By Steven Grattan BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) \u2014 Peru\u2019s decision to shrink its archeological park home to the famous Nazca Lines by around 42% \u2014 an area roughly the size of 1,400 soccer fields \u2014 has sparked alarm among conservationists, archaeologists and environmental advocates. Critics say the rollback paves the way for informal mining and weakens decades of cultural and ecological protection, while the government says the adjustment reflects updated scientific studies and does not compromise the UNESCO World Heritage status or the site\u2019s core protections. \u201cThe reduction not only removes protections \u2014 it does so precisely where extractive activity is expanding,\u201d said Mariano Castro, Peru’s former vice minister of the environment, adding that the decision could cause \u201cvery serious risks and cumulative damage,\u201d as it excludes zones with active or… <\/p>\n
By Steven Grattan BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) \u2014 Peru\u2019s decision to shrink its archeological park home to the famous Nazca Lines by around 42% \u2014 an area roughly the size of 1,400 soccer fields \u2014 has sparked alarm among conservationists, archaeologists and environmental advocates. Critics say the rollback paves the way for informal mining and weakens decades of cultural and ecological protection, while the government says the adjustment reflects updated scientific studies and does not compromise the UNESCO World Heritage status or the site\u2019s core protections. \u201cThe reduction not only removes protections \u2014 it does so precisely where extractive activity is expanding,\u201d said Mariano Castro, Peru’s former vice minister of the environment, adding that the decision could cause \u201cvery serious risks and cumulative damage,\u201d as it excludes zones with active or... <\/p>\n