Historic Sanctuary Research Articles

Change of vegetation cover and land use of the Pómac forest historical sanctuary in northern Peru

The dry forests of northern Peru, in the regions of Piura, Tumbes, Lambayeque, and La Libertad, have experienced significant changes as a result of deforestation and changes in land use, leading to the loss of biodiversity and resources. This work analyzed for the first time the changes in vegetation cover and land use of the Pómac Forest Historical Sanctuary (PFHS), located in the department of Lambayeque (northern Peru). The employed approach was the random forest algorithm and visually interpreted Landsat satellite images for the periods 2000–2002, 2002–2004, and 2004–2008. Gain and loss rates were computed for each period, and the recovery process was assessed using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and enhanced vegetation index (EVI). Results indicate an expansion of agricultural land during each period, resulting in the deforestation of 102.6 hectares of dense dry forest and 739.9 hectares of open dry forest between 2000 and 2008. The degree of reforestation in the cleared areas was measured using the NDVI and EVI indices, revealing an improvement from 0.22 in NDVI in 2009 to 0.36 in 2022, and from 0.14 to 0.21 in EVI over the same period. This study is expected to pave the way for executing land management plans, as well as the use and conservation of natural resources in the PFHS in a sustainable manner.

<i>Sarcoglottis wernerherzogii</i> (Spiranthinae), a new species from Cusco, Peru

A new species of Sarcoglottis from the department of Cusco, Peru is described and illustrated as S. wernerherzogii. It is similar to eastern South American S. fasciculata but distinguished by its contrasting habitat (high-Andean montane cloud forest as 2050−2500 m a.s.l. vs. Atlantic rain forest near sea level), flowering after the shedding of the leaves (vs. flowering with leaves present); homogeneous green or yellow flowers (vs. whitish or pale green with contrasting reddish veins); rigidly conduplicate-concave lateral sepals that, when spread out are strongly falcate (vs. slightly concave, not rigid, obliquely lanceolate lateral sepals); strongly cymbiform, obovate hypochile as wide as long when spread out (vs. broadly channeled, oblanceolate hypochile about twice longer than wide or longer when spread out); ovate, strongly deflexed epichile provided with a central longitudinal thickening throughout its length (vs. erect or gently arcuate epichile with a thickening only at the apex); and apical anther beak truncate (vs. apical anther beak rounded). The strongly cymbiform hypochile that, when spread out is as wide as long, is unique in the genus. The differences between S. fasciculata, the new species, and other Peruvian species of Sarcoglottis are contrasted in a table. Sarcoglottis wernerherzogii is known from less than a dozen plants in two populations, both under nominal protection in the Machupicchu Historical Sanctuary and the Area of Conservación Regional Choquequirao, respectively. The status “DD” (data deficient) is suggested until an objective assessment of its risk status can be carried out.

A participatory practice-informed research agenda for the historical sanctuary of Machupicchu: first experience in Peru

Purpose A research-practice team was convened for the Machupicchu World Heritage Site to participate in the Heritage Place Lab (HPL), with the goal of building a practice-informed research agenda designed to support the management needs of the site.Design/methodology/approach The agenda was built based on both the HPL methodology and a complementary one.Findings The proposed agenda centres on three research priorities: (1) Ecosystem services and well-being, (2) local sustainable development and cultural heritage, and (3) mixed-heritage research integration for conservation.Practical implications These priorities address conflicts between the two agencies that manage the site and a lack of awareness of heritage values in contrast to economic interests.Originality/value The article proposes new research-informed strategies for joint working between the managing agencies of a site where conservation needs conflict with public use demands, representing the first such case for Peru.

