Quebrada de Humahuaca

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

N/A

On 15 December 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1116/documents which reported the following:

• A number of “guiding premises” and “strategic axes” have been identified in view of the establishment of the management system of the property. The “strategic axes” include Management, Identification and registration, Conservation, Public Use, Awareness, communication and dissemination, Legislation, Education, and Monitoring;
• Coordination is ensured to implement the same management system in the property and in “Quebrada Grande-Las Escaleras”, segment of the Qhapac Nan, Andean roads system; the participatory management methodology proposed for the federal management system that applies to the Qhapac Nan segment is aligned with the management approach implemented in the Quebrada de Humahuaca;
• A Disaster Risk Management Plan will be developed as part of the management system presently under elaboration. It is expected that this Plan will be finalized by end of 2023, as soon as the governance structure is in place;
• Concerning the Jujuy - La Quiaca Train Project, the development of a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) for World Heritage assets according to the Guidance and toolkit for impact assessments in a World Heritage Context has been requested to the relevant institutions, while some progress has been made concerning the elaboration of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). The State Party will submit full information on the project and the assessments to the World Heritage Centre as soon as they become available;
• While the construction of the Rio Grande works has not started, namely due to lack of financial resources, summary information on the project has been annexed to the report and information on mitigation measures related to hydrological risks and impact on populations and productive areas is available through a footnote link in the Report;
• A letter informing about the availability of the government of the Jujuy province to invite a Reactive Monitoring mission was received by the World Heritage Centre in December 2021;
• A team in charge of studying the impact of tourism in the property has been established. Parameters for the development of a sustainable tourism strategy are to be elaborated during the 2023-2024 biennium;
• 12 members from the local communities have been trained as guards of touristic sites of cultural value through a multifaceted course that includes first aid, geology, paleontology, archaeology, and tangible, intangible, historical and natural heritage.

The advances in the establishment of the management system of the property, namely the finalization of the “guiding premises” and “strategic axes”, are noted. It is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to finalize the updated Management Plan and to submit it to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for review as soon as possible.

The efforts to align methodologically the management of the segment Quebrada Grande-Las Escaleras”, segment of the Qhapac Nan, Andean roads system with the Quebrada de Humahuaca are noted with satisfaction; the State Party should be encouraged to continue these lines of action in the framework of the elaboration of the updated Management Plan for the property.

The provisional date for the finalization of the Disaster Risk Management Plan by end 2023 is noted. The State Party should be requested to submit this Plan to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for review as soon as it is available.

It is regrettable that no notable progress on the impact assessment concerning the Jujuy-La Quiaca train project has been reported. It is recommended that the Committee reiterate its request that the State Party finalize the HIA and the EIA for the project, according to the Guidance and toolkit for impact assessments in a World Heritage Context, and submit them to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies as soon as possible.

It is also regrettable that the projects foreseen at the Rio Grande have not been submitted yet to the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies for technical review, in accordance with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines. It is recommended that the State Party be urged to provide complete documentation on the projects, before works commence or any irreversible decision is made.

It is noted that a letter informing about the availability of the government of the Jujuy province to invite a Reactive Monitoring mission was received by the World Heritage Centre in December 2021, but that no arrangements could be made for the mission to take place in 2022. The organization of the mission as soon as possible should be reiterated.

The work of the State Party towards the establishment of parameters for the development of a sustainable tourism strategy and the training of tourism guards should be welcome and the State Party should be encouraged to continue these lines of action.