Guwahati: UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee has sought a fresh assessment of whether the ongoing operation of Bhutan’s Mangdechhu hydroelectric project is affecting the Outstanding Universal Value of the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, while asking India and Bhutan to resume discussions on the project’s environmental impact.
In its latest decision on Manas, adopted at the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, the committee noted with concern that no further information had been submitted on the project after an India-Bhutan meeting in November 2024.
The two countries have now been asked to provide information on whether the project’s operation is negatively affecting the World Heritage Site’s Outstanding Universal Value and, if so, detail the mitigation measures being implemented.
The committee has also called for a follow-up joint online meeting involving India, Bhutan, the World Heritage Centre and IUCN by December 1, 2026 to discuss the issue.
The latest decision, however, also records encouraging developments in Manas, particularly in wildlife protection and population trends.
The committee welcomed continued efforts to strengthen anti-poaching measures, including increased patrolling, enforcement, public awareness, recruitment of personnel and the establishment of new anti-poaching camps. It also noted a planned restructuring of the management framework to improve efficiency.
Long-term species monitoring is now being implemented in the Manas Tiger Reserve, with monitoring of key wildlife species showing a clear upward trend in populations, the committee said.
The World Heritage Committee urged India to continue the long-term monitoring programme so that population data can guide future conservation priorities.
It has raised significant concern over the loss of grassland in Manas National Park and Manas Tiger Reserve, with invasive species reportedly affecting nearly half of the grassland ecosystem in the World Heritage Site.
The committee called for sustained management efforts backed by adequate and sustainable funding and urged India to finalise, as a priority, pilot studies on invasive plant management. The findings are to feed into an Action Plan for tackling invasive species across the sanctuary.
It also encouraged India and Bhutan to strengthen field-level cooperation across the wider transboundary Manas landscape, including possible consideration of a revised proposal to extend the World Heritage Site.
The committee noted that there has been no further agricultural encroachment within the sanctuary, although existing encroachment remains unresolved because of sensitivities surrounding the rights of Indigenous communities.
India has been asked to provide an update on progress toward extending the sanctuary’s boundaries and submit a new state-of-conservation report by December 1, 2027, for consideration at the World Heritage Committee’s 50th session.
The committee’s latest decision thus presents a mixed picture for Manas: wildlife populations are showing an upward trend and anti-poaching measures have been strengthened, but transboundary development and unresolved conservation pressures remain under UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee scrutiny.