IUCN Evaluation of Nominations of Natural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List
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EVALUATIONS IUCN: (WHC-99/CONF.209/INF.6) IUCN Evaluation of Nominations of Natural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List Report to the Twenty-third ordinary session of the World Heritage Committee, Marrakesh, Morocco 29 November-4 December 1999 The IUCN and ICOMOS evaluations are made available to members of the Bureau and the World Heritage Committee. A small number of additional copies are also available from the secretariat. Thank you. OCTOBER 1999 Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage IUCN Evaluation of Nominations of Natural and Mixed Properties to the World Heritage List World Heritage Committee Twenty-third ordinary session 29 November – 4 December 1999 – Marrakesh, Morocco Prepared by IUCN – The World Conservation Union 1196 Gland, Switzerland 15 October 1999 Cover photograph: St. Paul Subterranean River National Park (Philippines) Table of Contents Page INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. iii A. NOMINATIONS OF NATURAL PROPERTIES TO THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST.......................................................................................................1 PENINSULA VALDES (ARGENTINA)................................................................................ 3 BRAZILIAN DISCOVERY COAST (BRAZIL)................................................................... 13 ATLANTIC FORESTS (SOUTHEAST) (BRAZIL)............................................................. 21 MIGUASHA PROVINCIAL PARK (CANADA)................................................................. 30 AREA DE CONSERVACION GUANACASTE (COSTA RICA) ....................................... 42 SYSTEM OF MARINE TERRACES OF CABO CRUZ (CUBA) ....................................... 54 LORENTZ NATIONAL PARK (INDONESIA) ................................................................... 64 ST. PAUL SUBTERRANEAN RIVER NATIONAL PARK (PHILIPPINES)..................... 80 THE LAURISILVA OF MADEIRA (PORTUGAL) ............................................................ 92 WESTERN CAUCASUS (RUSSIAN FEDERATION)...................................................... 102 GREATER ST. LUCIA WETLAND PARK (SOUTH AFRICA)....................................... 114 THE HIGH COAST (SWEDEN)......................................................................................... 122 A.1. EXTENSION OF NATURAL PROPERTIES INSCRIBED ON THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST..................................................................................128 BELOVEZHSKAYA PUSHCHA/BIALOWIEZA FOREST - EXTENSION (BELARUS / POLAND)...................................................................................................... 130 B. NOMINATIONS OF MIXED PROPERTIES TO THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST...................................................................................................138 MOUNT WUYI (CHINA)................................................................................................... 140 ISOLE EOLIE (AEOLIAN ISLANDS) (ITALY) ............................................................... 150 UVS NUUR BASIN (MONGOLIA / RUSSIAN FEDERATION) ..................................... 166 IBIZA, BIODIVERSITY AND CULTURE (SPAIN) ......................................................... 180 C. NOMINATIONS OF CULTURAL PROPERTIES TO THE WORLD HERITAGE LIST...................................................................................................190 AREA ARQUEOLOGICA Y NATURAL ALTO RIO PINTURAS (ARGENTINA)........ 192 VIÑALES VALLEY (CUBA)............................................................................................. 196 World Heritage Bureau 1999 - Table of Contents i ANNEX 1 - PROPERTIES WHICH WERE DEFERRED BY THE 23RD ORDINARY SESSION OF THE BUREAU OF THE WORLD HERITAGE COMMITTEE ...................................................................................................................... 198 NATURAL PROPERTIES DEFERRED BY THE BUREAU.................................... 200 ALEJANDRO DE HUMBOLDT NATIONAL PARK (CUBA)......................................... 202 PARCO NAZIONALE DEL GRAN PARADISO (ITALY) ............................................... 212 PHONG NHA CAVE (VIETNAM)..................................................................................... 220 MIXED PROPERTIES DEFFERRED BY THE BUREAU........................................ 234 THE GREATER BLUE MOUNTAINS AREA (AUSTRALIA) ........................................ 