Latest news with #NazcaLines
Reuters
3 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
Peru's Nazca Lines face mining threat after protected area slashed
LIMA, June 4 (Reuters) - Peru's government has significantly reduced the protected area around its famed Nazca Lines, a move critics and archaeologists fear could leave the ancient geoglyphs vulnerable to hundreds of nearby informal mining operations. Peru's Culture Ministry last week slashed the protected zone from 5,600 to 3,200 square kilometers, attributing the move to topographical and archaeological studies that more precisely demarcated areas with "real patrimonial value." The Nazca Lines, located about 400 km (250 miles) south of Lima, are over 800 giant desert etchings of animals, plants and geometric figures created more than 1,500 years ago. UNESCO declared them a World Heritage site in According to data from the Energy and Mines ministry, 362 small-scale gold miners operate in the Nazca district as part of a program to regularize their status. Authorities have previously conducted operations against illegal mining in the area. "The main threats to the Nazca Lines are informal mining operations in the surroundings and even within the protected area," Pieter Van Dalen, head of Peru's archaeologists' association, told Reuters. He called the reduction "very regrettable," challenging the justification that the original area was too large to control. With gold prices near record highs, police and industry sources allege that the government program to regularize small-scale mining, known as REINFO, is rife with irregularities and is often exploited by illegal miners, sometimes in collusion with criminal gangs. The REINFO program is set to expire at the end of this year, with Congress and the administration scrambling to work on a replacement scheme which closes operating loopholes. Small-scale miners had previously protested ahead of an earlier deadline, arguing they would have little time to regularize their activities. The government estimates illegal mining in Peru generates more than $3 billion annually, surpassing drug trafficking revenue. Energy and Mines Minister Jorge Montero acknowledged on Tuesday that small-scale miners operate in Nazca. He said the government is "evaluating how this (reduction) impacts the status of small-scale and artisanal mining working in the zone that was formerly part of Nazca's (protected area) and now is not." Peru's gold exports amounted to $15.5 billion in 2024, up from $11 billion the prior year. Around 40% of Peru's gold exports are estimated to come from illegal sources, according to industry data and Peru's financial regulator.
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Peru allows miners to seek permits in area removed from Nazca Lines protection
BOGOTA, Colombia — Peru announced Tuesday that miners who had been operating illegally in a large protected archaeological reserve around the famous Nazca Lines will now be able to start the process of obtaining mining permits, after the government reduced the protected area by 42%. Energy and Mines Minister Jorge Montero said those working in the area must now legalize their mining activities since the zone is no longer designated as archaeological heritage.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Peru allows miners to seek permits in area removed from Nazca Lines protection
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Peru announced Tuesday that miners who had been operating illegally in a large protected archaeological reserve around the famous Nazca Lines will now be able to start the process of obtaining mining permits, after the government reduced the protected area by 42%. Energy and Mines Minister Jorge Montero said those working in the area must now legalize their mining activities since the zone is no longer designated as archaeological heritage. 'You're fully illegal when you operate in a place where mining is banned ... but since that cultural heritage restriction no longer exists, they're no longer in violation — they'll need to formalize their operations,' Montero said in a press conference in Lima on Tuesday for correspondents working for the international media. He added that the government does not yet know how many miners are currently active there. The area in question forms part of a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, home to the Nazca Lines — massive geoglyphs etched into the desert thousands of years ago — and one of Peru's most fragile desert ecosystems. Last week, the Ministry of Culture issued a resolution reducing the protected area around the Nazca Lines by 2,397 square kilometers (925 square miles). The reserve, created in 1993, was set at 5,633 square kilometers (2,175 square miles) in 2004. 'It's incredible how the government is not even interested in the heritage of our ancestors that is unprotected, and will be destroyed without any control,' Peruvian environmental lawyer, Cesar Ipenza, told The Associated Press. Ipenza said once the miners enter, they will create huge environmental impacts, and will not assume responsibility. 'And now that the government has released the area from its protection, mining petitions have already started to appear,' he said. Culture Minister Fabricio Valencia said the reduction was based on 'over 20 years of rigorous studies' and that the true archaeological reserve is about 3,200 square kilometers (1,235 square miles). On Saturday, he acknowledged on local Peruvian media that mining was taking place within the reserve. Valencia said the UNESCO World Heritage site that contains the Nazca Lines themselves, covering about 450 square kilometers (174 square miles), was not affected by the change. The AP reviewed the resolution but found no details about the studies justifying the reduction. Requests for those studies went unanswered and UNESCO told AP it had not been notified by Peru of the change and that it will seek information from the government. In past years, Peru's Culture Ministry, prosecutors, and media reported illegal mining inside the protected reserve, including the destruction of mining machinery and camps. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Peru allows miners to seek permits in area removed from Nazca Lines protection
