Nazca Lines in danger of damage!? The background is the rising price of gold and the battle for mining resources
//Summary - Level-B2//
The Peruvian Ministry of Culture reduced the protected area around the Nazca Lines from 5,600 to 3,200 square kilometres, raising concerns from archaeologists and environmentalists. They warn that mining activities, driven by high global metal prices, could damage the ancient geoglyphs, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Some areas removed from protection overlap with informal mining zones. Despite criticism, officials say the change helps better protect key sites. The Nazca Lines, dating back 2,000 years, attract tourists and have recently revealed new figures through AI and drone technology, with Yamagata University leading discoveries of hundreds of geoglyphs since 2019.
1)
The Peruvian Ministry of Culture announced that it would reduce the protected area surrounding the Nazca Lines by about half, raising concerns from archaeologists that the World Heritage Site could become a victim of mining policies.
In recent years, Yamagata University has accelerated the discovery of new lines in Nazca. This decision comes amid growing research results.
2)
On May 30, 2025, the Peruvian Ministry of Culture reduced the protected area around the Nazca Lines from about 5,600 square kilometres to about 3,200 square kilometres.
In response, archaeologists, environmental activists, and even former Peruvian Ministry of Culture officials have warned that the World Heritage Site could become a victim of conflicts over mineral resources.
3)
The Nazca Lines, which date back about 2,000 years, are spread across the Nazca Plateau, covering an area of about 400 square kilometres in the desert region of south-central Peru.
The drawings range from animals, plants, and people to geometric shapes, and previous surveys have confirmed hummingbirds, killer whales, monkeys, and, more recently, cats.
4)
According to Sidney Noboa, technology director at the nonprofit Amazon Conservation, the areas removed from environmental protection overlap with about 300 mining areas owned by informal miners who are registering their mining as legal.
5)
The background is the rise in the global price of precious metals. In Peru, where gold reserves are particularly abundant, legal mines, illegal miners, and the mafia are all mixed together, and fierce competition for land is occurring.
6)
Former Environment Minister Mariano Castro said in an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian that the decision to reduce the area "puts the protected area at severe risk and cumulative damage."
7)
"The Ministry of Culture of Peru has not considered that the expansion of mining to hundreds of sites will cause accumulated damage to the Nazca region, which is an archaeological heritage sensitive to environmental conditions."
8)
Meanwhile, on May 31, Culture Minister Fabricio Valencia appeared on a national radio program.
He explained that the reduction in the protected area "responds to the need to more accurately reflect the relationship between the geoglyphs and the physical features of the area and ensure their protection and preservation."
9)
In 1994, UNESCO designated the Nazca and Palpa Lines as a World Heritage Site for "indicating culture, magical and religious traditions and beliefs."
The ruins are an essential tourist resource for Peru. Recent technological advances, such as AI, drones, and aerial laser surveying, have discovered new geoglyphs.
10)
The centre of this effort is Yamagata University in Japan. In 2019, a research team from the university announced that they had discovered 143 new geoglyphs on the Nazca Plateau and its surrounding areas.
Additionally, an AI-based survey discovered 168 new geoglyphs, including camelids, felines, birds, killer whales, and snakes, in 2022 and 303 new ones in 2024.
Nazca Lines in danger of damage!? The background is the rising price of gold and the battle for mining resources
https://artnewsjapan.com/article/34710
AI discovers new Nazca Lines! "What previously took 20 years can now be done in one year" - Yamagata University's new method
https://artnewsjapan.com/article/1121
Four new Nazca Lines were discovered through AI (artificial intelligence) analysis. Research results from Yamagata University have been published in an academic journal, including the ability to identify potential lines 21 times faster than before.
168 new Nazca Lines discovered! Yamagata University research team conducts major investigation
https://artnewsjapan.com/article/660
A research group from Yamagata University has announced that it has discovered 168 new lines on the Nazca Plateau in Peru and its surrounding areas. Investigations and analyses are conducted using AI (artificial intelligence), drones, and aerial laser surveying. Yamagata University is the only research team officially authorised by the Peruvian Ministry of Culture to conduct academic research on the Nazca Plateau.
