Decision : 31 COM 7B.3
State of conservation of World Heritage Properties - Selous Game Reserve

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-07/31.COM/7B.Add,

2. Recalling Decision 30 COM 7B.3, adopted at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006),

3. Notes that the State Party did not provide the documents requested at the 30th session of the World Heritage Committee and requests it to provide them immediately, including:

     a)State of Conservation Report

     b)Management Plan

     c)Environmental Impact Assessment for dams and mining;

4. Notes the findings of the joint UNESCO/IUCN Reactive Monitoring Mission carried out in June 2007;

5. Urges the State Party to implement the recommendations of the 2007 monitoring mission as soon as possible; and in particular to include:

     a)Regular independent evaluations of the progress towards implementation of the Selous GMP starting in January 2008;

     b)Full analysis of the 2006 Aerial Census of Selous ecosystem by an independent team of experts and submission of results of the analysis to the World Heritage Centre and IUCN before February;

     c)Assessment of the potential impact of proposed dams that could have negative impact on the integrity of the property;

     d)Development of a strategic tourism plan for the property that should include an analysis of the carrying capacity of the existing (and proposed) blocks designated for photographic tourism;

     e)Assessment of infrastructure required to support the growing tourism sector in the northern Selous Game Reserve before any further allocation of camp/lodge sites;

6. Requests the Government of Tanzania, particularly its Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism and the international donor community to establish mechanisms, including renewing the Revenue Retention Scheme, to ensure that the Selous Game Reserve management team has the resources required to maintain the integrity of Selous Game Reserve

7. Noting the large area of the Selous World Heritage site and aware that the UNESCO/IUCN mission had the opportunity to interact with only the northern, mainly tourism sector of the Reserve, and considering that the hunting sector has most of the wildlife and provides the vast majority of the revenues of the reserve,

8. Recommends that the next joint UNESCO/IUCN reactive monitoring mission to focus on the management and operations of the hunting activities in the Selous Game Reserve be undertaken in 2009, during the dry season to ensure better access;

9. Requests the State Party to provide the World Heritage Centre with a detailed report by 1 February 2008 on the state of conservation of the property, in particular the measures taken to implement the recommendations of the June 2007 joint UNESCO/IUCN monitoring mission, together with the above reports and progress made with the management plan for examination by the Committee at its 32nd session in 2008.