EVALUATION OF TOURISM MANAGEMENT IN THE BOSQUE DE PÓMAC HISTORIC SANCTUARY, PERU

The objective of this research was to evaluate the management of tourism in the Bosque de Pómac Historic Sanctuary, in the region of Lambayeque, Peru, by developing a methodology using criteria and variables related to the sustainability of the protected natural area and the activity. Although several methodologies can be used to evaluate the general management of natural protected areas, this study focuses exclusively on tourism-related activities in one specific area. To develop the methodology, international documents related to tourism, nature, and culture were reviewed, and six criteria were obtained to evaluate the progress of tourism management in natural protected areas: Management Governance, Heritage Conservation, Identity and Authenticity, Equity and Inclusion, Marketing and Commercialization, and Visitor Experience. Subsequently, fifty-six variables were determined to be evaluated within the six criteria. A numerical evaluation matrix was designed in order to be applied to the criteria and variables with four rating levels; semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-five specialists in the area of tourism and natural protected areas (businesspeople, academics, consultants, public officials, as well as local entrepreneurs) linked to the protected area, and information was obtained from technical reports and field inspections. Using the scores, it was determined that the sanctuary has positively developed the criteria of Governance, Conservation, and Visitor Experience, while the issues related to Cultural Identity and Authenticity, as well as Inclusion and Equity, still need to be improved. Keywords: governance, sustainability, protected areas, sustainable tourism.

Masdevallia bastantei(Orchidaceae), a New Species from Machupicchu, Peru

Abstract—Machupicchu Historical Sanctuary is a natural protected area that bears a considerable orchid diversity.Masdevalliais one of the most common, showiest, and distinctive genera among Machupicchu orchids, where six species are currently known. Here, we describe a new species ofMasdevalliafrom Machupicchu, which we nameMasdevallia bastantei. The species is similar toM. karineaebut differs in the long flowers of 12 to 17 cm in length and a campanulate, incanous, maculate sepaline tube. We provide a description and illustrations of this new species. Furthermore, we present pictures and a key including allMasdevalliaspecies that occur within the Machupicchu Historical Sanctuary.

Qualitative analysis for the improvement of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu : vision of academics vs professionals

espanolEl Santuario Historico de Machu Picchu (SHM), elemento del patrimonio historico material del Peru, declarado Patrimonio Mundial por la Unesco, es sin duda uno de los principales atractivos turisticos de Sudamerica; el cual, soporta una alta presion turistica, problemas de saturacion y riesgo de impacto en su conservacion. En el presente trabajo, se realiza una auditoria del nivel de calidad en la gestion turistica del sitio utilizando el metodo Delphi. Se obtiene la vision de dos tipos de especialistas: academico y profesional en el sector turistico, sobre medidas para atenuar la situacion descrita y asi plantear lineamientos que tengan como fin mejorar la competitividad turistica. Se requiere conocer los puntos de vista y propuestas de los investigadores universitarios y gestores de empresas turisticas con relacion al futuro del SHM. Las conclusiones de la investigacion, en funcion de la originalidad de sus objetivos y metodologia, son de interes para la gestion de este patrimonio mundial. EnglishThe Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, an element of the tangible historical heritage of Peru, declared aWorld Heritage Site by Unesco, is undoubtedly one of the main tourist attractions in South America; whichsupports high tourist pressure, saturation problems and risk of impact on its conservation. In the present work, an audit of the level of quality in the tourist management of the site is carried out usingthe Delphi method. The vision of two types of specialists is obtained: academic and professional, in the tourismsector, on measures to mitigate the situation described and thus propose guidelines that aim to improve tourismcompetitiveness. The points of view and proposals of university researchers and managers of tourism companiesis relevant in relation to the future of the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu. The conclusions of the research,depending on the originality of its objectives and methodology, are of interest for the management of this worldheritage site.

Did earthquakes strike Machu Picchu?

The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (Cusco, Peru) is one of the most important archaeological monuments in Peru and worldwide. Machu Picchu is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site and at risk from climatic change. However, the seismic centennial history of Peru reports large earthquakes generated both along the subduction zone (Mw8) and on active crustal faults along the Andean Cordillera (Mw7). It is therefore important to know if Machu Picchu is located in an area of seismic hazard and then to take measures to mitigate potential seismic hazards. Due to the short historical earthquake catalogue (< 500 years) and the absence of significant recent instrumental seismicity in the site’s vicinity (radius of < 30 km), our knowledge about the seismic hazard in Machu Picchu is limited. The earthquakes of 1650 and 1950 affected Cusco city and surrounding areas, but without damage descriptions in Machu Picchu (80 km away) (Silgado Ferro 1978). In this study, we make the first attempt to use the analysis of earthquake archaeological effects (EAEs) and their differentiation from the effects generated by slope movements (creep) to investigate the past occurrence of strong earthquakes at the site. The application of geological structural analysis to the deformations observed in Machu Picchu shows two directions of the mean ground movement: N020° E and N110° E. Two earthquakes that affected Machu Picchu during its construction generated these directions. This kind of data should be used in the future to protect this important archaeological site.