Peru announced Tuesday that miners who had been operating illegally in a large protected archaeological reserve around the famous Nazca Lines will now be able to start the process of obtaining mining permits, after the government reduced the protected area by 42%. Energy and Mines Minister Jorge Montero said those working in the area must now legalize their mining activities since the zone is no longer designated as archaeological heritage. 'You're fully illegal when you operate in a place where mining is banned ... but since that cultural heritage restriction no longer exists, they're no longer in violation — they'll need to formalize their operations,' Montero said in a press conference in Lima on Tuesday for correspondents working for the international media. He added that the government does not yet know how many miners are currently active there. The area in question forms part of a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, home to the Nazca Lines — massive geoglyphs etched into the desert thousands of years ago — and one of Peru's most fragile desert ecosystems. Last week, the Ministry of Culture issued a resolution reducing the protected area around the Nazca Lines by 2,397 square kilometers (925 square miles). The reserve, created in 1993, was set at 5,633 square kilometers (2,175 square miles) in 2004. 'It's incredible how the government is not even interested in the heritage of our ancestors that is unprotected, and will be destroyed without any control,' Peruvian environmental lawyer, Cesar Ipenza, told The Associated Press. Ipenza said once the miners enter, they will create huge environmental impacts, and will not assume responsibility. 'And now that the government has released the area from its protection, mining petitions have already started to appear,' he said. Culture Minister Fabricio Valencia said the reduction was based on 'over 20 years of rigorous studies' and that the true archaeological reserve is about 3,200 square kilometers (1,235 square miles). On Saturday, he acknowledged on local Peruvian media that mining was taking place within the reserve. Valencia said the UNESCO World Heritage site that contains the Nazca Lines themselves, covering about 450 square kilometers (174 square miles), was not affected by the change. The AP reviewed the resolution but found no details about the studies justifying the reduction. Requests for those studies went unanswered and UNESCO told AP it had not been notified by Peru of the change and that it will seek information from the government. In past years, Peru's Culture Ministry, prosecutors, and media reported illegal mining inside the protected reserve, including the destruction of mining machinery and camps. ___ The Associated Press' climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Fast Company
4 days ago
- Politics
- Fast Company
Peru shrinks Nazca Lines reserve by 42%—sparking environmental and cultural concerns
Peru's decision to shrink its archeological park home to the famous Nazca Lines by around 42%—an area roughly the size of 1,400 soccer fields—has sparked alarm among conservationists, archaeologists and environmental advocates. Critics say the rollback paves the way for informal mining and weakens decades of cultural and ecological protection, while the government says the adjustment reflects updated scientific studies and does not compromise the UNESCO World Heritage status or the site's core protections. 'The reduction not only removes protections—it does so precisely where extractive activity is expanding,' said Mariano Castro, Peru's former vice minister of the environment, adding that the decision could cause 'very serious risks and cumulative damage,' as it excludes zones with active or pending mining claims. Castro added that safeguards for archaeological heritage during the formalization of artisanal mining are already limited. 'This is made worse by the ministry of culture's failure to consider the cumulative impact of dozens or even hundreds of mining operations on sensitive archaeological zones,' he said. The area in question forms part of a UNESCO-recognized World Heritage Site, home to the Nazca Lines—massive geoglyphs etched into the desert thousands of years ago—and one of Peru's most fragile desert ecosystems. Peruvian environmental lawyer César Ipenza, who has closely followed the decision, said the resolution has already been approved and that it reduces the Nazca zone by more than 1,000 hectares. 'This is a weakening of both environmental and cultural protections,' Ipenza said. 'The state should be upholding its commitments under international agreements, not yielding to private interests.' Ipenza and others say the rollback reflects a pattern of regulatory concessions to mostly informal gold miners. 'There's an alliance between the current government and informal mining sectors,' he said. 'The legal framework continues to be relaxed to benefit them.' Peru's ministry of culture, which decided on May 30 to reduce the Nazca reserve from about 5,600 square kilometers to roughly 3,200 square kilometers, declined to answer specific questions from the Associated Press. Instead, it sent a press release saying the adjustment was based on updated archaeological studies and does not affect the UNESCO World Heritage designation or its buffer zone. The ministry said it remains committed to preserving the site's cultural heritage through regulated management. A day after the May 30 decision, Fabricio Valencia, Peru's minister of culture, acknowledged that illegal mining exists within the reserve. 'Unfortunately, informal mining is an activity present in this area, but the measure we have taken does not mean it will be encouraged, nor that the likelihood of any harm from informal mining will increase. That will not happen,' Valencia said on RPP, one of Peru's largest radio programs. When asked for more details about the presence of illegal activity in the reserve, Valencia said, 'there are some mining deposits, but I don't have exact information on what type of mineral is there.' UNESCO did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Castro, the former vice minister, warned the move could violate Peru's own laws. 'It contravenes Article 5(h) of the Environmental Impact Assessment Law, which mandates the protection of archaeological and historical heritage,' he said. Ipenza said the government is enabling illegality under the guise of technical adjustments. 'It is shameful to forget our ancestors and our heritage, and to disguise decisions that pave the way for sectors seeking to impose illegality, such as illegal and informal mining,' he said. 'This decision benefits those groups and harms all Peruvians.'
