Decision 40 COM 7B.14

Le Morne Cultural Landscape (Mauritius) (C 1259bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/16/40.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 39COM 7B.42, adopted at its 39th session (Bonn, 2015),
3. Welcomes the positive benefits that the property’s inscription is seen to deliver in terms of the historical and cultural identity of the Creole community and its associations;
4. Notes that the revised revised Management Plan (2014-2019), including a Critical Viewpoint Analysis and Planning Policy Guidelines is now in place and complemented by a Land Management Plan (2014 – 2019), a Lagoon Management Plan (2013) and a Local Economic Development Plan for Le Morne village; and also welcomes its effective implementation by the Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund;
5. Encourages the State Party to explore ways to augment the Management Plan to allow for appropriate development by residents of Le Morne village, in terms of settlement space and basic infrastructure needs;
6. Further welcomes the recent collaboration with the University of Mauritius on Maroon archaeology and acknowledges the desirability of the Makak site having public access for visitors;
7. Also notes that there is still a lack of resolution over the legal challenges associated with the proposed development in the property by Le Morne Brabant IRS Co Ltd (LMB), a situation that has persisted since the time of inscription, and that the developer has withheld access to their leased property, and thus to the main route to the Le Morne mountain and the Makak archaeological site, with implications for conservation, property management, and the development of heritage activities;
8. Also encourages the State Party to ensure that the Le Morne Heritage Trust Fund continues to manage and conserve the property to the fullest extent possible under these circumstances;
9. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2017, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the implementation of the above, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 42nd session in 2018.