II.1 The Committee adopted the Provisional Agenda and Timetable (WHC-99/CONF.204/1 Rev.10) without any modifications.
III.1 Proposed by the Delegate of Hungary, and endorsed by Canada, Thailand and Benin, Mr Peter King (Australia) was elected as Chairperson by acclamation. The following members of the Committee were elected as Vice-Chairpersons by acclamation: Canada, Ecuador, Finland, Morocco and Thailand. Mr. Dawson Munjeri (Zimbabwe) was elected as Rapporteur.
III.2 The Committee warmly thanked the out-going Chairperson, Mr Abdelaziz Touri for the excellent leadership he provided the Committee during the past year which had resulted in closer working relations between the Committee and the ...
VI.1 The Committee noted the reports of the following four reform groups and sincerely thanked the States Parties who had participated in their work.
Task Force on the implementation of the ConventionChair: C. Cameron (Canada)Rapporteur: K. Keeffe (Australia)WHC-2000/CONF.2000/INF. 7
Working Group on the Representativity of the World Heritage ListChair: H.E. Ambassador Mr Olabiyi B.J. Yai (Benin)Rapporteur: H.E. Mr M. Peek (Australia)WHC-2000/CONF.2000/INF. 8
Working Group on Equitable Representation in the World Heritage CommitteeChair: H.E. Ambassador J. Musitelli (France)Rapporteur: ...
VII.14 The Committee approved the regional strategies presented in Annexes I, II, III and IV of Working Document WHC-2000/CONF.204/8. The budgetary implications are considered under item 13 of the Agenda (WHC-2000/CONF.204/15, Chapter IV of the budget).
VIII.44 The Committee recalled that in accordance with its request at its twenty-third session, IUCN and the World Heritage Centre planned and organised, in consultation with the International Council on Metals and the Environment (ICME), a technical meeting which analysed case studies on World Heritage and mining. This meeting was held at the IUCN Headquarters (Gland, Switzerland) from 21 to 23 September 2000 and reviewed practical case studies from the following sites: Lorentz National Park, Indonesia; Huascaran National Park, Peru; Doñana National Park, Spain; Camp Caiman ...
24 COM VIII.1
Reports of the State of Conservation of Properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger
VIII.1 The Committee reviewed document WHC-2000/CONF.204/9 describing state of conservation reports of eighteen natural and five cultural properties inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
VIII.2 The Committee was informed that in accordance with the recommendation it made at the last session, the Centre and IUCN had organised a workshop on the "Role of World Heritage Danger Listing in Promoting International Co-operation for the Conservation of World Natural Heritage" on 6 and 7 October 2000 in Amman, Jordan, at the time of IUCN's Second World Conservation Congress. As requested by the participants of that Workshop, the Committee noted the seven priority recommendations included in WHC-2000/CONF.204/9 and suggested that the Centre consider incorporating them as appropriate ...
VIII.3 Iguacu National Park (Brazil)
The Committee noted that an oil spill that occurred 600 km from the site did not have any major impact on the site. The Committee recognised that the illegal opening and the use of the Colon Road is the most immediate threat to the site and learned that IBAMA has allocated the equivalent of US $560,000 to support action related to the closure of the road and to restore areas affected by road construction. The Committee was informed that the Brazilian participant at the workshop held in Amman, Jordan had informed the Centre and IUCN of other potential ...
Sites: Iguaçu National Park
VIII.4 Srebarna Nature Reserve (Bulgaria)
The Committee was informed that the Minister of Environment and Water, by a letter dated 11 September 2000, has transmitted a state of conservation report to the Centre. The report reached the Centre only on 17 November 2000 and hence allowed only a preliminary desk-review by IUCN. The report describes changes in physical (e.g. water quality) and biodiversity indicators that show improvements in the state of conservation of the site. It outlines measures taken by the State Party to strengthen social, cultural and political support for the ...
Sites: Srebarna Nature Reserve
VIII.5 Manovo-Gounda-St.Floris National Park (Central African Republic (CAR))
The Committee was informed that a representative of the State Party had presented a paper on the state of conservation of the site at the Amman Workshop held on 6 and 7 October 2000. He had confirmed that poaching, including by armed groups from neighbouring States, was widespread in the area and that an UNESCO/IUCN mission to the site to plan mitigation and rehabilitation measures would be welcome. The UNESCO National Commission of CAR had contacted the Centre and plans to field a mission were underway. The ...
VIII.6 World Heritage sites of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
The Committee noted detailed information on the state of conservation of the five sites in the DRC, i.e. Virunga, Garamba and Kahuzi Biega and Salonga National Parks and the Okapi Wildlife Reserve, reported from pages 2 to 5 of the document WHC-2000/CONF.204/9. Furthermore, the Committee noted the following additional information reported by the Centre:
(1) In addition to the UNOMC, contacts have been established with members of a UN Panel conducting a Probe on Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources in DRC and ...
