Ecosystem and Relict Cultural Landscape of Lopé-Okanda

• Lack of management structure to deal with the cultural values of the property;
• Need for training of conservation managers;
• Invasive alien plants;
• Illegal hunting;
• Illegal wood trade;
• Road Development

On 31 January 2014, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report.  Progress is reported on the following:

• Alembé-Mikouyi Road Development Project: The State Party acknowledges that the project to upgrade the Alembé - Lopé highway, which passes along the River Ogooué Valley in the northern part of the property, could potentially impact on cultural heritage attributes of the property. Discussions are currently underway between the National Agency for National Parks (ANPN) and the Ministry of Public Works on a possible redefinition of the project. At the same time ANPN has proposed a new procedure for the realisation and validation of impact assessments. The impact assessments of the road will be revised, taking into account the new procedures, as soon as further alignment options have been proposed. The State Party did not provide detailed maps of the proposed alignment in relation to the archaeological and rock art sites in the property and its setting.
• Poaching: The State Party reports a large number of person days (3276) spent on field patrol in 2013, despite a small number of guards (14 for 491,291 ha). 150 cases of illegal hunting are reported, including of protected species in 23 cases. Furthermore, 13 ivory tusks were seized, and 23 elephant carcasses were recorded.
• Optical fibre project: The State Party reports plans for installing an optical fibre cable through the property, which would follow an existing railroad. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for this project was submitted to the World Heritage Centre on 20 January 2014.
• Management Authority & Heritage professionals : In order to strengthen the conservation of the archaeological and rock art sites, ANPN in cooperation with its international partners established a special team of cultural experts tasked with evaluation of the road project. In addition, the Ministry of Culture has recruited archaeologists to ensure the conservation of these sites.
• Approval of the Law on National Parks : While the Law on National Parks has been approved in 2007, the State Party has not yet submitted a copy to the World Heritage Centre.

It is noted that no details of the Alembé-Mikouyi Road upgrading project nor on its proposed alternative alignments have been provided.  Adequate documentation of the area where the upgraded road is being considered is needed, in relation to the key cultural attributes along the River Ogooué Valley in the property and its setting, including possible alternative alignments and appropriate impact assessments for all options, before any decision is taken on the route of the road. These assessments should be undertaken in conformity with ICOMOS Guidelines on Heritage Impact Assessments for World Heritage cultural properties and with IUCN’s World Heritage advice note on Environmental Assessment.

However, it is considered that the road project could impact on the integrity and value of the property. It is also noted that the archaeological sites are linked and it is essential that the potential impact of possible road alignments is assessed not just in terms of impact on individual sites but also on the ensemble of sites and their disposition in the landscape.

The upgrading of the road could further exacerbate the current threat of poaching in and around the property, by providing improved access. The number of surveillance staff is considered insufficient to effectively protect it against poaching.

As the cable for the optical fibre project will run along an existing corridor, the major impacts both on natural heritage and on archaeological sites would occur during the construction phase. The EIA recognizes increased access to poachers as a potential threat during this phase, especially as this runs through the northern part of the property with the highest elephant density. The EIA proposes a number of mitigation measures, which should be strictly implemented, in particular the provision of support to the park surveillance. It is essential that the relevant cultural heritage authorities are involved in this project.

While acknowledging the efforts of the State Party to develop the management capacity to deal with the cultural value of the property, there is a need to further strengthen management structure and professional resources. This is especially important given the need for active participation of property staff in the consultations and impact assessments for the road project.

It is recommended that the World Heritage Committee request the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS/IUCN reactive monitoring mission to the property to evaluate its overall state of conservation and its management capacity in relation to cultural value, and also to assess the potential impacts of possible new road alignments for the upgraded Alembé - Lopé Highway on the Outstanding Universal Value of the property.