Decision 44 COM 7B.193

Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System (Belize) (N 764)

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC/21/44.COM/7B.Add,
2. Recalling Decision 43 COM 7B.21, adopted at its 43rd session (Baku, 2019),
3. Welcomes the further progress reported by the State Party in addressing most of the previously raised concerns regarding pending legislative improvements, including the official approval of the amended Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations, which now specifically include consideration of the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property and the adoption and implementation of a new Fisheries Resources Act and associated policy and strategy documents;
4. Also welcomes the State Party’s confirmation that the land tenure verification process has been completed and requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre the final legislation for the designation as strict mangrove reserves of the remaining public lands within the property, identified through this process, as soon as it is adopted;
5. Congratulates the State Party for further improving the management of the property since its removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger at its 42nd session in 2018, and concludes that the reported progress, particularly the finalization of the land verification process and the final approval of the amended EIA regulations, has now almost fully resolved the pending issues noted at that time;
6. Also requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre detailed information on the current status of the project “Cargo extension and construction of the cruise terminal and cruise tourism village” and its possible impacts on the OUV of the property, including any relevant EIAs, for review by IUCN, and to ensure that no activity, including dumping of dredged materials at sea, is allowed to proceed if it can result in negative impacts on the property;
7. Finally requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 December 2022, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property on the implementation of the above.