Valoración económica de servicios ecosistémicos de provisión y paisaje del Santuario Histórico Bosque de Pómac

espanolEl objetivo de la investigacion fue determinar la valoracion economica de servicios ecosistemicos de provision y paisaje del Santuario Historico Bosque de Pomac y formular mecanismos de retribucion, se utilizo la metodologia de valoracion contingente expresada en la disponibilidad a pagar; se aplicaron encuestas con 8 items a 374 pobladores de 14 caserios de la zona de amortiguamiento y encuestas con 1 item a 659 visitantes regionales, nacionales y extranjeros del SHBP, ambas validadas con Alfa de Cronbach, el trabajo de campo fue realizado desde el 3 de Junio hasta el 30 de Noviembre de 2017, posteriormente se utilizaron medidas de tendencia central y se determino la disposicion a pagar. Se concluyo que: 1. Los pobladores de la zona de amortiguamiento del SHBP manifestaron su disposicion a pagar en promedio S/.20,98 por el quintal de fruto seco de algarrobo; S/.7,45 por el quintal de fruto seco de sapote, S/.22.37 por la carga de lena charra y S/.10,79 por kilogramo de miel de abeja; 2. Los pobladores encuestados, manifestaron que estan dispuestos a pagar en promedio S/.3,94, los visitantes nacionales S/.10,96 y los extranjeros S/.24,48; 3. La disposicion a pagar promedio por los visitantes nacionales fue de S/. 7,95 por visitar el SHBP y los extranjeros de S/.30, 86, 4. Los mecanismos de retribucion que proponen los encuestados fueron el pago directo del valor del servicio y acciones como parte del programa de guardaparques voluntarios. EnglishThe objective of the research was to determine the economic valuation of the ecosystem services of provision and landscape from the Historical Sanctuary “Bosque de Pomac” and to formulate retribution mechanisms, the methodology of the contingent valuation expressed in the availability to pay was used. 8-item surveys were applied to 374 inhabitants from 14 villages in the buffer zone and 1-item surveys were used to 659 regional, national and foreign visitors of the SHBP, both validated with the Cronbach’s Alfa. Filed work was carried out from June 3rd to November 30th, 2017, central tendency measures were later used and the availability to pay. It was concluded that: 1. The inhabitants from the buffer zone of SHBP expressed their willingness to pay on average S /. 20.98 for a quintal of carob dried fruit; S /.7.45 for a quintal of sapote dried fruit, S /. 22.37 for the fallen branches, better known as the “load of wood” and S /. 10.79 for the kilogram of honey. 2. The inhabitants surveyed showed that they are willing to pay on average S /. 3.94, national visitors S/. 10, 96 and foreigners S /. 24, 48; 3. The average willingness to pay for national visitors was S/. 7.95 for visiting the Historical Sanctuary “Bosque de Pomac” and foreigners agreed to pay S/. 30, 86. 4. The retribution mechanisms proposed by the respondents were the direct payment of the value of the service and actions as part of the voluntary park rangers program.

R. Angus K. Smith, Mary K. Dabney, Evangelia Pappi, Sevasti Triantaphyllou and James C. Wright. Ayia Sotira. A Mycenaean chamber tomb cemetery in the Nemea Valley, Greece

This volume publishes a group of 6 chamber tombs excavated at the south end of the Nemea valley, not much more than a kilometre to the north-west of the settlement of Tsoungiza, which itself lies a similar distance slightly to the north-west of the historical Sanctuary of Zeus, site of one of the four regular festivals of Panhellenic athletic contests. Tsoungiza was a long-lived settlement, originally founded in the Early Bronze Age but abandoned for much of the Middle Bronze Age and only resettled in the phase in which the foundations of Mycenaean civilisation were being laid.

