Chan Chan Archaeological Zone

• Identity, social cohesion, changes in local population and community
• Illegal activities
• Management systems/management plan
• Water (rain/water table)
• 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 phenomenon) 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

On 7 February 2019, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, which is available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/366/documents/, responding to the previous Decision of the Committee and the adopted corrective measures, as follows:

• Implementation of the corrective measures continues within the framework of the updated Master Plan with the objective of achieving the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR);
• The updated version of the Master Plan for the property (2015-2025) is still pending approval by the Ministry of Culture. A bill is being drafted so that the updated Plan will have the same legal status of approval as the original Master Plan;
• The Ministry of Culture has received no response from the Provincial Municipality of Trujillo regarding the incorporation of the buffer zone and its regulations into the Metropolitan Urban Development Plan of Trujillo. A new municipal administration took office in January 2019 and new efforts will be undertaken to obtain a response;
• Following the advice of a ministerial working group, an amendment to Law 28261 has been proposed to allow for the expropriation of illegally-occupied archaeological areas. For this purpose, the Ministry of Culture is updating the data of the property as a first step prior to the verification and geo-referencing of the areas that are illegally occupied;
• In 2018, Public Investment Projects (PIP), totalling an amount of 8.6 million Peruvian soles, were executed with regard to archaeological research, architectural conservation and public use;
• Several important improvements to the site museum were undertaken regarding maintenance, security, and improving the visitor experience;
• Although the Public Use Plan has not yet been approved, several activities related to cleaning, awareness raising and communication have been implemented in collaboration with local communities. These include traditional mud technique workshops, a handicraft workshop and the recreation of Chimu ceremonies as a means for the preservation of traditional knowledge;
• The Pan American Conservation Centre for Earthen Heritage Sites (PECACH) continued its activities related to scientific research of materials and construction techniques and monitoring of environmental conditions, and acquired new laboratory equipment for conservation purposes.

On 6 February 2019, the State Party submitted a separate dossier in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines on the possible widening of the Trujillo ring road (from 2 to 4 lanes), which crosses the property boundaries and buffer zone. The Ministry of Transport and Communication considers the widening of the road between Trujillo and Sullana, which is part of the Pan-American Highway, as a necessity, while the Ministry of Culture is of the view that such an expansion is not in line with the Master Plan and national legislation, and would negatively affect the property.

The State Party should be commended for its continued commitment to the conservation of the property and for its sustained efforts to implement the current Master Plan and the corrective measures identified by the Committee with the view to achieving the DSOCR.

It should be recognized that numerous activities were implemented in 2018, particularly through the PIPs and the PECACH programme in the areas of research, conservation, documentation, cleaning, maintenance, monitoring and awareness raising that have contributed to the overall protection of the property. The robust programme of public use activities are designed to strengthen community involvement, create economic opportunities, and encourage the preservation of traditional knowledge and intangible heritage elements. It may be concluded that important advances have been made in the implementation of the corrective measures and the achievement of the DSOCR.

It should be noted, however, that once again, no substantial progress has been made in the implementation of the three remaining key issues that the Committee identified in its Decision 41 COM 7A.26, namely:

• Adoption of the updated Master Plan, which is still pending formal approval by the Ministry of Culture;
• Delimitation and regulation of the buffer zone, which has been awaiting the response of the management office of the Trujillo Provincial Municipality’s Urban Development Plan since April 2016;
• Approval of regulations for Law 28261 regarding illegal occupations.

It should be reiterated that these are essential components of the programme of corrective measures that have been awaiting implementation for many years. Without them, the DSOCR cannot be achieved. It is therefore recommended that the Committee urge again the State Party to proceed with these issues as a matter of extreme urgency. Without the conclusion of these matters and proof of their effectiveness, the Committee will not be able to assess to what extent the DSOCR, as defined in its Decision 36 COM 7A.34, has been reached.

In March 2019, ICOMOS undertook a Technical Review of the proposed widening of the Trujillo ring road, which concludes that the project presented by the Ministry of Transport and Communications, in its present form, clearly endangers the integrity of the property, as well as its Outstanding Universal Value. Based on the available documentation, it is recommended that the State Party either a) improve the existing road ("pre-existing infrastructure") without widening it, and accompany any intervention with the necessary archaeological supervision, or b) identify a new trajectory for the road outside of the World Heritage property and its buffer zone. In the case that a new trajectory is identified, the existing road could be abandoned, recuperating an important aspect of the property's integrity and avoiding present and future problems connected to construction rubble and garbage disposal along the road, as well as future development pressures.