iSimangaliso Wetland Park

• Land conversion
• Management systems/ management plan
• Mining
• Lack of institution coordination

Additional Details:
Conflicting land use 

Total amount granted: EUR 4,573 between 2001 and 2002 through the France-UNESCO Convention agreement; USD 200,000 between 2001 and 2007 through the UNF/UNFIP project "Enhancing our Heritage"

On 1 February 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/914/documents/, reporting the following:

● Aerial monitoring conducted since December 2020 indicates that further expansion of the clearing and burning of the Sodwana Bay swamp forest for subsistence agriculture has ceased. Activities to support communities have been strengthened, and the threat of clearing and burning will be further addressed through the development of a rehabilitation plan for the areas that have been abandoned and the implementation of the Integrated Management Plan (IMP) 2022-2031, once it is approved;

● Despite a moratorium on issuing licenses, unauthorised commercial forestry plantations outside the property continue to stress the Lake Sibaya system affected by significant drop in average water levels. The Park authority has initiated work to establish a buffer zone to the property to guide land use and enforce protection, complementing efforts to determine an ecological reserve for the water resources in northern KwaZulu-Natal, monitor water levels and define mitigation strategies;

● Any proposals for development projects, including from extractive industries with potential negative impact on the property, will be considered in compliance with the Convention provisions and domestic environmental management legislation;

● A historical account on the conditions and management of Lake St. Lucia Estuary, including a justification for the breaching of the estuary mouth into the ocean done on 6 January 2021 under exceptional circumstances as permitted by the estuarine Management Plan is provided. The State Party reports that the independent Panel of experts has been appointed, tasked to review the impact of the mouth opening and develop guidelines for the immediate and on-going management of the system. The Panel was expected to conclude its work by the end of March 2022;

● The management authority is proposing to develop twenty tourism related projects in different locations within the property, respectful of its existing zoning, to encourage further tourism investment, improve service offerings and support economic opportunities for communities. The projects are subject to environmental screening, relevant national Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) legislation and the IUCN World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment.

On 8 March 2022, the World Heritage Centre participated in an online meeting organized by experts from the States Parties of Mozambique and South Africa to discuss the possible nomination of Maputo National Park (Mozambique) as a transboundary extension to the property.

On 17 May 2022, the World Heritage Centre transmitted to the State Party, third-party concerns reporting allegations of human rights violations against the Nibela Community in the property. The State Party replied on 17 March 2023, confirming that there had been an incident of land invasion in the Futululu section of the property in April 2022 and that an interdiction was obtained from the High Court of South Africa in June 2022, preventing people from continuing the illegal occupation. Since the interdiction, no illegal invasion has occurred. On the alleged human rights violation, the State Party reported that the death of two members of the Nibela community is still under investigation by the police and refutes the allegations that the incidences are a result of human rights violations. It is further noted that the IMP is subject to a public participation process including consultation with different stakeholders, including surrounding communities, and that all comments by members of the public were dully considered.

On 13 September 2022, the State Party submitted the report of the independent panel of experts “Review of the Scientific Basis for Breaching the Mouth of Lake St Lucia Estuary”.

The State Party’s continued efforts to sustainably manage land use in and outside the property are noted. It is noted that through dialogue and community support, the clearing and burning of swamp forest for subsistence agriculture has reportedly been halted, and the State Party should be requested to continue the dialogue with communities to resolve the issue and to report on the progress of implementing the rehabilitation plan. The response from the State Party on the reports on alleged human rights violation against the Nibela Community as well as the information provided on the public consultations on the IMP are noted. The State Party should also be requested to report on the provisions in the new IMP for stakeholders including communities to be involved in the management of the property.

The on-going dialogue between the States Parties of South Africa and Mozambique to consider the nomination of the Maputo National Park in Mozambique as a transboundary extension of the property is welcomed and it is recommended the Committee encourage the States Parties on this initiative, consistent with recommendations at the time of the property’s inscription.

The continued water stress in the Lake Sibaya ecosystem remains of concern. The plans to establish a buffer zone to the property, which is expected to guide land use and enforce protection, including of the Lake Sibaya system, is welcomed. It is recommended that consultations consider the overall land use planning affecting the property’s integrity and are aligned with the potential further extension of the property. A moratorium on issuing licences for commercial forestry should be maintained and the State Party should address unauthorised commercial forestry plantations identified as a key stressor in water use within the watershed. It is also recommended that the Committee request the State Party to report on the hydrological and ecological conditions of Lake Sibaya system as a clear indicator on the effectiveness of the management effort.

The report of the independent Panel of experts, tasked to review the impact of the January 2021 artificial breaching of the mouth of the St. Lucia Estuary and develop guidelines for management, is noted. The report states that the breach entailed a 5-month opening of the mouth of the estuary but that the system has been closed again since June 2021. It concludes that given the short period the mouth was open, overall, the breach had no significant ecological change or impact. It further recommends that maintenance breaching should only be considered in exceptional circumstances which need to be clearly defined. Breaching should not take place without adequate ecological monitoring before and after the event, and the breach level should be informed by quantitative, recorded measurements to ensure the most efficient breach in terms of the intended objectives as well as potential socio-economic reasons.

The panel noted that the St Lucia system can no longer be managed as an isolated system and that influence of activities and inputs from the catchment and floodplain areas should be carefully considered in future management plans. It highlights a need to consider management and hydrology of the upper and lower catchments and identifies a wide range of issues which require further investigation.

Noting that the future management of the estuary is a crucial aspect in view of protecting the property’s OUV, it is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to not move forward with further interventions, such as breaching or dredging, before additional monitoring data collection as recommended by the panel in order to revisit recommendation of the GEF-funded study which informed the current management policy of non-intervention, taking into account the changes which were observed since the policy was put in place.

The State Party’s stated commitment to conduct EIAs for the 20 tourism related projects proposed within the property in accordance with IUCN’s World Heritage Advice Note on Environmental Assessment (now replaced by the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage context), is noted. The development sites are stated to be in existing and newly proposed locations within the park zones compatible with the IMP. Before proceeding with the project proposals, the State Party should assess the cumulative impacts of these tourism developments on the property’s OUV including its integrity, and provide evidence that justifies the compatibility of the developments with the overall sustainable tourism strategy for the property.

No update was provided but recalling that the management authority previously reported their objection against proposed prospective mining and offshore exploratory drilling activities outside of the property, the State Party should be requested to confirm that these proposals were dropped. While outside the property, offshore oil developments could affect the sensitive marine component of the property and therefore affect the OUV of the property.