Chan Chan Archaeological Zone

a) Continuous deterioration of earthen architecture structures and decorated surfaces from lack of conservation and maintenance practices;

b) Illegal occupation of the property;

c) Unregulated farming activities;

d) Rising water table levels;

e) Delay in implementing protective measures (legislation and regulations already passed by the national authorities).

• Fragile state of conservation of earthen structures and decorated surfaces due to extreme climatic conditions (El Niño phenomena) and other environmental factors;
• Inadequate management system in place;
• Insufficient capacity and resources for the implementation of conservation measures;
• Increase in the levels of the phreatic water table.

Updated version drafted; proposed for adoption in the draft Decision below

Identified; proposed for adoption in the draft Decision below

Revised proposal established; proposed for adoption in the draft Decision below

The State Party submitted a comprehensive report on the state of conservation of the property on 17 February 2012. Actions implemented throughout 2011 were reported in accordance to corrective measures previously adopted.

a) Protection, conservation, restoration, maintenance and management of the property

The Special Project for the Chan Chan Archaeological Complex has carried out interventions since 2006 in accordance to provisions made in the Master Plan. Work was continued on the conservation of perimeter walls, structures on the verge of collapse and others that required material and structural stabilization. Protection measures have also been undertaken for the decorated surfaces in areas currently open to the public, as well as maintenance of replicas, protective shelters, access roads, and weeding of water reservoirs and other areas of the site. The report indicates that investments from the Public Sector Budget Act will continue throughout 2012 in areas that were prioritised in the Management Plan. Awareness raising and educational activities were implemented as in past years.

b) Institutional structure that allows for effective decision-making and the implementation of the Master Plan

The State Party reports that as of January 2011, the Special Project for the Chan Chan Archaeological Complex had been assigned by Ministerial Resolution 039-2011-MC of 26 January 2011, to the Ministry of Culture. This will improve the decision-making process under a single institutional entity. The State Party explained that the Chan Chan Special Project was restructured in order to strengthen the management of the property; however no specific information on this issue was included in the report.

c) Review and update the Master Plan, including a public use plan and a comprehensive risk preparedness plan

The State Party reported that a proposal has been drafted for the update of the Master Plan to include the elements of public use and risk preparedness. Until the Master Plan is updated, the existing Contingency Plan has been expanded to include, water and geological factors affecting the property. Using the World Heritage Resources Manual for Managing Disaster Risks as the basis, guidelines were established for the drafting of a revised plan; however the updated Master Plan, including a public use plan and a comprehensive risk preparedness plan was not included in the State Party’s report. In addition, no timeframe was provided as to when the review of these documents would be concluded.

d) Continue its work to prepare the property for strong rains connected to the El Niño phenomenon

A plan is in place to address these specific emergencies. Interventions foreseen for the 2012 rainy season include improvements to the temporary shelter system which functioned well after the first strong rains of the season.

e) Approve and apply all pertinent legislation and its regulations, mainly Law Nº 28261 and regulations related to the buffer zone

The report notes that the texts of the regulations of the Law no. 28261 have been submitted to the Ministry of Culture for approval, however no further information is provided on its current status or on an expected date for the official approval of this legal text. This legal procedure has been pending for the last 10 years. No clear statement or detailed course of action was submitted by the State Party. Discussions were undertaken between the Ministry of Culture and the Provincial Municipality of Trujillo for the regulations for the buffer zone. No expected timeframe for the approval of such regulations has been provided. Verifications were undertaken to prevent expansion of agricultural areas or attempts to invade the intangible area. Legal and administrative actions under the competency of the Ministry of Culture have been imposed for the necessary cases. Additional actions are planned for 2012 related to planting vegetation to control and prevent the deposit of solid waste in vulnerable sectors of the Complex. In order to control and prevent unauthorized agricultural and housing works, damage to the archaeological areas, vehicular traffic on unauthorized routes, etc., the State Party reported that in 2011 the Ministry of Culture, through the Regional Directorate of Culture, continued dissuasive surveillance activities in the site’s surrounding areas.

f) Design and install a monitoring system with clear indicators for the state of conservation of the property, the effectiveness of the conservation interventions and the management efficiency

Actions have been carried out to monitor water table levels and to verify the efficacy of drainage constructed since 2005. Control wells are also being monitored to record fluctuations. Additionally, data on rainfall, wind, humidity, temperature and radiation is being collected on an hourly basis to assist in the assessment of conservation conditions.

g) Museo Nacional del Gran Chimú and project for a theme park

A proposal for the construction of the Museo Nacional del Gran Chimú was presented in 2011. On 18 November 2011, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture issued a Resolution of the Director’s Office, ruling that: “Article 2: The construction of the Museo Nacional del Gran Chimú in the Pampas de Padre Abán is hereby declared inadmissible and other alternatives for its construction should be considered”, based on the fact that the construction of a national museum within the Intangible Zone of the Chan Chan Archaeological Complex is contrary to the provisions contained in the Master Plan. Since then, no additional proposal has been submitted.

The state of conservation report also includes a draft proposal for the Desired state of conservation for the property with updated corrective measures and a revised timeframe for implementation, which is proposed below for adoption. 

The World Heritage Centre and the Advisory Bodies take note of the progress that has been achieved by the State Party since the time of inscription in continuing to address the serious state of deterioration of the property and the progress made in improving its management. They note however that in spite of these efforts the property will always be highly vulnerable and that measures will need to be implemented on a systematic and ongoing basis to ensure that its Outstanding Universal Value is sustained. Despite the efforts made by local and national authorities, no significant progress has been achieved in relation to the official approval of the Regulations of Law 28261 and the legal framework for the protection of the property and its buffer zone, so as to ensure its removal from the List of World Heritage in Danger.