City of Potosí

• Legal framework (inefficient enforcement of protective legislation)
• Management systems/ management plan
• Mining (potential degradation of the historic site by continued and uncontrolled mining operations in the Cerro Rico Mountain)
• Surface water pollution
• 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
• 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

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6969

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6969

Adopted, see page https://whc.unesco.org/en/decisions/6969

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 2 February 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, the executive summary of which is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/420/documents/, providing the following information:

• The approval of the Integrated and Participatory Management Plan (IPMP) in July 2021. The Management Plan, which contains 55 projects, was submitted by the Bolivian authorities in December 2021 to the World Heritage Centre for review by the Advisory Bodies;
• The Management Committee for the implementation of the IPMP was established and is composed of concerned institutions representing the three levels of government: national, departmental and Municipal authorities;
• In June 2021, the Autonomous Municipal Government of Potosi created the Natural and Cultural Landscape Unit to ensure a sustainable and integrated management of all components of the property: the historic centre, Cerro Rico and the Kari Kari lagoons;
• As part of the Management Plan’s actions, a series of consultation meetings started in August 2021 with the participation of the Ministry of Cultures, Ministry of Mining and Metallurgy, local authorities, COMIBOL, FEDECOMIN and other mining cooperatives, civil and academic representatives, to discuss the possible alternatives for the relocation of miners and employment options for these miners who continue working above the 4,400m limit;
• After a census carried out in September 2021, COMIBOL, entity responsible for the relocation of miners, identified the 21 cooperatives that illegally work above the 4,400m limit and started together with FEDECOMIN and the Ministry of Culture a dialogue with the representatives of these cooperatives for their relocation. A proposal was made in October 2021 of three new potential areas for relocation of the 2,387 miners concerned, but the cooperative members raised some strong concerns;
• Development of an inventory of affected structures of the architectural, industrial and public spaces and urban buildings for the Ribera de los Ingenios and formulation of guidelines and criteria for the intervention on historic and industrial buildings are ongoing;
• For the implementation of preventive conservation projects at the historic centre as well as initiatives to improve urban mobility and public transport, some interventions have been carried out, but the local government admits to lack of technical staff and financial resources for their implementation;
• There are some concerns about the environmental impacts of authorized mining concessions which could cause the generation of acid waters contaminating surface water resources, wetlands, terrestrial wildlife at the Kari Kari system;
• Consultations among the three levels of government are ongoing regarding the proposal for Minor Boundary Modification to respond to the recommendations provided by the World Heritage Committee to ensure its articulation with existing land use regulations;
• Work has been reported with regard to the updating of local regulations through a consultancy in view of the elaboration of a Landscape Charter to harmonize regulations in the three components of the property;
• A new extension of at least two years to the timeline for the full implementation of the corrective measures is required taken into consideration the context of the political situation of the country, the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and the social situation in the region of Potosi.

The State Party should be commended for the implementation, despite the difficult context, of various important actions requested by the Committee in previous sessions, to meet the corrective measures for achieving the Desired state of conservation for the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger (DSOCR).

The finalization, approval and submission for review of the IPMP for the whole property should be welcomed since this instrument will constitute the basis of the actions required to ensure the removal of the property from the List of World Heritage in Danger.

The IPMP was assessed by ICOMOS in its April 2022 technical review, which noted that the plan is based on the DSOCR and was elaborated according to the methodology proposed in previous missions by the World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS, and includes overall strategies and policies for each of the elements that make up the property. The document, and its correct implementation, could contribute to the fulfilment of the indicators of the DSOCR, presenting general guidelines to follow in the coming years as well as for the preservation of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), including integrity and authenticity. Although ICOMOS noted that the IPMP could be improved by expanding the strategies and the projects or programmes to be developed by all the authorities involved, the plan establishes an initial roadmap for its application in the near future. The creation of a Management Unit, as foreseen in the IPMP, will ensure the participation of agencies, institutions and organizations of the civil society related to the property’s management.

The efforts deployed by the three level of government under the leading of the Ministry of Culture to ensure a dialogue with the cooperatives concerned to find a solution for the relocation of miners working illegally above 4,400m limit should also be noted and the State Party encouraged to reinforce the consultations and continue the studies to identify the new potential areas for relocation taking into consideration the social and economic needs of the communities concerned.

The lack of progress in the harmonisation, expansion and reinforcement of the legal framework for the protection of all the components of the property remains a serious concern. The State Party should be urged to finalize the process and to ensure the resources and management mechanisms needed to address several of the corrective measures related to the property’s mining productive heritage.

Another urgent issue remains the finalization of a proposal for the adoption of the revised Minor Boundary Modification for the three components of the property, in accordance with recommendation provided by the Committee in its Decision 43 COM 8B.66, which is a requirement to ensure the proper implementation of the IPMP.

While some progress has been achieved regarding the conservation intervention on some of the monumental and industrial heritage at the Historic Centre, the information provided with regard to the lack of financial and human resources to ensure the design and implementation of preventive conservations projects is source of concern.

Finally, the environmental impacts due to the authorization of mining activities within the area of Kari Kari Lagoons should be mentioned and the State Party requested to ensure appropriate protection to this important component of the property.