II.1 The Committee adopted the agenda (WHC-99/CONF./209/1), the Annotated Agenda (WHC- 99/CONF.209/2) and the Provisional Calendar with modifications. Following unanimous agreement, the Committee decided to discuss the Agenda Item 7 on 'Follow-up to the work of the Consultative Body to the World Heritage Committee', to enable a working group to be established under this agenda item and for it to complete its task as early as possible during the session. In response to the interventions by the Delegates of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Hungary, Thailand and Zimbabwe, the Chairperson proposed ...
IV.1 The Rapporteur of the twenty-third session of the Bureau (5 - 10 July 1999), and the third extraordinary session of the World Heritage Committee, 12 July 1999, presented the two reports WHC-99/CONF.209/4 and WHC-99/CONF.209/5 respectively. Concerning the report of the twenty-third session of the Bureau, Mr Janos Jelen (Hungary) said the report reflects the debate of the Bureau and the document can be instrumental for States Parties and the members of the Committee when they prepare themselves for future meetings. Regarding the report of the third extraordinary session of the ...
23 COM VI.14
Progress Report on the Implementation of the Regional Actions Described in the Global Strategy Action Plan Adopted by the Committee at its twenty-second Session
VI.14 The Committee,
having recognized that regional action plans had already contributed in a tangible manner towards the implementation of the Global Strategy,
adopted under Chapter II for the Budget for 2000 an amount of US$ 278,000, of which US$ 20,000 for Central and Eastern Europe, and under Thematic Studies US$ 40,000 for ICOMOS and US$ 15,000 for IUCN.
It also took note of Information Documents WHC-99/CONF.209/INF.8, WHC-99/CONF.209/INF.11, WHC-99/CONF.209/INF.14 and ...
VII.1 The Chairperson introduced item 7 and recalled the origin of the creation of this consultative body (twentieth session of the Committee, December 1996, Merida, Mexico). He informed the delegates of the relevant documents and requested the Director of the Centre to present the item.
VII.2 The Director of the Centre took the floor and described the content of the Working Document and summarized the decisions to be taken that he proposed for submission to the Committee. The decision concerning the technical questions, amended by Benin, were adopted as follows:
The Committee requested ...
VIII.1 Following the review of the state of conservation reports and at the recommendation of the Bureau, the Committee decided to inscribe the following natural and cultural properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger:
Salonga National Park (Democratic Republic of the Congo)
Rwenzori Mountains National Park (Uganda)
Iguaçu National Park (Brazil)
Hampi (India)
VIII.2 The Committee did not recommend the deletion of properties from the List of World Heritage in ...
VIII.3 The Committee approved the change of the name of the following property included on the World Heritage List:
"Sokkuram Grotto" to "Sokkuram Grotto and Pulguksa Temple" (Republic of Korea)
Concerning the request from Germany, that "Roman Monuments, Cathedral and Liebfrauen-Church in Trier" is changed to "Roman Monuments, Cathedral Saint Peter and St. Mary's Church in Trier", the Chairperson suggested consultations between the Centre and the State Party to define the correct English version.
VIII.6 The Committee noted that Germany, following the twenty-third session of the Bureau, had withdrawn the nomination of The Cathedral of St-Maurice and St-Catherine, Magdebourg (Germany).
Property: Península Valdés
Id. N°: 937
State Party: Argentina
Criteria: N (iv)
The Committee decided to inscribe Peninsula Valdés on the World Heritage List under criterion (iv).
Peninsula Valdés contains very important and significant natural habitats for the in-situ conservation of several threatened species of outstanding universal value, and specifically its globally important concentration of breeding southern right whales, which is an endangered species. It is also important because of the breeding populations of southern elephant seals and southern sea lions. The ...
Sites: Península Valdés
Property: Discovery Coast Atlantic Forest Reserves
Id. N°: 892Rev
State Party: Brazil
Criteria: N (ii) (iv)
IUCN informed the Committee that the evaluation of this property has been undertaken based on the revised nomination submitted by the State Party in April 1999.
The Brazilian Discovery Coast includes eight separate protected areas containing the best and largest remaining examples of Atlantic forest in the Northeast region of Brazil and contains high numbers of rare and endemic species. The site displays the biological richness and evolutionary history of the few remaining ...
Property: Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves
Id. N°: 893-894Rev
State Party: Brazil
Criteria: N(ii) (iii) (iv)
IUCN informed the Committee that the evaluation of this property has been undertaken based on the revised nomination submitted by the State Party in April 1999.
The Atlantic Forest Southeast Reserves contain the best and largest remaining examples of Atlantic forest in the Southeast region of Brazil. The 25 protected areas that make up the site display the biological richness and evolutionary history of the few remaining areas of Atlantic forest of Southeast Brazil. The ...
Property: Miguasha Park
Id. N°: 686Rev
State Party: Canada
Criteria: N(i)
In its representation of vertebrate life, Miguasha Park is the most outstanding fossil site in the world for illustrating the Devonian as the "Age of Fishes". The area is of paramount importance in having the greatest number and best preserved fossil specimens found anywhere in the world of the lobe-finned fishes that gave rise to the first four-legged, air-breathing terrestrial vertebrates - the tetrapodes.
