Peru lowers parks on the Nazca Line by 42%, raising concerns about environmental and heritage risks

Bogota, Colombia (AP) – Peru’s decision to narrow its archaeological park to about 42% of the houses on the famous Nazca route (about 1,400 football fields), has raised alarms from conservationists, archaeologists and environmental advocates.

Critics say the rollback paved the way for informal mining and weakened decades of cultural and ecological protection, while the government said the adjustment reflects renewed scientific research and does not undermine UNESCO’s World Heritage Status or the core protection of the site.

“Not only can the reduction eliminate protections, but it does happen where extraction activities are expanding,” said Mariano Castro, former Deputy Environment Minister of Peru. He added that the decision could cause “very serious risks and accumulated damage” as it does not include areas with active or pending excavation claims.

Castro added that archaeological heritage safeguards during the formalization of artisanal mining have been limited.

“The Ministry of Culture failed to consider the cumulative impact of dozens or even hundreds of mining operations on sensitive archaeological areas, which made the situation worse,” he said.

The region forms part of a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, home to the Nazca Line – a huge geographical word engraved in the desert thousands of years ago and one of Peru’s most vulnerable desert ecosystems.

César Ipenza, a Peruvian environmental lawyer who closely follows the decision, said the resolution had been approved and reduced the NASCAR region by more than 1,000 hectares.

“This is a weakening of environmental and cultural protection,” Ipenza said. “States should stick to their commitments under international agreements, rather than succumbing to private interests.”

ipenza and others say the rollback reflects a regulatory preferential model that is primarily informal gold miners.

“There is an alliance between the current government and the informal mining sector,” he said. “The legal framework continues to be relaxed to benefit them.”

Peru’s Ministry of Culture decided on May 30 to reduce the NASCAR reserves from about 5,600 square kilometers to about 3,200 square kilometers, refusing to answer specific questions from the Associated Press. Instead, it sent a press release saying the adjustment was based on updated archaeological research and would not affect the UNESCO World Heritage Site name or its buffer zone.

The ministry said it remains committed to protecting the site’s cultural heritage through regulated management.

The day after the decision on May 30, Peruvian Minister of Culture Fabricio Valencia admitted that illegal mining existed in the reserve.

“Unfortunately, informal mining is an activity that exists in the field, but the measures we take do not mean that it will be encouraged, nor does it mean that the possibility of informal mining being harmed will not increase. This will not happen.”

When asked to provide more details about illegal activities in the reserve, Valencia said: “There are some mining deposits, but I don’t have exact information on which mineral type.”

UNESCO did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Former Deputy Minister Castro warned that the move could violate Peru’s own laws.

“It violates Article 5(h) of the Environmental Impact Assessment Act, which provides for the protection of archaeological and historical heritage,” he said.

Ipneza said the government made illegality illegal under the guise of technological adjustments.

“It is shameful to forget our ancestors and our legacy and to pretend to pave the way for sectors seeking to impose illegality, such as illegal and informal mining,” he said. “This decision has benefited these groups and harmed all Peruvians.”

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