Home
/
News & Media
/
Science & Environment
/
Greenpeace Activists Damage Nazca Lines, Peruvian Authorities Say
Greenpeace Activists Damage Nazca Lines, Peruvian Authorities Say
Jan 17, 2024 3:36 PM

Greenpeace activists ignited controversy in Peru after they reportedly damaged a more than 1,000-year-old sacred cultural site during a protest earlier this week.

A dozen or so Greenpeace activists, shrouded in the darkness of night, hiked more than a mile through the Peruvian desert and into an off-limits area Monday to place large yellow letters that read "Time For Change! The Future is Renewable" (referencing renewable energy) next to the famed hummingbird geoglyph at the Nazca Lines.

The Nazca Lines are a collection of ancient geoglyphs -- patterns in the earth formed by moving and removing rocks from the natural landscape -- etched into the earth by the Nazca people more than 1,000 years ago, National Geographic notes. The site holds a special cultural significance to the Peruvian people and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

(MORE: Terrible News For the Amazon)

The message was supposed to draw the attention of world leaders and media alike, currently coalescing in Lima, Peru, roughly 200 miles to the north of the Nazca Lines,for the U.N. Climate talks,a summit designed to craft a draft for a new international climate agreement that would potentially curb carbon emissions.

Instead, the activists drew the ire of the Peruvian government, particularly Peru's vice-minister of culture, Luis Jaime Castillo.

“This has been done without any respect for our laws. It was done in the middle of the night. They went ahead and stepped on our hummingbird, and looking at the pictures we can see there’s very severe damage,” Castillo told the Guardian. “Nobody can go on these lines without permission – not even the president of Peru!"

Castillo said that the activists may have done permanent damage to the site by making deep footprints in the surface soil, according to the New York Times.

“A bad step, a heavy step, what it does is that it marks the ground forever,” Castillo told the paper. “There is no known technique to restore it the way it was.”

(MORE: Oceans Now Littered With 5 Trillion Pieces of Plastic)

Worse yet, before the incident, the hummingbirdgeoglyph was reportedly one of the only remaining Nazca Lines that was untouched by humans and in perfect condition. That may no longer be the case. Surveys were ongoing to determine the extent and scope of the damage.

In response, Greenpeace issued a statement condemning the actions, calling it "a shame that all of Greenpeace must bear."

"The decision to engage in this activity shows a complete disregard for the culture of Peru and the importance of protecting sacred sites everywhere," said Annie Leonard, Greenpeace U.S. Executive Director. "There is no apology sufficient enough to make up for this serious lack of judgment."

However, the apology may not be enough. Castillo said he's pressing for legal action against the activists, adding that "we are not ready to accept apologies from anybody."

"Let them apologize after they repair the damage," Castillo told the Times.

According to Kyle Ash, a Greenpeace spokesperson, that's exactly what the group will do. Ash told The Guardian that the group would take "total responsibility" for the incident, but just how much that could cost Greenpeace remains to be seen.

Comments
Welcome to zdweather comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Science & Environment
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zdweather.com All Rights Reserved