GUWAHATI: The Unesco's World Heritage Committee (WHC) has welcomed the state party (India) to address the delay in the release of funds to the Manas National Park in western Assam, but has also requested India to provide updates on the financial situation of the property (Manas) in its future reports to the committee.

At its 38th session in Doha which concluded last month, the WHC noted, with satisfaction, the successful reintroduction of rhinos into the park, along with the development of a comprehensive eastern swamp deer translocation protocol. The WHC stated that the implementation of this protocol is expected to commence this year.

However, the WHC's final decision reiterated the stand it had taken in earlier constituted draft decisions, based on which it emphasized that any further deterioration of the security situation in the national park, as a result of increased poaching and human encroachment, would cause the organization to "re-inscribe" the property on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger.

The WHC has asked the state party (India) to take urgent measures to address the recently reported encroachment at the Bhuyanpara range of the park.

Manas got back its World Heritage site status in 2011 after the park authorities, along with conservation agencies, were able to demonstrate successful conservation. Prior to 2011, Manas was on the list of World Heritage Sites in Danger since 1992 because of rampant destruction of the park and damages to its infrastructure during the peak of the Bodo militancy problem in the late 1980s and early 1990s. According to the WHC, the damage to the sanctuary was estimated at more than two million US dollars.

Successful reintroduction of rhinos at Manas was one of the key factors that helped it return to being a World Heritage Site in 2011. However, after at least seven rhinos were poached since 2011, concerns about the safety of the species in the park have increased.

In spite of threats of poaching and other challenges the park is currently grappling with, both the Indian and Bhutanese parts of Manas are becoming home to a thriving reptile and amphibian ecosystem. Both the Indian and Bhutanese parts of Manas are being conserved jointly as a trans-boundary property, and during a survey conducted by park authorities and conservationists, 55 herpeto-fauna species, comprising 20 amphibian and 35 reptile species, were documented from this shared property.

Only if this thriving ecosystem is coupled with a decrease in breaches of security at Manas, will India be able to save the park from losing the WHC's recognition of it as a World Heritage Site.

