Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu

• Management systems/ management plan (Delays in reviewing the Master Plan and developing detailed yearly operational plans, and inadequate budgetary support for effective implementation; No evaluation of transport options, related geological studies, or the impact of bus traffic on increasing the risk of landslides; Lack of effective management of the property; Lack of risk management plans related to natural disasters)
• Impacts of tourism / visitor / recreation (Uncontrolled visitor access to the western part of the Sanctuary)
• Flooding
• Inadequate governance system including lack of adequate coordination of activities between different institutions and stakeholders involved in the management of the property (issue resolved)
• Lack of impact studies related to the carrying capacity of the Citadel and Inca Trail (issue resolved)
• Delays in the development and implementation of a Public Use Plan (issue resolved)
• Delays in implementing urban planning and control measures for Machu Picchu Village, the main point of entry to the property, which has impacted on the visual values of the property (issue resolved)

Total amount granted: USD 15,000 Extra-Budgetary Spanish FIT support for the participatory workshop requested by the World Heritage Committee (Decision 30 COM 7B.35)

On 12 December 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report. An executive summary of this report is available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/274/documents/. Progress in a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous sessions is presented in that report, as follows:

The new 2023-2027 Master Plan for the property is in the final stage of public consultation with new zoning standards being developed, and was expected for finalisation in December 2022;

In 2022, the Cusco Directorate of Culture adopted an Action Plan for the proper management and implementation of visitation in line with the capacity established by the relevant Ministerial Resolution;

Regulations for Sustainable Tourism Visits to the Llaqta of Machu Picchu were successfully drafted. The regulatory document was reviewed by the Ministry of Culture and is awaiting official approval;

The Visitor Centre project has a resolution of compatibility of use issued by the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP). A Unique Investment Code has been assigned and the integral project for its execution has been formulated;

The Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) of the Chinchero International Airport – Cusco, is being developed. The potential effects of the new airport have been considered in the diagnosis of the new Master Plan 2023-2027;

Admission capacity figures to the Llaqta are defined in the new Master Plan. Based on this, the Ministry of Culture will resume the public tender to prepare the Alternative Transportation Study for the Llaqta;

The Ministry of Culture has been urging the other entities of the Machu Picchu Management Unit (UGM) to comply with the agreed-upon commitment to comply with the external and interinstitutional conditions of the “Complementary Evaluation Report on the Increase in the Capacity for Admission to the Llaqta of Machu Picchu”.

The State Party emphasises that all important infrastructure studies and projects require a Prior Binding Technical Opinion from SERNANP, authorisation from the Ministry of Culture, a recommendation for requiring a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), a Detailed Environmental Impact Study, Heritage Impact Study, a Visitor Influx Scenario Study, and a review by the World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies.

On 16 July 2022, the Ministry of Culture published the Resolución Ministerial RM224-2022 which temporarily increased the maximum permitted number of visitors to the property from 3,044 to 4,044 until 31 December 2022. The World Heritage Centre expressed its concern regarding this measure in a letter dated 4 August 2022 and asked for a technical report concerning the latest protection measures undertaken by the State Party. On the basis of the report, Informe Nº 000194-2022-DSPM/MC, dated 7 September 2022, the Advisory Bodies prepared a Technical Review which was transmitted to the State Party on 4 November 2022.

Welcome progress has been made in the process of updating the Master Plan, as well as on the conservation, security and monitoring installations and activities implemented at the site. In particular, the advances in the protection of the original surfaces, the initiation of the Video Surveillance System Project, the reordering of the visitor circuits with the creation of a new exit, and the steps taken towards hiring new employees for administration, maintenance, conservation and surveillance are most welcome. The State Party should be requested to clarify how the Master Plan is linked to other existing strategies and visions for the property. Furthermore, in 2022, the Ministry of Culture completed the formulation of the Regulations for Sustainable Tourism Visits to the Llaqta of Machu Picchu, which is due to be approved by the corresponding Ministerial Resolution. It is unclear whether these regulations are equivalent to the Public Use Plan, expected for 2022, and should be clarified by the State Party. It is important that all of these activities receive the necessary funding to ensure their effective implementation in the long term.

The revised study on carrying capacity defined conditions for increasing the maximum daily visitor numbers to the Llaqta. In 2022, the Cusco Directorate of Culture adopted an Action Plan for the proper management and implementation of visitation in line with the capacity established by Ministerial Resolution Nº 224-2022-DM/MC. Noting that the Resolution permitted the temporary increase in numbers of visitors to 4,044 per day until 31 December 2022, and that there are several pending issues reported by the State Party, that would require to be addressed in order to fully meet the conditions for maintaining the number of daily visitors at this figure, the State Party should confirm that the numbers of visitors admitted to the Llaqta has been reduced through the Action Plan, according to the current situation. The State Party reports efforts to ensure inter-institutional commitments regarding admission capacity limits are upheld, and it is recommended that the Committee urge the State Party to ensure that all entities of the Machu Picchu Management Unit (UGM) do so in respecting the defined conditions for any increase of the admission capacity in the future, based on incremental improvements to the visitor management processes. The Advisory Bodies emphasise that the admission capacity of the property should be directly related to (a) the availability of sufficient human and material resources necessary to manage and control the flow of tourists, (b) the adequate preparation and maintenance of the property in order to avoid direct or indirect damage caused by visitors, and (c) the monitoring and mitigating actions concerning natural erosion and geological stability at the Llaqta and at the access routes.

The Visitor Centre project was positively evaluated by SERNANP for its compatibility with the protected natural area and has been subject to relevant administrative processes. However, information is lacking on the pending HIA, including the participation of the local population in the process, in line with the new Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context, and a timeframe for the project’s implementation.

It is noted that the State Party aims to initiate the Alternative Transportation Study following the definition of the admission capacity for the property, and the State Party should be encouraged to complete this process taking into consideration the necessity to maintain visitation numbers within the carrying capacity of the property.

In one of the annexes of its report, the State Party mentions an increase in incidences of site invasion, looting and illegal changes of land use at the property, particularly along the entrance routes. The State Party should take the necessary steps to control this situation and report on activities and results to the Committee.

It is noted that the HIA of the Chinchero International Airport – Cusco, which is in the process of being formulated, was reviewed by personnel of the property and is reported to utilise a more inclusive approach than previous studies, which were concentrated mainly on the area immediately surrounding the airport. However, the document is reported to lack proposals for mitigation measures for the impact on the property of the expected rise in tourism numbers. The State Party should be requested again to ensure, in line with Paragraph 118bis of the Operational Guidelines, that any major infrastructure transport project, such as airports, railways, cable cars, tunnels and roads, are rigorously assessed at an early stage of planning in terms of their impact on the property’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), on its wider setting and on the proposed future Machu Picchu-Choquequirao Biosphere Reserve, and that the corresponding impact assessments are undertaken in line with the Guidance and Toolkit for Impact Assessments in a World Heritage Context.

No further progress towards the establishment of a Machu Picchu-Choquequirao Biosphere Reserve was reported, and the State Party should be encouraged again to develop this proposal.