VIII.7 Sangay National Park (Ecuador)
The Committee was informed that the Minister for Environment of Ecuador participated in the Amman Workshop and had noted that the inclusion of the Sangay National Park in the List of World Heritage in Danger had helped the Ministry of Environment in negotiations with the Ministry Public Works and other Government bodies to obtain resources to evaluate environmental impacts of the Guamote Macas Road and plan mitigation measures. The Minister was of the view that despite recent improvements in the state of conservation of the site, Sangay should ...
Sites: Sangay National Park
VIII.8 Simien National Park (Ethiopia)
The Committee was informed that the Director of the Department of Agriculture from the Amhara Region, which is directly responsible for the management of this site, participated in the Amman Workshop. In his presentation, the Director had pointed out several improvements in the state of conservation of the site and expressed his disagreement with the 1996 consultant mission findings that led to the Committee to include Simien in the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Permanent Delegate of Ethiopia, by letter of 16 October 2000 to the Director of ...
Sites: Simien National Park
VIII.9 Mount Nimba Nature Reserve (Guinea/Côte d'Ivoire)
The Committee noted that at a World Heritage and Mining Technical Workshop, held at IUCN Headquarters from 20- 23 September, 2000, the case of Mt. Nimba was discussed and participants noted that key issues at this site include: (a) the need for clear boundary demarcation, taking into consideration the boundaries proposed at the time of inscription and changes proposed subsequently; (b) the need for effective transboundary co-operation between the two States Parties (Guinea and Côte d'Ivoire) as well as Liberia, which ...
VIII.10 Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve (Honduras)
The Committee was informed that the Centre/IUCN mission to this site was fielded from 24 to 30 October 2000. A preliminary report of the mission indicated that of the ten major recommendations of the previous (1995) Centre/IUCN mission which led to the inclusion of this site in the List of World Heritage in Danger 1996, five have been implemented. Some notable achievements made since 1995 include: completion of a participatory management plan; increasing on-the-ground management presence; establishment of inter-agency control posts in ...
VIII.11 Manas Wildlife Sanctuary (India)
The Deputy Inspector General for Wildlife of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF) in New Delhi, in a letter of 26 September 2000 addressed to the Charge d'Affairs of the Permanent Delegation of India to UNESCO suggested that the proposed UNESCO World Heritage Centre mission to Manas be undertaken in May 2001. The Deputy Inspector General for Wildlife also presented a paper at the IUCN/Centre Workshop in Amman in which he emphasised the fact that the inclusion of Manas in the List of World Heritage in Danger has influenced State and ...
Sites: Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
VIII.12 Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves (Niger)
The Committee was informed that the State Party had notified the Centre that it wished to complete implementation of all activities of the rehabilitation programme before requesting the Committee to consider removing this site from the List of World Heritage in Danger. A representative of the State Party who participated and presented a paper at the Amman Workshop confirmed this position of the State Party.
The Committee invited the State Party to submit a comprehensive progress report, before 15 April 2001, to the Centre on the ...
VIII.13 Ichkeul National Park (Tunisia)
The Committee was informed that following two winters of adequate rainfall that allowed recovery of the freshwater vegetation, reversal in rainfall patterns has led to a renewed increase in the salinity of Lake waters, resembling levels that prevailed in the area in 1997 and as such, the benefits of the restoration of the Lake achieved during the last two years are in danger of being lost. Such unpredictable, climate-induced reversals are likely to happen in the future. Nevertheless, the Committee stressed the need to fully implement the ...
Sites: Ichkeul National Park
VIII.14 Rwenzori Mountains (Uganda)
The Committee noted that the Executive Director of the Uganda Wildlife Authority (UAW), in his letter of 13 September 2000, has stressed that the Rwenzori Mountains National Park (RMNP) should be retained in the List of World Heritage in Danger, owing to the fact that: (a) RMNP is still closed to visitors and effects of insurgency by armed groups continue to affect management, habitats and wildlife; (b) Communities resident around the Park are equally affected and regard the Park as a major source of resources posing clear threats to habitats and ...
24 COM VIII.15
World Heritage sites of the United States of America: Everglades National Park & Yellowstone National Park
VIII.15 World Heritage sites of the United States of America: Everglades National Park & Yellowstone National Park
The Committee recalled that the twenty-fourth ordinary session of the Bureau requested the Centre and IUCN to meet with the State Party and discuss the preparation of a schedule of actions for complete rehabilitation of the site and its eventual removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger. The Centre, IUCN and relevant authorities from the State Party, including the Directors of the two sites, participated in a conference call on 27 October 2000. The Observer of ...