Documents Decisions of the World Heritage Committee Decisions adopted at the 38th session (Doha, 15-25 of June 2014)


Curonian Spit (Lithuania / Russian Federation) (C 994)

Decision: 38 COM 7B.28

 The World Heritage Committee,

1.  Having examined Document WHC-14/38.COM/7B.Add,
2.  Recalling Decision 36 COM 7B.78 adopted at its 36th session (Saint-Petersburg,
2012),
3.  Welcomes the continuing collaboration between the two national parks and the
commitment to produce a transnational Management Plan for the property, as well as
the recently  strengthened regulations within the Russian National Park that should
support sustainable development within the property;
4.  Also welcomes the significant progress made within Lithuania to contain and reverse
illegal development;
5.  Expresses its concern however that work on the liquefied gas terminal outside Klaipėda
has been approved and commenced although no  impact assessments were provided,
despite  its earlier requests and reiterates its request  to  the State Party of Lithuania to
undertake full impact assessments (Strategic Environmental and Heritage Impact
Assessments) in order to consider the potential impacts on the Outstanding Universal
Value (OUV) of the property; these assessments should be provided to the World
Heritage Centre, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
6.  Expresses  its strong concern that approval in principle has apparently been given for
the construction of a large suspension bridge from Klaipėda across the lagoon to the
Spit, as this structure could have severe adverse visual impacts and affect traffic
management along the Spit;
7.  Understands that the bridge could be part of a larger project to develop a deep sea port
at Klaipėda, which could have an impact on the stability of the dunes, and notes with
regret that no details of either project have been submitted to the World Heritage
Centre, as required by Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;
8.  Requests the State Party of Lithuania to halt further development of both projects until
full details have been provided,  including detailed impact assessments (Strategic
Environmental and Heritage Impact Assessments), in order to allow an evaluation of
potential impact on the property;
9.  Also requests the State Party of Lithuania to invite an ICOMOS reactive monitoring
mission to the property in 2014 to consider the proposed bridge and port projects as
well as the liquefied gas terminal project;
10.  Further requests the States Parties to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by
1 February 2015, a progress report on the implementation of the above and, by 1
February 2016, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property and the
implementation of the above  for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its
40th session in 2016, both reports including a 1-page executive summary.