International Conference
“The UNESCO World Heritage and the Role of Civil Society”
Bonn, Germany, 26-27 June, 2015
Resolution 2
On World Natural Heritage Properties in the Russian Federation
Submitted by: Greenpeace Russia
Civil Society Organizations having attended the conference “The UNESCO World Heritage and the Role of Civil Society” organized by World Heritage Watch on 26-27 June 2015 in Bonn, coming from 32 countries in 5 continents, as active and concerned citizens dealing with Natural and Cultural World Heritage properties at different places, and as civil society actors complementing the responsibility carried by government, state bodies and institutions, appeal to the members of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on its 39th Session with the following concern:
1. In connection with the fact that Russian authorities already made decisions regarding such World Natural properties as “Virgin Komi Forests”, “Natural Complex of Wrangel Island Reserve” and “Golden Mountains of Altai” that could lead to loss of their Outstanding Universal Value, or where activities which lead to the loss of Outstanding Universal Value are already conducted, and taking into account that in correspondence with Art. 180 of the Operational Guidelines, this corresponds to the criteria of inscription of these properties in the “List of World Heritage in Danger”, to inscribe the above-mentioned World Heritage properties in the “List of World Heritage in Danger”.
2. In relation to “Volcanoes of Kamchatka” in addition to requests stated in the Draft Decision 39 COM 7B.20 (http://whc.unesco.org/archive/2015/whc15-39com-7BAdd-en.pdf), we propose to add the draft Decision with a point of the following content: The World Heritage Committee: – Notes with concern that the Government of Kamchatsky Krai, in agreement with the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation, has developed and published draft new Regulations of the “Volcanoes of Kamchatka” Nature Park, uniting four nature parks (“Bystrinsky”, “Nalychevo”, “Yuzhno-Kamchatsky” and “Kliuchevskoy”) which foresees the permission for geological survey of the subsoil on the park territory as well as the removal on the ban on prospecting works and mining operations. – Confirms its position regarding the fact that any activity connected with prospecting and mining operations is not compatible with the World Heritage status and requests the State Party not to remove the ban on conduction of geological survey, prospecting and mining works on the territory of the property.
3. To request the UNESCO World Heritage Center to request from the State Party of the Russian Federation in shortest terms to submit to the Center the information about plans of the 2 construction of tourist and sport objects inside the area of “Western Caucasus” World Heritage property as well as about planned changes of the protected area boundaries inside the composition of the property for further examination by the World Heritage Committee on its 40th Session in 2016, reserving in the case of confirmation of an existing or potential threat to its Outstanding Universal Value, its inscription in the “List of World Heritage in Danger”.
4. To recommend urgently to the States Parties to the Convention to prohibit direct or indirect participation of state companies in any activity that could lead to the destruction of the World Heritage properties on the territories of other countries, in particular to the State party of China to stop negotiations with the State Party of the Russian Federation regarding gas delivery via the so-called “western route” through the territory of the “Golden Mountains of Altai” World Heritage property.
Bonn, 27 June 2015
