5. The Committee adopted the draft agenda of the session with the inclusion of two agenda items: invitation to additional observers and the date and place of the fourteenth ordinary session of the Committee.
6. Mr. Azedine Beschaouch (Tunisia) was elected Chairman of the Committee by acclamation. Ms. Christina S. Cameron (Canada) was elected as the Rapporteur, and Bulgaria, Colombia, Greece, Senegal and Thailand were elected Vice-Chairmen.
7. The Secretary for the natural part of the Convention, Mr. Bernd von Droste, reported on the activities undertaken since the twelfth session of the Committee, held during 5-9 December 1988 in Brasilia (Brazil).
8. Mr. von Droste stated that three States Parties had ratified the Convention during 1989 and expressed the wish that further efforts be made to encourage the adherence of new States Parties. The Committee noted the work that the Secretariat had undertaken to coordinate efforts to conserve the world's natural heritage with those of other international funds and conventions, ...
11. While examining agenda item 4, the Committee took note of the conclusions of the 7th General Assembly of States Parties to the Convention on this question. The Committee welcomed the content of the resolution adopted by the General Assembly which reflected its wish to ensure both a better turnover of Committee members and equitable representation of the different regions and cultures of the world.
12. In accordance with the conclusions of the Bureau at its 13th session and taking account of the above-mentioned resolution, the Committee decided to allocate under the 1990 budget a sum ...
13 COM VIII
Monitoring of the State of Conservation of the World Heritage Natural Properties: Directory
15. IUCN presented a copy of a draft directory of natural World Heritage sites inscribed to the end of 1988 prepared by the Protected Areas Data Unit (PADU) of the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC). This directory provided the most up-to-date data available for these sites. In June 1989, States Parties with sites inscribed before 1986 had been asked by IUCN to update the data sheets, but responses had to date been received from only 7 of the 28 countries concerned, covering 19 out of 63 sites. The Committee requested IUCN to follow-up with the States Parties whose responses were ...
Mana Pools, Sapi and Chewore Reserves (Zimbabwe)
The Committee noted with satisfaction the incorporation of environmental safeguards into the agreement signed on 4 December 1989 between the Government of Zimbabwe and Mobil Oil relating to oil exploration in this site. The Committee decided to commend Zimbabwe on the action taken and to urge that it monitor the effects of the exploration closely. The Committee requested the Zimbabwean authorities to inform the Secretariat in the event that oil extraction might proceed later as this could significantly affect the site's ...
Tai National Park (Cote d'Ivoire)
The Committee noted an earlier request that the Ivoirian authorities agree to this site's inscription on the List of World Heritage in Danger had brought no response. However, the Committee noted that only recently had the Secretariat received a response in the form of a request for preparatory assistance. This preparatory assistance could take the form of a workshop to evaluate the situation and revise a draft of an integrated project to safeguard this site, to be financed jointly by the World Heritage Fund (technical cooperation) and extra-budgetary ...
Sites: Taï National Park
Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)
The Committee noted IUCN's concerns about the integrity of this site and asked that IUCN provide further information when the report from the national conservation authority is received.
Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal)
The Committee recalled that there was a project to construct a major highway across the Park which would greatly jeopardize its natural values, and that the Bureau had expressed its preference for an alternative route outside the Park. On 1 August 1989, in accordance with the Bureau's recommendation, the Director-General of Unesco had written to the President of Senegal, His Excellency A. Diouf, informing him of the Bureau's preference for the alternative route. The Secretariat indicated to the Committee that, at a meeting held in Dakar on 14 November ...
Sites: Niokolo-Koba National Park
Ichkeul National Park (Tunisia)
The Committee decided to encourage Tunisia in its efforts to seek financial resources to undertake activities such as the building of the Tindja sluice and two other drainage canals to ensure maintenance of the integrity of the wetlands critical to the values of this site. At the same time, the Committee agreed that the Tunisian authorities should be congratulated on improvements to the site's management consequent on completion of the visitors' centre, institution of controls on cattle grazing and additional ...
Sites: Ichkeul National Park
Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
The Committee noted that the Bureau had requested the Secretariat to contact the Ecuadorian authorities over possible excision of land from the park and to propose a request for technical cooperation to support a revised management plan. The Committee decided to ask the Secretariat to continue its efforts in these directions.
Sites: Sangay National Park
Manu National Park (Peru)
The Committee noted that the possibility still existed for future oil and gas exploration which could prejudice the integrity of this site.
Sites: Manú National Park
Mount Nimba (Côte d'Ivoire/Guinea)
The Committee noted the decision of the World Bank not to provide funds to Guinea for proposed iron-ore mining which would prejudice this site. It noted that this decision was made on economic grounds. The Committee requested the Secretariat to contact the authorities of the Cdte d'Ivoire and Guinea on this matter to encourage them to take the concerns of the Committee into consideration and preserve the integrity of the site.
Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (India)
IUCN reported on the invasion of this site in February 1989 by the Bodo tribespeople. IUCN reported that it had been consulting with the Indian authorities, and it had been informed that measures were being taken to resolve this problem. The Committee decided to ask the Secretariat to follow up the situation with the Indian authorities.
Sites: Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
Yellowstone National Park (USA)
The Committee noted with appreciation the availability to other States Parties of the fire management review and the fire recovery plan obtainable from the Director of the U.S. National Park Service.
Sites: Yellowstone National Park
Wood Buffalo National Park (Canada)
The Committee noted the report of IUCN and the clarification made by the Canadian delegation on the environmental assessment now proceeding into disease in the park's hybrid buffalo herd and the external threat which may result from proposed industrial development upstream from the park. The Committee noted the commitment of the Canadian delegation to maintain the site's integrity and asked that IUCN continue to contact the Canadian authorities and report back to the Bureau at its next ...
Sites: Wood Buffalo National Park
Fiordland National Park (New Zealand)
The Committee noted developments in relation to possible ownership changes to the hydro-electric scheme existing in this site when it was inscribed. The Committee decided to commend New Zealand on its initiative to give statutory authority to the independent "Guardians" group in its efforts to ensure that any changes in ownership of electricity generation in the park will not threaten its integrity as a World Heritage site.
Everglades National Park (USA)
The representative of IUCN informed the Committee of a law suit that had been brought to bear against offenders to the integrity of this site. In addition, the representative of the U.S. informed the Committee of additional efforts to protect this site, notably the allocation by the U.S. Government of US$32 million to purchase over 43,000 ha of wetlands next to the Park which would help mitigate some of the problems related to the quality and quantity of freshwater entering the park. The Committee wished to commend the U.S. authorities for this initiative ...
Sites: Everglades National Park
17. As concerns the Wet Tropics of Queensland (Australia), the representative of IUCN informed the Committee that the Director-General of IUCN, after hearing the Bureau's concern regarding the participation of an IUCN expert as a witness in a national legal proceeding involving the conservation of a World Heritage site, had informed the Australian authorities that it would not be appropriate for IUCN to appear in the proceedings of a court case in a State Party. The observer of Australia then informed the Committee that following the recent elections in Queensland and the change in the ...
Sites: Wet Tropics of Queensland
13 COM IX.18
Monitoring of the State of Conservation of the World Heritage Cultural Properties: General Issues
18. At its 12th session, the Committee had decided that the results of the second phase of the system of monitoring the state of conservation of cultural properties would be presented at its 14th session in 1990. The Committee at its present session, however, took note of the very low number of replies to the questionnaires reported by the Secretariat. It considered that the system underway was both cumbersome and not fully satisfactory, especially in comparison to the system for monitoring natural sites, and that the system did not enable the Committee to assume this important function ...