Chan Chan Archaeological Zone

• Continuous deterioration of earthen architecture structures and decorated surfaces from lack of conservation and maintenance practices
• Illegal occupation of the property
• Unregulated farming activities
• Rising water table levels
• Delay in implementing protective measures (legislation and regulations already passed by the National Authorities)

• Fragile state of conservation of earthen structures and decorated surfaces due to extreme climatic conditions (El Niño phenomena) and other environmental factors;
• Inadequate management system in place;
• Insufficient capacity and resources for the implementation of conservation measures;
• Increase in the levels of the phreatic water table.

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4647

 Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/4647 

A World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission visited the property in December 2014. Subsequently, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report on 6 February 2015. The reports are available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/366/documents. Progress on the implementation of the corrective measures is reported by the State Party as follows:

• The update of the Management Plan for the Conservation and Management of Chan Chan is currently at its phase of finalization by the Ministry of Culture through the Special Project Chan Chan Archeaological Complex (PECACH) established in 2013. It will be integrated with other planning tools at the municipal and provincial level, along with the regulatory measures for the buffer zone of the property which has been already included in the Territorial Development Plan of the Provincial Municipality of Trujillo (PLANDET), as part of the Metropolitan Urban Development Plan of Trujillo for 2012-2022. The proposal of buffer zone contains administrative and technical scope (definitions, classification of Land Use and zoning and specific provisions prohibiting urbanization) and will be sent to the Municipality of Trujillo for final approval.
• The approval of regulations of Law 28261, which will address the issue of illegal occupations, is in the final phase and will be sent to the Office of the Prime Minister for evaluation and final approval by Supreme Executive Order.
• A Prevention Programme for the Niño Phenomenon ENSO 2014-2015 has also been submitted. Part of the activities inscribed within the programme have already been carried out, particularly maintenance works on the drainage system. A Project for the “Improvement and Expansion of Public Tourism Services at the Site Museum” is currently at its pre-feasibility study stage to be financed by MINCETUR. In this context, an Archaeological Assessment Project has determined that no architectural structures or remains may be affected by the project. Finally, the reports enlists a series of conservation and maintenance projects currently in process, in particular a conservation project for the implementation of research activities connected to the use of territory, implemented within the framework of international cooperation agreement signed by the Istituto per le Tecnologie Applicate ai Beni Culturali del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (ITABC-CNR).
• The Inter-institutional and International Agreements have been included in the areas of research, conservation and maintenance, which are in full force. Moreover, PECACH is currently managing Inter-institutional Agreements proposals with local government entities focused on solid waste management. A Proposal for the Plan for Public Use has been provided and is currently under evaluation by PECACH before being sent to the Ministry of Culture.

Significant progress has been made by the State Party in the implementation of the corrective measures. As noticed by the Reactive Monitoring mission, the backbone of the management structure of the site has improved considerably, permitting a seamless cooperation between the Ministry of Culture in Lima, the Decentralized Directorate in Trujillo and PECACH. The projected buffer zone surrounding the archaeological site seems to be appropriate and a set of restrictions with regard to urban development has been included in the regulatory measures. However, crucial aspects mentioned in the corrective measures are still in the process of implementation and requires to be finalized. This includes the resolution of the difficulties concerning the approval of the Regulation of Law 28261 and the updating process of the Management Plan and other planning tools.

Conservation and prevention measures to address the state of conservation of the archaeological site have largely contributed to control most of the factors that may affect the earthen architecture of the property. The 2014 mission considered positively the fact that the system of drains installed at the site has allowed monitoring and maintenance of the ground-water at a level that does not endanger the earthen construction and that the vegetation barrier has become a real protection for the property and not only an indicator of the site borders. Furthermore, the State Party has made great efforts to further ensure the appropriation of the property by the local community by disseminating information and promoting participation of the population in clean-up and conservation activities.  

In spite of the significant progress, it is recommended that the State Party finalize the process to ensure the updating of the planning tools, in particular the final approval of the updated version of the Management Plan, taking into consideration the views of the different stakeholders and to include natural and anthropogenic threats in the Integral Risk Prevention Plan. Moreover, a crucial step needs to be achieved with the final approval of the Regulations of Law 28261 which is necessary to address the issue of illegal occupants at the property.  As noted by the 2014 Reactive Monitoring mission, while the application of the existing law is still the best option, the lack of real progress in the discussion over the past ten years indicates that other solutions may be identified.

In order to allow the State Party to further complete the process of implementation of the corrective measures to ensure the long-term protection of the property, it is recommended that the Committee retain the property on the List of World Heritage in Danger. Based on the progress made in meeting the two pending issues referred to in the above paragraph, the Committee may consider the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger at its 40th session in 2016.