Chitwan National Park

• Ground transport infrastructure (Plans to construct a road and railway through the property; Proposed infrastructure projects)
• Invasive/alien terrestrial species (Spread of invasive species; Encroachment of wildlife habitats in the buffer zone)
• Management systems/Management Plan (Lack of appropriate inter-agencies and inter-ministries consultation and coordination for development proposals)

On 12 April 2021, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available athttps://whc.unesco.org/en/list/284/documents/, which reports the following:

• Coordinated and collaborative efforts to address poaching and illegal trafficking resulted in no poaching within the property for six of the past nine years (3,287 days) and led to strengthened institutional mechanisms, improved community participation and enhanced interagency coordination. Surveillance technologies include Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART) patrolling, drones, CCTV and tracking dogs. However, due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, four rhinoceros were recently poached. All cases are being investigated and fourteen poachers were arrested;
• An alternative alignment for the East-West Electrified Railroad outside the property is under consideration. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) requested the relocation of the route to avoid a hotspot for migration and dispersion of major wild species and an internationally recognized wetland. The new alignment will be outside the property and remains to be confirmed;
• The 2016 IUCN Reactive Monitoring mission recommendations regarding the Thori-Madi-Bharatpur road have been accepted and implemented inside and outside the property. New measures include regulation of road usage in the property by site managers and a verdict of the Supreme Court of Nepal to stop any upgrading of the road inside the property without consultation with UNESCO. In response to Decision 41 COM 7B.31, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was requested for the proposed Thori-Birjung road;
• An Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) of the proposed Terai Hulaki Highway did not outline an alignment for the highway to cross the property. However, during the construction phase, it was confirmed that seven kilometers would cross the buffer zone, so a high-level inter-agency meeting was held in February 2021 and decided to stop construction in that area;
• No decision has been taken on the alignment of the proposed China-India Trade Link of Province 3 (now Bagmati Province) and Province 4 (now Gandaki Province), the Madi-Balmiki Ashram road and the Malekhu-Thori road that crosses the property. The DNPWC continues to oppose the roads and no construction of the three road sections has been initiated, including outside the property. The aforementioned roads and railways development projects pass through the buffer zone and are thus expected to have low direct impact on the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property;
• No infrastructure project is planned within the property. EIAs for several projects in the buffer zone have been submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review by IUCN;
• In 2016, an area of 2.063 ha from the Padampur site (previously buffer zone) was gazetted into the national park, and 1.818 ha from the Gajendra Mokchhya Dham of Tribeni (Gajendra Dham) were moved into the buffer zone. An enclosure for adaptation of translocated Asian Wild Water Buffalo was established at the Padamapur site. The Gajendra Dham is promoted for religious purposes and tourism activities. Consultations with the UNESCO Office in Kathmandu is underway to register the modifications. No further boundary modifications are planned;
• The revised management plan for the property includes holistic strategies for tourism management and promotion in the property and buffer zone. Gajendra Dham is managed by the buffer zone management committee (Triveni Buffer Zone Community User Group), accommodation for pilgrimages has been constructed, and solid waste management is being undertaken with the local Rural Municipality.

The State Party transmitted EIAs for the following proposed projects:

• In August 2019, for the Badarmudhe Khola Bridge, Pateri Khola Bridge and Rimal Khola Bridge along Madi-Tori Road within the property. An IUCN technical review was transmitted to the State Party on 18 June 2020;
• On 26 February 2020, for a bottling company in the buffer zone of the property. An IUCN technical review was transmitted to the State Party on 12 June 2020 and a revised EIA transmitted by the State Party on 19 July 2020;
• On 15 January 2021, for three bridges over the Bahai, Magui and Riyu Khola rivers;
• On 19 January 2021, for a Kishan Egg project located within the buffer zone of the property.

On 5 August 2020, the UNESCO Office in Kathmandu requested comments from the State Party following third-party information on the forced evition and destruction of homes of members of an indigenous Chepang community by the Chitwan National Park authority. At the time of writing the present report, the State Party has not yet provided a response. The World Wildlife Fund International (WWF) commissioned a report entitled “Embedding human rights in nature conservation: from intent to action - report of the Independent Panel of Experts of the Independent Review of allegations raised in the media regarding human rights violations in the context of WWF’s conservation work” (https://wwfint.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/independent_review___independent_panel_of_experts__final_report_24_nov_2020.pdf), which was published in November 2020 and also refers to this and other alleged human rights abuses in and around the property, including the beating and death of a Chepang youth. 

