Latest news with #PieterVanDalen
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Peru's Nazca Lines face mining threat after protected area slashed
LIMA (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.
Reuters
5 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.
The Star
5 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Peru's Nazca Lines face mining threat after protected area slashed
LIMA (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. (Reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Peru's Nazca Lines face mining threat after protected area slashed
LIMA - 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. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Sun
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Peru government under fire for halving reserve around Nazca lines
LIMA: Peru's government on Tuesday defended its decision to nearly halve the size of the protected area where the fabled Nazca lines were discovered, arguing that it would help put a stop to illegal mining in the area. The series of massive etchings on the floor of the Nazca desert, which depict animals, plants, imaginary beings and geometric figures, have fascinated scientists ever since they were first discovered around a century ago. Best viewed from the air, the 2,000-year-old Nazca lines situated some 220 miles (350 kilometers) south of Lima, are one of Peru's top tourist attractions. Archaeologists have reacted with outrage to the government's decision to decrease the size of the reserve from 5,633 square kilometers (2,175 square miles) to to 3,235 square kilometers (1,250 square miles). Defending the move in a meeting with the foreign press, Minister of Energy and Mines Jorge Montero said the area excluded from the reserve contained 'no archaeological or other kind of heritage.' The authorities argue that the rezoning will strike a blow to illegal miners operating in the area, who will have to apply for permits to operate in areas that now fall outside the reserve. Illegal mining has been partly blamed for a wave of gang violence in Peru, one of Latin America's biggest gold producers. Archaeologists however poured scorn on the government's explanations, saying the rezoning could hamper new discoveries in the area. 'It's completely absurd,' Pieter Van Dalen, head of the College of Architects of Peru, told AFP. 'How could he (the mining minister) know, without being an expert, whether there are (other) remains,' Van Dalen said, adding the the redrawing of the reserve's boundaries 'not only affects the lines but a series of settlements throughout the area.' In September, Japanese scientists used artificial intelligence to uncover 303 new etchings in the Nazca desert -- doubling the amount of the known geoglyphs created some 2,000 years ago by a pre-Inca civilization.
