Volcanoes of Kamchatka (Russian Federation) (N 765bis)

Decision: 37 COM 7B.21

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-13/37.COM/7B,

2. Recalling Decision 36 COM 7B.21 adopted at its 36th session (Saint-Petersburg, 2012),

3. Notes with concern that the State Party reports that potential threats on the property from adjacent areas are getting more significant every year and regrets that the State Party does not provide sufficiently detailed information on trends in wildlife populations inside the property, nor on the implementation of several of the recommendations of the 2007 reactive monitoring mission;

4. Considers that, in the absence of this information, the current state of conservation and management effectiveness of the property cannot be fully assessed;

5. Also notes with serious concern the decline in populations of wild Reindeer and Snow Sheep, and encourages the State Party to create a conservation zone to better protect the wintering grounds of these species as has been proposed by the Commission for Rare and Endangered Species of Kamchatka Krai;

6. Welcomes the clarification by the State Party that there are no plans to construct hydropower stations inside the property, and requests the State Party to provide detailed information about possible plans to construct a hydropower station on the Zhupanova river, a key wintering area for wild Reindeer outside the property and their potential impact on Outstanding Universal Value, including copies of Environmental Impact Assessments once these are available, before taking any irreversible decisions, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines;

7. Reiterates its request to the State Party to clarify apparent contradictions regarding the overall area of the four regional nature parks that form part of the property, by providing detailed information, including maps, about the boundary “specifications” implemented in 2010 on these four parks, and a detailed map showing the boundaries of all components of the property;

8. Urges the State Party to fully implement the recommendations of the 2007 reactive monitoring mission, particularly regarding the development and implementation of one integrated management plan and coordination structure, a comprehensive tourism management plan, and the strengthening of the institutional capacity of the administrations of the property, both in terms of human and financial resources;

9. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2015, 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 39th session in 2015.