The Committee decided to inscribe the site under natural criterion (i). The Committee commended the ...
Sites: Miguasha National Park
Property: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste
Id. N°: 928
State Party: Costa Rica
Criteria: N (ii) (iv)
The Committee decided to inscribe the Guanacaste Conservation Area on the World Heritage List under criteria (ii) and (iv).
The site demonstrates significant, major biological and ecological processes in both its terrestrial and marine-coastal environments, as exemplified by: a) evolution, succession and restoration of Pacific Tropical Dry Forest; b) altitudinal migration and other interactive biogeographic and ecological processes along its dry forest - montane humid forest - cloud ...
Property: Desembarco del Granma National Park
Id. N°: 889
State Party: Cuba
Criteria: N (i) (iii)
The uplifted marine terraces of the Desembarco del Granma National Park and associated ongoing development of karst topography and features, represent a globally significant example of geomorphologic and physiographic features and ongoing geological processes. The area includes spectacular stair-step terraces and cliffs and the ecosystems that have evolved on them, as well as some of the most pristine and impressive coastal cliffs bordering the Western Atlantic between the Canadian ...
Property: Lorentz National Park
Id. N°: 955
State Party: Indonesia
Criteria: N (i) (ii) (iv)
The Committee recalled that the Bureau at its twenty-third session requested the Centre to inform the Indonesian authorities of a number of aspects suggested by IUCN dealing with the management of the site, and in particular: (a) the priority need to continue the process of management planning for the Park with full involvement of the local stakeholders; (b) encouragement for the proposed establishment of a Foundation which would assist in the management of the Park; (c) possible twinning ...
Sites: Lorentz National Park
Property: Puerto-Princesa Subterranean River National Park
Id. N°: 652Rev
State Party: Philippines
Criteria: N (iii) (iv)
The Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park features a spectacular limestone karst landscape with its underground river. A distinguishing feature of the river is that it flows directly into the sea, and the lower portion of the river is subject to tidal influences. The area also represents a significant habitat for biodiversity conservation. The site contains a full mountain to the sea ecosystem and protects forests, which are among the most significant in ...
Property: The Laurisilva of Madeira
Id. N°: 934
State Party: Portugal
Criteria: N (ii) (iv)
The Committee decided to inscribe the Laurel Forest of Madeira on the World Heritage List under natural criteria (ii) and (iv).
The site contains the largest surviving relict of the virtually extinct laurisilva forest type that was once widespread in Europe. This forest type is considered to be a centre of plant diversity containing numerous rare, relict and endemic species, especially of bryophytes, ferns and flowering plants. It also has a very rich invertebrate fauna. Endemic species ...
Sites: Laurisilva of Madeira
Property: Western Caucasus
Id. N°: 900
State Party: Russian Federation
Criteria: N (ii) (iv)
The Western Caucasus has a remarkable diversity of geology, ecosystems and species. It is of global significance as a centre of plant diversity. Along with the Virgin Komi World Heritage site, it is the only large mountain area in Europe that has not experienced significant human impact, containing extensive tracts of undisturbed mountain forests unique on the European scale.
The twenty-third session of the Bureau could not study this nomination because the requested field mission was delayed ...
Sites: Western Caucasus
Property: Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park
Id. N°: 914
State Party: South Africa
Criteria: N (ii) (iii) (iv)
The Committee decided to inscribe the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park on the World Heritage List under natural criteria (ii), (iii) and (iv).
The St. Lucia site consists of thirteen contiguous protected areas with a total size of 234,566 hectares. The site is the largest estuarine system in Africa and includes the southernmost extension of coral reefs on the continent. The site contains a combination of on-going fluvial, marine and aeolian processes that have resulted in a ...
Sites: iSimangaliso Wetland Park
Property: Belovezhskaya Pushcha/Bialowieza Forest - Extension
Id. N°: 33-627 Bis
State Party: Belarus / Poland
The Committee recalled that IUCN informed the twenty-third extraordinary session of the Bureau that the proposed extension would provide an important contribution to the biodiversity of the Polish part of the existing World Heritage site, in particular through the oligothrophic pinewoods. However, they are not significant for the existing World Heritage site as a whole.
The Committee decided not to include the extension into the existing World Heritage site.
The Committee ...
Sites: Białowieża Forest
VIII.4 The Committee noted that the twenty-third extraordinary session of the Bureau had noted that the Government of Australia provided the Centre with complementary information concerning the mixed cultural and natural nomination of the Greater Blue Mountains Area (Australia) on 7 October 1999. The State Party has commenced preparation of additional detailed complementary material addressing issues raised by the Bureau at its twenty-third ordinary session in July 1999. The Bureau had recommended deferral for the natural part of the nomination and did not recommend inscription according ...
Sites: Greater Blue Mountains Area