Colombia, Bogota (AP) – The recent decision by Peru to reduce its archaeological park surrounding the renowned Nazca Line by approximately 42% (an area equivalent to around 1,400 soccer fields) has raised alarms among conservationists, archaeologists, and environmental advocates.
Critics argue that this rollback opens the door for unregulated mining and undermines decades of cultural and ecological safeguards. The government, however, claims that this decision aligns with updated scientific research and does not compromise the core protections of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
“The reduction not only strips away protection but coincides with the expansion of extraction activities,” stated Mariano Castro, former Deputy Minister of Environment in Peru, adding that this decision “poses severe risks and cumulative damage.”
Castro further noted that existing safeguards for archaeological heritage during the formalization of artisanal mining are already inadequate.
“This situation is worsened by the Ministry of Culture’s failure to consider the cumulative impacts of numerous mining operations on sensitive archaeological sites,” he remarked.
The area in question features large geoglyphs carved into the desert thousands of years ago and is part of a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site that includes the Nazca Lines, one of Peru’s most vulnerable desert ecosystems.
UNESCO informed The Associated Press that Peruvian authorities had not communicated any changes regarding the boundaries of the World Heritage Site. Organizations are seeking further information from the authorities.
Cesar Ipenza, an environmental lawyer in Peru who has been closely monitoring this decision, said that the resolution has already been approved and will decrease the NAZCA zone by more than 1,000 hectares.
“This represents a dilution of both environmental and cultural conservation,” Ipenza stated. “The state should uphold its commitments under international agreements, rather than yield to private interests.”
Ipenza and others assert that this rollback exemplifies a trend of regulatory concessions to primarily informal gold miners.
“There is a partnership between the current government and the informal mining sector,” he noted. “The legal framework continues to loosen to their benefit.”
Peru’s Ministry of Culture, which decided on May 30 to shrink the Nazca Reserve from approximately 5,600 square kilometers to about 3,200 square kilometers, declined to answer specific inquiries from the Associated Press. Instead, they issued a press release stating that the adjustment is based on updated archaeological research and will not affect UNESCO World Heritage Site designations or buffer zones.
The ministry asserted its commitment to preserving the cultural heritage of the site through regulated measures.
The day following the May 30 decision, Peruvian Minister of Culture Fabrio Valencia confirmed that illegal mining activities exist within the reserve.
“Unfortunately, informal mining is prevalent in this sector, but the measures we take do not imply encouragement of these activities or an increase in risks from informal mining,” he said.
When questioned about the illegal activities in the reserve, Valencia replied, “There are some mined sediments, but no precise information regarding the types of minerals available.”
Former Deputy Minister Castro warned that this move could contravene Peru’s own legislation.
“It violates Article 5(h) of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, which mandates the protection of archaeological and historical heritage,” he pointed out.
Ipenza argued that the government is facilitating illegality by masquerading this as a technical adjustment.
“It is disheartening to disguise a decision that neglects our ancestors and heritage, paving the way for sectors to enforce illegality such as illegal or informal mining,” he remarked. “This decision benefits these groups and harms all Peruvians.”
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Source: apnews.com