Vasos para el otro mundo: cinco ejemplos de vasos ceremoniales encontrados en una mano de los fardos de personajes de la élite sicán

Excavations over the last two decades by members of the Sican Archaelogical Project (PAS) at the Pomac Forest Historical Sanctuary in Batan Grande, in the middle La Leche Valley on the Peruvian North Coast, have produced the discovery of Middle Sican period (AD 900-1000) elite tombs, with a certain degree of complexity, where main funerary bundles have fake arms and hands, and hold a characteristic vase on one hand as a toast to gods or ancestors in the journey to another life. We analyze five such vases, four of them from Huaca Loro and one from Huaca Las Ventanas, both located at the Sican Ceremonial Site. This vases show morphological and iconographic characteristics that are unique and differ from the rest of Middle Sican vases previously studied by the author.

Presencia del oso andino Tremarctos ornatus (Carnivora: Ursidae) en el Corredor de Conservación Vilcabamba–Amboró, sureste del Perú

Evaluations in situ , interviews, literature review and database of museums and zoos were performed, with the aim of identifying areas with Andean bear Tremarctos ornatus records in the Peruvian sector of Vilcabamba–Amboro Conservation Corridor. Bear presence was reported in several areas of regions Ayacucho, Junin, Cuzco, Madre de Dios and Puno, including protected areas: Ashaninka, Machiguenga and Amarakaeri Communal Reserves, Otishi, Manu and Bahuaja Sonene National Parks, Megantoni National Sanctuary, Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary, Choquequirao Regional Conservation Area and Bosque Nublado, Pillco Grande–Bosque de Pumataki and Japu Bosque Ukumari Llaqta Private Conservation Areas. Within the corridor, the bear moves between ~ 400 and 4,170 mas (range: 3,770 m), ranging from tropical rainforest to the highlands. The most important area for the bear, in size and variety of resources, would consist of Megantoni, Manu, Amarakaeri and Japu Bosque–Ukumari Llaqta, as it would provide a greater range of altitudes and areas in good condition. It is likely that there is connectivity between populations of Peru and Bolivia, because the records of Pampa Gloria (San Pedro de Putina Punco, Puno, Peru) are located at a distance of only 1.2 km from the Madidi National Park (Bolivia). Currently, some human activities such as forest clearing for agriculture, farming, logging, mining, oil and gas exploitation, the paving of the Inter–Oceanic Highway, among others, directly impact forest occupying by the bear, reducing the availability of important components of its habitat (food, refuge and corridors) for the maintenance of their populations. Keywords: Andean bear, environmental problematic, Peru, protected natural areas, Vilcabamba–Amboro.

Managing Machu Picchu: institutional settings, business model and master plans

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze elements of continuity and change in the administrative history of the Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (HSM) over the last decade.Design/methodology/approachBased on a field study and of both qualitative and quantitative data, the paper reconstructs changes in accounting and planning processes and discourses.FindingsAt the macro level, in the recent past Peru has gone through a process of modernization of the State, moving to more transparent and accountable forms of public management that deeply restructured the public sector. In parallel, the international community (particularly, UNESCO) has urged the adoption of a comprehensive strategic management plan for the HSM. Common to these pressures for change is a logic of efficiency, of rationalization and control of public expenditures and of more effective public services. At the micro level, these two pressures for change are shaping both the transformation of the accounting representation system and the managerial and planning practices in Machu Picchu.Originality/valueThe paper focuses on a description of the institutional settings in order to make sense of the multiple rationalities involved; second, a reconstruction of the underlying “business model” of the main entity involved in the administration of Machu Picchu (in terms of internal structure and scope, visitor performance, financial performances, human resources); and third, a focus on the progressive introduction of master planning as a practice.

