City of Potosí

• Potential degradation of the historic site by continued and uncontrolled mining operations in the Cerro Rico Mountain
• Instability and risk of collapse of the Cerro Rico
• Deficiencies in conservation: special attention required for the restoration and upgrading of structures with residential use and the archaeological industrial heritage
• Inefficient enforcement of protective legislation
• Environmental impacts on the hydraulic complex which in turn affects historic fabric and local population

• Instability and imminent risk of collapse of the Cerro Rico’s summit
• Lack of conservation policy of integral character which considers all the components of the property
• Deficiencies in conservation: special attention required for the restoration and upgrading of structures with residential use and the archaeological industrial heritage
• Potential degradation of the historic site by continued and uncontrolled mining operations in the Cerro Rico Mountain
• Inefficient enforcement of protective legislation
• Threatening impacts of climatic, geological or other environmental factors

In progress

In progress

Total amount granted: USD 10,000 for a World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS technical mission in 2005 financed by the Spanish Funds-in-Trust for World Heritage.

On 19 February 2015, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/420/documents.  Progress is presented, as follows:

• In 2014, the State Party launched a set of actions for the promulgation of a new Law regarding exploration on altitudes above 4,400m in replacement of Supreme Decree 27787 of October 2004 that regulates Mining exploitation and the delocalization of miners that work in the area. Negotiations with the mining cooperatives conducted by the Ministry of Mining and Energy and the Mining Corporation of Bolivia (COMIBOL) are in process to find a solution. It is stated that after the evaluation made by the Bolivian Company Q&Q on the stability of the summit of Cerro Rico, the State Party suspended all works in the area and informed all miners of the 5 risk zones detected. Public bidding for the hiring of companies to undertake works of filling the summit has started in January 2015. At the same time, the Ministry of Cultures launched the project “Emergency Measures and Structural Consolidation of Cerro Rico” with the objective to elaborate a detailed diagnosis on the top risk areas and establish a strategy which includes emergency measures for the structural consolidation of Cerro Rico. The project foresees activities in risk mitigation and disaster recovery at the property with the participation of international experts specialized in geo-structures and mining environmental engineering.
• A set of rules to reinforce the role of the Inter-institutional Entity that will be in charge of the elaboration of the Integral Management Plan has been adopted. The national, regional and municipal institutions responsible for the protection of the property will participate in this Entity and are fully committed to support the development of this tool. In this context, the Ministry of Cultures and Tourism has elaborated the project “Elaboration of the integral and participative management plan for the conservation and management of city of Potosi” within the framework of an international assistance approved by the World Heritage Fund. The Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) and the participatory management plan will be developed with the assistance of the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies in 2015.
• Other conservation activities are reported as taking place at the City of Potosí.

The report on the state of conservation of the property does not provide detailed information on the implementation of the recommendations made by the World Heritage Committee to assess the current situation.

With regard to the stabilization works at the summit of Cerro Rico Mountain, they need to be operational as a matter of urgency. The progress made by the State Party in this area is very limited and needs to be pursued, in particular the selection process of the company in charge of filling the summit. The evaluation and definition of the most adequate strategy to undertake these works must be a priority as pointed out in previous decisions. Furthermore, no timeframe is provided for the finalization of the procedures and the stabilization works of Cerro Rico.

The adoption of a new legislation in replacement of Supreme Decree 27787 is welcomed, taking into consideration the difficulties to apply the moratorium on all explorations above 4,400m and to effectively implement the relocation of miners. The halt of all works in the 5 identified risk areas is also a progress, as well as the negotiations for the relocation of workers between the Ministry of Mines and Metallurgy, COMIBOL and the mining cooperatives. However, no specific timeframe or explanation about the process of relocation of miners and the content of the Law has been provided by the State Party. It is recommended that, at this stage, the Committee request the State Party to send the draft proposal of this Law to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies.

It is noted that the State Party did not propose a Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR) and a set of corrective measures, as requested by the Committee. These are essential for the planning and monitoring of interventions that should eventually lead to the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The progress made in reinforcing the inter-institutional mechanism to be established for the elaboration and implementation of the integrated management system for the property has to be underscored. As it was pointed out in previous decisions, the management and monitoring of each component rests at various management levels, leading to lack of coherence and articulation in decision-making process. The new management system should include a policy framework covering all the components of the inscribed property to ensure the entire protection of its Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) and take into consideration the recommendations made by the 2013 Reactive Monitoring mission. This will be a crucial issue where the Advisory Bodies and the World Heritage Centre will certainly play a role to support the efforts made by the State Party. The implementation of the international assistance approved for this purpose is most welcomed.

The definition of the buffer zone of the property should be addressed within the framework of the definition of the planned integrated management system as to include a clear understanding for the protection of the visually sensitive areas around the property.