236 ii World Heritage Bureau 1999 - Table of Contents THE WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION IUCN TECHNICAL EVALUATION REPORTS 15 October 1999 1. INTRODUCTION This Technical Evaluation Report of natural sites nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage List has been conducted by the Programme on Protected Areas (PPA) of IUCN – The World Conservation Union. PPA co-ordinates IUCN's input to the World Heritage Convention. It also co-ordinates activities of IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) which is the world's leading expert network of protected area managers and specialists. 1999 is the first year in which the PPA has been directly responsible for World Heritage. 1999 has been an extremely challenging year for IUCN, with the number of site files reviewed increasing from 8 in 1998 to 24 in 1999; the largest number in the history of the World Heritage Convention. This has meant a large increase in the volume of work associated with technical reviews. Resources have been stretched to the utmost but IUCN has strived to fulfil its responsibilities in a professional and efficient manner. In carrying out its function under the World Heritage Convention IUCN has been guided by four principles: (i) The need to ensure the highest standards of quality control and institutional memory in relation to technical evaluation, monitoring and other associated activities; (ii) The need to increase the use of specialist networks of IUCN, especially WCPA, but also other relevant IUCN Commissions and specialist networks; (iii) The need to work in support of the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and States Parties to examine how IUCN can creatively and effectively support the World Heritage Convention and individual sites as “flag ships” for biodiversity conservation; and (iv) The need to increase the level of effective partnership between IUCN and the World Heritage Centre, ICOMOS and ICCROM. There has been a change in the approach to technical evaluations in 1999. This year members of the expert network of WCPA have carried out the majority of missions. This has allowed for the involvement of regional natural heritage experts and has broadened the capacity of IUCN with regard to its work under the World Heritage Convention. Reports from the field missions were then comprehensively reviewed by a working session of the IUCN World Heritage Operational Panel at IUCN Headquarters. PPA then prepared the final Technical Reviews which are outlined in this document. IUCN also has placed emphasis on providing input and support to ICOMOS in relation to cultural landscapes and other cultural nominations which have important natural values. IUCN recognises that nature and culture are strongly linked and that many natural World Heritage sites have important cultural values and vice versa. World Heritage Committee 1999 - Introduction iii The WCPA membership network now totals over 1300 protected area managers and specialists from 120 countries. This network has provided much of the basis for conducting the IUCN Technical Reviews. In addition, the Protected Areas Programme has been able to call on experts from IUCN's other five Commissions (Environmental Law, Education and Communication, Ecosystem Management, and Environmental, Economic and Social Policy), from other specialist officers in the IUCN Secretariat, and from scientific contacts in universities and other international agencies. This highlights the considerable “added value” from investing in the use of the extensive networks of IUCN and its partner institutions. 2. FORMAT This Technical Evaluation report presents a concise summary of the nomination, a comparison with other similar sites, a review of management and integrity issues and concludes with the assessment of the applicability of the criteria, and a clear recommendation. Standardised data sheets, prepared for each nomination by the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC), are available in a separate document. 3. SITES REVIEWED Twenty-four site files were reviewed by IUCN in 1999. These comprised: ♦ Seventeen (17) natural sites nominations (including one deferred site for which additional information had been received and one extension of an existing World Heritage Site); ♦ Five (5) mixed sites (including one deferred site for which additional information had been received); and ♦ Input to one (1) cultural landscape and one (1) cultural site which has important natural values. Of the files reviewed it was not possible to review five (5) sites for presentation to the July Bureau meeting due to climatic reasons. In each case the delayed evaluation date was at the request of the State Party. These five (5) sites are included in this evaluation report to be reviewed by the 1999 November Bureau. The specific files reviewed by IUCN are as follows: Identification Name of Property State Party Number A. Nominations of natural properties to the World Heritage List A. 1 New nominations 937 Península Valdés Argentina 892 Brazilian Discovery Coast Brazil 893 "Paranapiacaba" - Upper Ribeira Group of Brazil Protected