Machu Picchu (the Lost City) - Conservation and Sustainable Initiatives
This ancient Citadel aims to become the FIRST carbon-neutral UNESCO *Wonder of the World*!
Machu Picchu has always been top of my "bucket list" to visit. My wish is to hike the Inca Trail and arrive at the site as the sun rises over the Andes mountains; to see this amazing wonder at first light!
So it was of interest to read how the Peru's government has sustainability Initiatives in place to ensure this citadel stays off the UNESCO’s endangered sites list due to unsustainable practices.
The Peru government has the following conservation and sustainable Initiatives in place:
- Lowering emissions by 2050 by 100 per cent – in keeping with the Paris climate agreement
- Implemented waste and water management projects
- Planting a million trees - in the cloud forest - around the site to stop mudslides and forest fires
- A hydroelectric plant powered by the Urubamba river keeps the Sacred Valley green
- The local community and restaurants are turning their used cooking oil into biodiesel
Macchu Picchu is still one of the top tourist attractions in the world. So ecotourism is also high on the agenda to prevent damage to the site from footfall, erosion and waste.
The current rules in place are:
- Tourists are only allowed to visit the site ONCE and at a particular time and date (limit of four hours)
- Only 2,500 paying visitors per day
- A local guide has to be hired to visit the site, whether travelling independently or in a group
- Follow a designated route
- The Temple of the Sun, the Temple of the Condor and the Intihuatana Stone now have limited visiting hours
- Walking sticks are only allowed if they have protective rubber tips
- No single-use plastic or food is allowed on the site
- Only 400 visitor are allowed to climb Huayna Picchu Peak each day
Also offering alternative hiking trails to the traditional route to reach Machu Picchu to stop erosion of the pathways.
It is great to see that the Peru government is preserving the site and surrounding areas for future generations. It is also good to know that when I visit it will not impact the site.