Hearth and Household Economy in an Andean Village

This study situates fuel collection and hearth activity in a rural village (Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary, Cusco, Peru) as cultural practices essential to securing household and collective production and reproduction. The physical hearth is spatially fluid, allowing it to serve as material and symbolic center throughout the household's life cycle. All members from children to the elderly participate in fuel collection, providing a new means of defining household composition. Wood connects the house to uncultivated landscapes and supports reciprocal labor networks and community festivals. Gendered and intergenerational divisions of labor result in four types of collection trips involving different plant species, wood sizes, and source ecosystems. With increased tourism to Machu Picchu, daily and seasonal labor patterns are changing as men and women do tourism work and children are educated in town. The physical hearth becomes more mobile as houses are improved. Changing labor patterns mean women bear an ...

Beyond Verticality: Fuelscape Politics and Practices in the Andes

This paper analyzes the material, discursive, and biophysical dimensions of fuelscapes, or energy landscapes. Ethnographic and ecological fieldwork was conducted in the Machu Picchu Historic Sanctuary, Peru. Andean land use studies have focused on agricultural patterns such as vertical production zones. Fuelscapes are an important, energy-based means of producing and representing landscape. They show how uncultivated lands fit into livelihood strategies and reflect historic sedimentation of landscape. Fuelscapes are shaped by ecological characteristics, historic settlement patterns and property rights, gendered and intergenerational divisions in household labor, and state conservation policies. Conservation policies delimit fuelscapes to privilege live trees, but the resultant denudation of dead wood may carry implications for ecosystem health. This study elucidates how official policies intersect with household and communal resource use strategies to produce Andean fuelscapes. It provides insight into how uncultivated ecosystems fit into land use politics, practices, and representation.

Managing Machu Picchu: Institutional Settings, Business Model and Master Plans - A Virtual Appendix

The authors have studied the site of the Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (HSM) over the last decade from an organizational/managerial point of view, based on field research and documents analysis.What follows is a sort of a virtual appendix of the article “Managing Machu Picchu: Institutional Settings, Business Model and Master Plans.” The paper offers an in-depth understanding of the economics of Machu Picchu and related change processes. At the macro level, in the recent past Peru has gone through a process of modernization of the State, moving to more transparent and accountable forms of public management that deeply restructured the public sector. In parallel, the international community (particularly, Unesco) has urged the adoption of a comprehensive strategic management plan for the HSM. Common to these pressures for change is a logic of efficiency, of rationalization and control of public expenditures and of more effective public services. At the micro level, these two pressures for change are shaping both the transformation of the accounting representation system and the managerial and planning practices in Machu Picchu. Based on a field study and of both qualitative and quantitative data, the paper will try to reconstruct changes in accounting and planning processes and discourses.. Some important details could not be inserted in the paper for space constraints. What we propose here is a sort of virtual appendix, offering some additional information that could help the reader better understanding the context and process involved at Machu Picchu. The reader interested in the story is suggested to read the article first, to position the research, the background, the methods, and the whole narrative, and then come back to this appendix for some additional details (as appendixes are normally used). Four boxes are provided: Box 1 – Peru - The political/administrative context; Box 2 – The functioning of the National System of Public Investments (SNIP); Box 3 – Machu Picchu Plan Maestro 1998, a summary; Box 4 – Machu Picchu Plan Maestro 2005, a summary.

Desarrollo sostenible en turismo: una propuesta para Machu Picchu

Raising awareness about the environmental risks faced by the Historical Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, providing tools for thinking that will contribute to addressing the Sanctuary’s problems, and finally, contributing to the debate by forwarding a proposal for the Sanctuary’s sustainable management are the purposes of this study. In the first section, statistics show Peru is basically a unipolar travel destination. The second section presents the complex problems identified at the Sanctuary. To conclude, the study presents a proposed solution, including setting up a structure to manage the Sanctuary’s strategic planning while abiding by the key principles of sustainable development.

Los arctiidae y Sphingidae (Lepidoptera: Heterocera) del santuario histórico de Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Perú: estudio preliminar

Se presenta una lista preliminar de 80 especies de Arctiidae y 17 de Sphingidae conocidas hasta el momento del Santuario Histórico de Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Perú, proporcionando datos de distribución altitudinal.