While the continued efforts to combat rhinoceros poaching are noted, it is however concerning that the COVID-19 pandemic impacts on surveillance efforts resulted in the recent poaching of four rhinoceros, and it is recommended the State Party be urged to continue its efforts addressing poaching incidents and its collaborative anti-poaching efforts.

The continued confirmation that the East-West Railroad will not be located within the property and that appropriate EIA processes will be undertaken is welcomed, as are efforts to avoid impacts on wildlife hotspots and important wetlands, and measures to maintain ecological connectivity. Noting however the reported potential for construction to occur close to the property, it is important to request a detailed map of the proposed alignment when it is available and for all potential impacts on the property and its OUV to be adequately assessed prior to finalizing a decision on an alternative route.

Recalling the Committee’s concerns regarding the threat of various other infrastructure developments, the confirmation that the 2016 mission’s recommendations regarding the Thori-Madi-Bharatpur road have also been implemented outside the property is welcomed. The EIA process for the Thori-Birjung road is also noted. Regarding the proposed Terai Hulaki Highway, the inter-ministerial decision to halt construction of a seven-kilometer stretch that would cross the buffer zone without an assessment of its impacts on the OUV is acknowledged, and the State Party should be requested to confirm that any potential impact of the highway on the OUV of the property has been appropriately assessed before taking any decision to proceed further. Noting that no decision has been taken on the alignment of the proposed China-India Trade Link of Province 3 (now Bagmati Province) and Province 4 (now Gandaki Province), the Madi-Balmiki Ashram and Malekhu-Thori roads within the property, and that no construction has commenced outside the property, it is recommended to reiterate the importance of a permanent ban on any other new roads or the reopening/upgrading of old roads passing through the property.

The State Party’s report provided in response to Decision 43 COM 7B.11, which indicates that an area of 1.818 ha including Gajendra Dham was moved from the national park to the buffer zone while 2,063 ha from the Padampur site from the buffer zone was included in the national park, requires further clarification. It is important to recall that the 2016 mission recommended the establishment of an appropriate zonation scheme to set aside areas for spiritual practices and nature conservation, appropriate limits on any further construction of facilities beyond normal maintenance works, and adequate measures to minimize impacts from the large number of pilgrims who visit the site every year. Although the State Party reports that the revised Management Plan for the property includes holistic strategies for tourism management for the property and its buffer zone, including Gajendra Dham, it is unclear whether the legal protection provided by the buffer zone is sufficient to implement the mission’s recommendations. It is therefore recommended that the State Party be requested to provide further details on the legal protection currently extended to Gajendra Dham, which remains part of the property.  It is important to recall that any proposed modification of the boundaries of a World Heritage property or buffer zone must first be submitted to the World Heritage Centre before any change is implemented on the ground, through a boundary modification process in line with Paragraphs 163-165 of the Operational Guidelines. Such a request would then be reviewed by the Advisory Bodies and subject to a review and decision by the Committee. If the State Party wishes to amend the boundaries of the property, an appropriate boundary modification should therefore be submitted in line with the procedures outlined in the Operational Guidelines. The World Heritage Centre and IUCN are available to provide guidance on these procedures, if required.

The alleged human rights abuses related to Chitwan National Park raised in the UNESCO letter of August 2020, along with the report of the Independent Panel appointed by WWF, regarding the evictions and destruction of the homes of members of an indigenous Chepang community by the park authority, and the death of a Chepang youth, all raise significant concerns that are not discussed in the State Party’s report. To respect the social, economic and cultural rights of local and indigenous communities, as outlined in the 2015 Policy Document on the Integration of a Sustainable Development Perspective into the Processes of the World Heritage Convention, these matters require further and urgent consideration by the State Party, and it is recommended that the Committee request the the State Party to respond to the issues raised in the report and implement adequate actions to address them.