Early Monday, Greenpeace activists caused severe damage to the Nazca Lines (Peru), during an action in which they placed a message with giant letters, visible only from the sky, which said: “Time for Change! The future is renewable. Greenpeace”. The Peruvian Ministry of Culture pointed that “After the illegal, inconsiderate and premeditated action of the environmental group Greenpeace, there has been a severe damage of the area“.
The so-called environmentalists, led by Argentinian Mauro Fernández, entered at night until near the figure of the hummingbird, where they displayed the yellow fabric letters. Then they bragged about it on Facebook.
The Maria Reiche Association —that aims to protect, nurture and preserve this cultural and human patrimony— commented:
The Nasca lines are in a restricted area one is not allowed to enter it, but for a reason. The Hummingbird figure is about 1km away from the nearest highway with some other 1000s of other lines criss crossing up to that area. Can you secure that no damage was done, considering you arrived at the place when it was still dark? The Nasca desert has a few dozen figures but thousands of even more impressive lines.
Although Greenpeace answered they didn’t do any damage, they actually did. This picture taken by Captain Juan Carlos Ruiz depicts the damages the activists’ footprints caused:
Geologist Patricio Valderrama explains what are the most basic precautionary measures that Greenpeace tools obviously didn’t even cared to learn about:
I had the opportunity to work on the Nazca Lines in 2009 and I witnessed how fragile they are; the mere fact of walking on them is to damage them because the footfalls DO NOT ERASE! They remain there permanently! In fact, when I walked close to the lines (never on them) I had to use a special protector so that my own footprints would not be marked on the ground, which added to the almost 46 [celsius] degree heat, I tell you, it was a unique experience.
FYI, Greenpeace, this is what scholarly and knowledge-friendly people wear when walking by the Nazca Lines:
Understandably, Peruvian people —and anyone who cares about culture, history and patrimony— are calling for the eco-talibans to be tried and jailed. I agree. It’s time Greenpeace useful idiots get harsher sentences — they’re used to impunity, and they won’t stop destroying important and meaningful human milestones until they’re punished accordingly.
