |
Training |
Lake Baikal training workshop for Russian and Trans-boundary World Natural Heritage Site-Managers and perspective Site-Managers |
48,528 |
The Committee recommended that IUCN and the World Heritage Centre co-operate with the State Party in refining the structure and objectives of the training workshop. Furthermore, the Committee requested that the State Party submit a report on the results of the training activity to the 23rd session of the Committee in 1999. |
|
A.2.1.4 |
World Conservation Monitoring Centre |
Training |
Integrating biodiversity information management into curricula of regional wildlife/protected area management training institutions - project development workshop |
30,000 |
TheCommittee endorsed WCMC's efforts to seek additional funding from the Darwin Initiative for the implementation of Phases 2 and 3 of the training materials and curriculum development project. |
|
Natural heritage |
Subtotal |
Training |
163,528 |
|
Paragraph No. as presented in WHC-98/CONF.203/14Rev. |
Requesting State Party |
Type of Assistance |
Description |
Amount Approved(US$) |
Comments/ Observations/ Conditions |
|
A.2.2.1 |
Ecuador |
Technical Co-operation |
Ecological monitoring in the Galapagos Archipelago - establishing a quarantine system for monitoring the introduction and spread of alien species |
61,000 under Technical Co-operation
31,500 under Training |
The Committee commended Ecuador for its efforts to mitigate the problem of the introduction and spread of alien species. The Committee urged the Centre and the State Party to co-operate with global initiatives, launched as a part of activities undertaken by the Convention on Biological Diversity and by international organizations such as SCOPE (Scientific Committee for the Protection of the Environment), for mitigating the introduction and spread of alien species. |
|
A.2.2.2 |
IUCN-Environ-mental Law Centre |
Technical Co-operation |
Legal interpretation and application of the World Heritage Convention |
|
The Committee invited IUCN-ELC to circulate the proposal widely in order to obtain comments and suggestions from legal and other specialists, particularly with regard to the expected outcome of the project. The Committee requested IUCN-ELC and the Centre to co-operate to identify donors who can provide the US$ 90,000 needed for the services of the two legal consultants (US$ 60,000) and one research associate (US$ 30,000), respectively. If IUCN-ELC and the Centre succeed in obtaining the US$ 90,000 as expert costs essential for starting the project, then they may submit proposals for the organization of the meeting of the panel of experts and regional experts workshop at the appropriate time. The Delegate of Canada pointed out that IUCN should be requested to obtain funds needed to implement this project from sources other than the World Heritage Fund. The Delegate of Italy noted that the project should not deal with expected outcomes (iii) and (iv), since they involved policy prerogatives which are the responsibility of the work of the Committee. |
|
A.2.2.3 |
Niger |
Technical Co-operation |
Strengthening management at "W" National Park |
45,000 |
The Committee noted that the State Party has informed the Centre that it has paid its dues to the Fund. Furthermore, the Committee requested the State Party to acknowledge receipt of equipment received and provide an inventory, to the Centre, of equipment delivered to the "W" National Park and finalize all administrative matters regarding the equipment purchase project funded by the US$ 50,000 approved by the Committee in 1997. |
|
Natural heritage |
Subtotal |
Technical Co-operation |
106,000 under Technical Co-operation 31,500 under Training |
Natural Heritage: Requests examined by the Bureau
|
Paragraph No. as presented in WHC-98/CONF. 203/14Rev. |
Requesting State Party |
Type of Assistance |
Description |
Amount Approved (US$) |
Comments/Observations/ Conditions |
|
A.1.1.1 |
Tanzania |
Training |
Support for three fellowships for African Specialists in Protected Area/Wildlife Management for the Academic Year 1999-2000 at Mweka College of African Wildlife Management, Tanzania |
30,000 |
|
|
Natural heritage |
Subtotal |
Training |
30,000 |
|
A.1.3.1 |
China |
Emergency |
Rehabilitation of Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area and Flood Damage Control |
60,000 |
The Bureau commended the Chinese authorities for investing more than US$2 million in the emergency rehabilitation of Wulingyuan. The Bureau requested the Chinese authorities to take note of the Centre/IUCN mission undertaken in September 1998 on the rehabilitation of Wulingyuan; (i) strengthening embankment and other structures essential for controlling the debris-flow is an urgent priority; (ii) the Chinese authorities may wish to review thoroughly, taking into consideration the hydrological regime of rivers, and the risks associated with frequency and severity of possible future floods and other factors, the locations and designs for the planned reconstruction of the bridges and roads with a view to making necessary changes to improve visitor management and scenic values; and (iii) the State Party may wish to undertake a thorough review of the site's tourism development policy before starting the repair and reconstruction of roads and bridges so that future locations and designs of such structures could be planned in a manner so as to improve visitor management flows. The Bureau approved the contribution of US$60,000 requested as emergency assistance under the conditions that priority use of the funds should be for studies and analyses that may needed to complete (ii) and (iii) above. The Bureau requested the Chinese authorities to propose an itemized budget for the expenditure of US$ 60,000 to the Centre in order to enable the Centre to establish a contract and complete other necessary administrative procedures. |
|
Natural Heritage |
Subtotal |
Emergency |
60,000 |
No draft decision
China
* :
The threats indicated are listed in alphabetical order; their order does not constitute a classification according to the importance of their impact on the property.
Furthermore, they are presented irrespective of the type of threat faced by the property, i.e. with specific and proven imminent danger (“ascertained danger”) or with threats which could have deleterious effects on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (“potential danger”).
** : All mission reports are not always available electronically.
