On January 9, 2020, the President of Peru, Martin Vizcarra, announced that the area around the Machu Picchu archaeological site would be reforested with one million trees in order to protect it from mud slides winter rains and forest fires during the dry summers.
Representatives from the country’s environmental protection ministry also emphasized that the trees were also needed to restore the protected area’s flora and fauna, much of which is threatened or endangered.
A total protected area of some 35,000 hectares (88,000 acres) surrounds the world-famous Incan archaeological complex, which is Peru’s most popular tourism destination.
“We’re here to begin the planting of a million trees in the protected zone around the Machu Picchu sanctuary,” Vizcarra declared.
Cusco, Peru.
Photo by jdbenthien from Pixabay.
Machu Picchu was rediscovered in 1911 by American explorer Hiram Bingham. Machu Picchu means “old mountain” in the local Quechua language, and was built during the reign (1438-1471) of the Inca emperor Pachacuti. It’s about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the mountain city of Cusco, which itself was the Incan capital of southeastern Peru.
The Inca empire ruled much western South America for the century prior to the 16th century conquest by Spain (after European diseases introduced by earlier explorers like Columbus had already their population by some 90%).
The Machu Picchu complex was their most iconic center, comprising three distinct areas: residential, agriculture and religious ceremonies. In 1983, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site.
Vizcarra added that this ambitious reforestation goal of a million trees was “a commitment from the government, the region, the municipality and all the citizens who want to protect this world wonder.”
The reforestation program is the second protective effort for Machu Picchu announced in the past eight months. Back in May of 2019, the nation imposed tourist traffic restrictions on three crucial areas of the site to help prevent additional degradation: the Temple of the Condor, the Temple of the Sun and the Intihuatana Stone.
Photo of Machu Picchu by trevor_fenwick from Pixabay.