Decision : 35 COM 7B.1
Dja Wildlife Reserve (Cameroon) (N 407)
The World Heritage Committee,
1. Having examined Document WHC-11/35.COM/7B,
2. Recalling Decision 34 COM 7B.1, adopted at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010),
3. Welcomes the development of activities which target some of the identified objectives by the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session (Brasilia, 2010), but regrets that many other important issues are not taken into account;
4. Takes note of the affirmation by the State Party that populations of flagship species have not declined since the time of the property's inscription and requests that the State Party should submit the supporting data for this statement before the joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN monitoring mission;
5. Expresses its utmost concern about reports that mining preparation activities in the GEOVIC concession area appear to be ongoing and that no new Environmental and Social Impact Assessment was submitted to the World Heritage Centre, as requested at its 34th session in 2010;
6. Urges the State Party to immediately halt all mining activities until a new Environmental and Social Impact Assessment including an assessment of the potential direct, indirect and cumulative impacts of the proposed mine on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property is conducted and validated by all relevant stakeholders;
7. Reiterates its request to the State Party to develop an emergency plan based on the management plan, which addresses all objectives highlighted in Decision 34COM7B.1 in order to address the urgent threats to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;
8. Requests the forthcoming joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN monitoring mission to assess the current status of threats from mining, poaching, industrial agriculture and forestry exploitation and evaluate the status of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property;
9. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1February2012, a report on the state of conservation of the property, including a copy of the new Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the proposed GEOVIC mine, as well as on progress achieved in the definition and implementation of the emergency plan and available data on wildlife populations, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 36th session in 2012, with a view to considering, in the case of confirmation of the ascertained or potential danger to Outstanding Universal Value, the possible inscription of the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Decisions Report