City of Potosí

a) Potential degradation of the historic site by continued and uncontrolled mining operations in the Cerro Rico Mountain;

b) Instability and risk of collapse of the Cerro Rico;

c) Deficiencies in conservation: special attention required for the restoration and upgrading of structures with residential use and the archaeological industrial heritage;

d) Inefficient enforcement of protective legislation;

e) Environmental impacts on the river which in turn affects the historic fabric and the local population. 

USD 10 000, World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS technical mission in 2005 financed by the Spanish Funds-in-Trust for World Heritage

The Cerro Rico is an integral part of the World Heritage site - City of Potosi. In 1996, the World Heritage Committee noted with satisfaction that the Bolivian Mining Corporation (Corporación Minera de Bolivia – COMIBOL) had included the preservation of geological features and the topography and natural environment of the Cerro Rico as important objectives to be considered regarding future mining activities, given that uncontrolled mining operations over the last 500 years had continuously threatened not only the preservation of the Mountain, but also the lives of over 14 000 miners who work there on a daily basis.

In 2005 a technical mission conducted an analysis of the mountain’s geology and morphology, mining activities, security, pollution, existing environmental conditions and threats to heritage, and provided recommendations for each of the three sectors the mountain is divided into, namely the: summit, middle area and low area; as well as for its surroundings. These included: the termination of mining activities over 4000 metres above sea level and those not related to maintaining the stability of the mountain; the monitoring of all natural phenomena; the elaboration of a Geologic Monitoring Plan focused on geo-mechanics and geo-structural stabilization; the development of a Geo-Environmental Risk Plan; controlled mining activities; the elaboration of a mining work plan; the evaluation of pollution levels; and the implementation of measures to safeguard the human and labour rights of miners and their families.

During a meeting held in November 2009 in Bolivia the Ministry of Cultures agreed to undertake urgent measures to facilitate coordinated actions for the preservation of the mountain. The State Party also expressed the need for the development of a Management Plan for the City of Potosí and the Cerro Rico Mountain. In March 2010, the International Assistance request for the preservation of the Cerro Rico mountain was approved, with the objective of having qualified international experts work on the site to: (a) assess and analyze the specialized geotechnical, structural, geophysical and geodesic studies undertaken at Cerro Rico; (b) participate in the definition of a drilling programme; (c) assess and diagnose the structural stability status of the Cerro Rico; and (d) propose a suitable Action Plan in co-ordination with the Bolivian Government, national experts and stakeholders. It was agreed with the State Party that once the specialized studies were finalized, the Mission and the implementation of the International Assistance request would be undertaken.

As a result of the most recent and critical collapse of the summit (mid February 2011), the State Party requested the urgent implementation of the International assistance request to send a technical mission to the site in May 2011 and to organize an International Expert Meeting to urgently establish recommendations and guidance for the conservation and management of the property and its components. In particular, it is expected that an Action Plan will be developed to assist the State Party in identifying required measures for the preservation of the Mountain, including the definition of regulations for the control of mining activities. The State Party is presently finalizing the Tomography Study of the Cerro Rico and a preliminary report has been sent to ICOMOS for its analysis. 

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies note the serious collapse of a portion of the Cerro Rico Mountain, an important component of the property, and particularly the impacts that uncontrolled mining activities are having on the preservation of the mountain, its heritage components, and the potential threat to workers and the City of Potosí. They recommend that the World Heritage Committee point out that the formulation of an Action Plan as well as the identification of management and conservation recommendations is a necessary step in ensuring the conservation of the property. Current efforts could also serve to address pending issues, such as the definition of a larger buffer zone to include all reservoirs to the east and south-east of the City.