Decision 44 COM 7B.170

Maloti-Drakensberg Park (Lesotho, South Africa) (C/N 985bis)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decisions 39 COM 7B.33, 41 COM 7B.38 and 43 COM 7B.38, adopted at its 39th (Bonn, 2015), 41st (Krakow, 2017) and 43rd (Baku, 2019) sessions respectively,
3. Appreciates the confirmation by the States Parties that conservation interventions for the rock art sites will be limited to addressing immediate and urgent vulnerabilities only, and the commitment by the State Party of South Africa to undertake Environmental and Heritage Impact Assessments in line with IUCN and ICOMOS guidelines for the proposed cableway in the immediate vicinity of the property and for a proposed shale gas, gas and oil exploration within the newly proposed buffer zone in South Africa, and to submit the impact assessments to the World Heritage Centre, for review by the Advisory Bodies before making any decisions that may be difficult to reverse in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
4. Takes note that the appeal lodged by the management authority over the petrol filling station within the property’s buffer zone in South Africa was rejected, but also recalling the concerns that were raised in relation to the potential negative impacts on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), requests the State Party of South Africa to provide further details on how the potential impacts of the petrol filling station were mitigated during construction and the measures that have been put in place during the operational phase to ensure the continued protection of the OUV;
5. Reiterates its request to the States Parties to complete the revision of the Joint Management Plan of the property, using it as an umbrella to harmonize the management system, to submit the Plan to the World Heritage Centre for review, and to report on its implementation;
6. Also reiterates its request to the State Party of Lesotho to expedite the finalization of the Biodiversity Resources Management Bill and to submit a copy to the World Heritage Centre;
7. Notes the submission of a request for a Minor Boundary Modification to formalize the buffer zone to the south of the Sehlabathebe National Park in South Africa, and also requests the States Parties to formalize this submission with a joint letter by both States Parties, so that it can be transferred for evaluation by the Advisory Bodies;
8. Further requests the States Parties to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, 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 46th session.