Decision 39 COM 7B.22

Lake Baikal (Russian Federation) (N 754)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-15/39.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 38 COM 7B.76, adopted at its 38th session (Doha, 2014),
3. Regrets that the State Party of the Russian Federation did not submit the state of conservation report, as requested by its Decision 38 COM 7B.76;
4. Reiterates its requests, expressed in Decision 38 COM 7B.76, to the State Party of the Russian Federation:
   1. To develop a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the future use of the Baikal Paper and Pulp Mill site and its impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property,
   2. To ensure that mining at the Kholodninskoye deposit remains prohibited beyond 31 December 2014,
   3. To undertake a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the Special Economic Zones (SEZs), in particular concerning tourism development within the property and its vicinity, in order to identify alternatives that will not have a negative impact on the OUV of the property,
   4. To expedite the development of management plans for the protected areas which constitute the property as well as an integrated management plan for the property as a whole, in line with Paragraph 112 of the Operational Guidelines;
5. Thanks the State Party of Mongolia for having invited and hosted an IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission further to the Committee request made at its 38th session;
6. Requests the States Parties of the Russian Federation and of Mongolia to implement the mission recommendations, in particular:
   1. For the Russian Federation, to provide, within the report on the state of conservation of the property specific information on the existing provisions and regulations for water use and management in Lake Baikal and their subsequent effects on the hydropower plant management downstream the property, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its next session,
   2. For Mongolia:
      1. to ensure that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) developed for the Egiin Gol Project includes assessment of potential impacts not only on the hydrology, but also on the ecological processes and biodiversity of the property, and specifically on its OUV, and to provide the full EIA report to the World Heritage Centre,
      2. to ensure that the Terms of Reference developed for the preparation of EIAs for the Shuren Hydropower Plant and the Orkhon River projects include a specific assessment of any potential impacts of the projects on the OUV and integrity of the property,
      3. to provide to the World Heritage Centre the EIAs for the Shuren Hydropower Plant and Orkhon river reservoir complex,
      4. to develop an assessment of cumulative impacts of any planned dams and reservoirs in the Selenge river basin that may have an impact on the OUV and integrity of the property and to provide this assessment to the World Heritage Centre,
      5. not to approve any of the projects until the above mentioned EIAs and assessment of cumulative impacts have been reviewed by the World Heritage Centre and IUCN;
7. Invites the States Parties of the Russian Federation and Mongolia to continue their cooperation under the Intergovernmental Agreement and also requests them to jointly develop a SEA for any future hydropower and water management projects which could potentially affect the property, taking into account any existing and planned projects on the territory of both countries;
8. Further requests the State Party of the Russian Federation to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2016, an updated report, including a 1-page executive summary, on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 40th session in 2016.