The Bureau recalled that the World Heritage Committee examined the state of conservation of Machu Picchu at earlier occasions and that it had made specific recommendations to the State Party on the basis of the recommendations of a joint ICOMOS/IUCN mission on the management, preservation and planning for the Sanctuary. These recommendations and the report of the IUCN/ICOMOS mission were transmitted to the Peruvian authorities for response.
The Secretariat stressed that Machu Picchu is a mixed World Heritage site that includes the well-known ruins of the Inca City, as well as an extremely high level of bio-diversity. It should be noted that a special programme for the preservation of the natural values of Machu Picchu is in implementation under a debt-swap agreement with Finland. The Secretariat informed the Bureau that:
- A report had been received from the National Institute for Culture, but that no substantive and complete response had been received in response to the recommendations of the IUCN/ICOMOS mission;
- No decisions had been taken by the Government of Peru with regards to the management structure for Machu Picchu;
- No master plan had been adopted but that it had been informed through a joint letter from INC and INRENA dated 16 June 1998 and a resolution of INRENA dated 19 June 1998 that an existing draft of a master plan would be revised and completed before the end of the year;
- The concession had been given for the undertaking of studies and design of the cable car system between the village of Aguas Calientes and the ruins of Machu Picchu and that the Peruvian authorities had assured that construction would not be undertaken if environmental impact studies would not confirm its feasibility within the context of a master plan for the Park.
Both IUCN and ICOMOS confirmed the above information and reiterated their concerns with reference to management and co-ordination issues and stressed that a master plan as well as environmental impact studies would have to be studied in detail when they become available.
The Bureau took note of the information provided by the Secretariat and the Advisory Bodies. It reiterated the concerns expressed by the World Heritage Committee at its twentieth and twenty-first sessions about the need for adequate management arrangements and a comprehensive master plan. It also reiterated the view of the Committee that no action should be undertaken on the implementation of the cable car system until an adequate master plan is in place.
The Bureau took note of the assurance from the Peruvian authorities that a master plan would be prepared and adopted before the end of the year and that the cable car system would be examined in the context of such a plan.
The Bureau requested the Peruvian authorities to submit by 15 September 1998 a report that should include:
- a response to each of the recommendations made by the ICOMOS/IUCN mission,
- the progress made in establishing adequate management arrangements,
- the progress made in the preparation of the master plan for the sanctuary, including the consideration of the access to the ruins of Machu Picchu. The master plan should also address the issue of the proposed extension of the boundaries of the Sanctuary to incorporate adjacent habitat that is important to endangered species.
On the basis of this report, the Bureau at its twenty-second extraordinary session will examine if the concerns about the state of conservation of the property persist and make the appropriate recommendations to the World Heritage Committee at its twenty-second session.