Quebrada de Humahuaca

• Incomplete Management Plan
• Flooding risk
• Urbanization, Re-building/building extensions
• Intensification of Agricultural processes
• Antennae/Electric power lines
• Increasing tourist pressure

On 30 January 2020 the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1116/documents/, in response to an official letter sent by the World Heritage Centre on 4 December 2019 that requested information on various conservation and management issues of concern. The report and its annexes provide the following information:

• The property’s Management Plan adopted in 2008 has not been fully implemented. Most of the advances to date were towards the development of the Land Management and Environment Programme. This Programme was finalized in 2018 with the approval of the Provincial Law No. 6099, "Territorial Ordinance, land use and segmentation" and it addresses several components such as management, environmental and legal framework throughout the province;
• The Management Institute of Quebrada de Humahuaca has not been established as recommended in the 2008 Management Plan. As a result, the administration of the property is carried out by the Management and Administration Unit of Quebrada de Humahuaca (UGAQH), which falls within the Secretariat of Culture of Argentina;
• The development of an updated Management Plan for 2020-2028 is proposed, using a participatory methodology with the local communities, local and regional governments, as well as representatives of the national government with jurisdiction in the Quebrada de Humahuaca area;
• A Disaster Risk Management Plan is foreseen to be developed within the updated Management Plan 2020-2028 framework, using as working basis the Risk Assessment carried out in December 2018 in the Xth National Seminar of World Heritage Site Administrators in Buenos Aires;
• The Tren Jujuy-La Quiaca railway project intends to reactivate the railway route from San Salvador de Jujuy to La Quiaca that halted its operations in 1993. The project also foresees the rehabilitation of original railway stations of the route, as well as the construction of new supporting infrastructure in order to respond to contemporary uses. An Environmental Impact Assessment of this project was undertaken and approved by the Ministry of Environment of the Jujuy province (Ministerio de Ambiente de la Provincia de Jujuy);
• Other current ongoing project proposals are the paving of the transit road “Paso de Jama”, which connects the Northwest of Argentina with the Pacific ports in the North of Chile, and a Water Basin Management project for the Rio Grande and its tributaries;
• The Land Management and Environment Programme, technical information on the segment Jujuy-La Quiaca railway project and several documents regarding legal framework of the property are all included in annex to the report.

The State Party has made significant advances in addressing the recommendations of the World Heritage Committee at the time of inscription, including the incorporation of Quebrada de Humahuaca as part of the Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System and the preparation in 2008 of a Management Plan for the property. Taking into consideration that a segment of the property was inscribed as part of Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System, it is recommended that the Committee encourage the State Party to consolidate coordination efforts between the management systems in place for both properties to ensure consistency in approaches and decision-making, so as to respect the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of both properties.

Despite advances in the implementation of the 2008 Management Plan, such as the development of a Land Management and Environment Programme, a Water Basin Systematization Programme and some specific programmes of action, it is regrettable that the Management Plan has not been fully implemented and no Management Effectiveness Assessment has been put in place.

The State Party’s intention to develop an updated Management Plan for 2020-2028 is welcomed as a much-needed planning tool, which should include an updated sustainable tourism strategy, the development of a Disaster Risk Management Plan, and specific studies on the impact of tourism on the property.

It is noted with extreme concern that the Jujuy train railway project continues to be developed, and that no Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of the project has been submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was undertaken but was not submitted to the World Heritage Centre for review. The information submitted by the State Party indicates that the railway project aims to reactivate and refurbish the railway route, and the original railway station buildings. Furthermore, due to the railway’s inactivity and the impact that the tracks suffered from natural phenomena in recent years, the possibility of creating an alternative route to the current one is being considered, in order to avoid permanent risk to the railway infrastructure. As such, the State Party should provide further information on the project’s implementation, as well as a completed HIA, in line with ICOMOS Guidance on Heritage Impact Assessment for Cultural World Heritage properties.

The planning of several other interventions in the property, such as the Water Basin Management project and the paving of the transit road “Paso de Jama”, all of which no further detailed information was provided regarding its implementation, and as no HIAs have been submitted for evaluation, it might also be of concern.

In view of the above, it is recommended that the Committee request the State Party to invite an ICOMOS Reactive Monitoring mission to the property to assess the current state of conservation of the property and the effectiveness of management mechanisms and to evaluate the impact of planned and ongoing projects on the OUV of the property.