Greenpeace Irreparably Damage Ancient Nazca Lines

[geardaddy]

http://www.iflscience.com/environment/greenpeace-irrevocably-damages-fragile-nazca-lines-peru-during-publicity-stunt



Pro tip: If you want to be taken seriously when you are delivering an important protest against the destruction of the Earth, it’s best to not desecrate a World Heritage Site in the process.

While this advice could probably be categorized under “logic for five year olds,” it has apparently eluded the folks at Greenpeace. Protestors from the group inflicted irreversible damage to the Nazca Lines in Peru when they laid out banners ironically decrying the destruction of the environment.

The message was meant to target delegates currently attending the UN climate summit in Lima, inspiring them to enact big changes. Instead, the Peruvian government is seeking to file criminal charges against the Greenpeace protestors for damaging an archeological monument, which could carry a sentence of six years in prison.

Why is this such a big deal? The Nazca Lines are a collection of hundreds of geoglyphs that were made by indigenous people over 1,500 years ago in the Pampas of Jumana in the Nazca desert. The designs include animals, people, shapes, and natural elements like flowers. Some of these designs are quite large, stretching 300 meters (990 feet) long. They were designed with little more than rope and wooden stakes and can only be viewed in their entirety from above, such as from the nearby foothills.

In order to make the lines, the Nazca people excavated 10-15 centimeters (4-6 inches) of reddish stone from the ground, revealing the light-colored soil underneath. The soil has a large amount of lime, which hardens and protects the lines from wind erosion. However, the properties of the ground which has allowed these glyphs to endure for over a millennium are why nobody—not even presidents or diplomats—are permitted to walk near the sites without approval and specialized footwear, as footprints can leave marks that will also endure over time. The area was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 in order to preserve the images.

More at link.

[enough]

1. It's hard to see why anyone would think that would change a single person's mind,

or lead a single single to think deeply or take constructive action on anything.

[El Supremo]

2. I don't think they damaged it.

But it was incredibly stupid. And I despise Greenpeace.

[enlightenment]

7. Didn't damage it?

The fact that they stomped all over an area that is so fragile will increase erosion damage both in the near and the far term. Anyone who lives in or near a desert can tell you how vitally important the "pavement" is to the ecosystem - of which the Nazca Lines are a part.

I hope they are charged and convicted - though given the very small effort Peru makes at protecting the area, it's doubtful they will be punished at all.

[Posteritatis]

23. I heard Peru's trying to prevent their leaving the country so they can face charges, at least. (nt)

[Xithras]

16. Yes, they did damage it.

Look at the ground immediately around the letters. See the footprints? Look at the guy in white walking toward the camera. See the footprints behind him? Now look at the area in the background, where nobody is walking. See how it's more uniform and dark?

NOBODY is allowed to walk around the lines. The Nazca lines are located on a very arid plain, and the lines are protected by a thin limestone crust that leaches out of the ground. Not only will their footprints remain in the area for decades (at a minimum), but those footprints will increase erosion around the lines and ultimately shorten its life.

As many of the articles have pointed out, Peruvian Presidents have asked to visit that very spot, and were turned down because it was too fragile. The entire area is closed to human visitation, and is mostly devoid of wildlife. The lines have only lasted 1500 years because they have been left alone. Walking on them destroys them.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

54. Most of us can't really see the damage from that photo. But the Gizmodo photos linked down

in other comments make the damage heartbreakingly plain.

[Brickbat]

3. Good lord. So basic.

[jwirr]

4. The old rock in the Arizona park, this and the park McCain gives away to the copper miners. I guess

historical artifacts are now up for grabs.

[hifiguy]

5. Throw the book at these assholes.

No different than that "artist" that defaced a national park. Worse, in fact.

[Aerows]

8. Agreed.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

[geardaddy]

13. +1 million

What idiots.

[MineralMan]

6. Assholes. Let them do that somewhere else.

Disgusting.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

9. Like the yard of a prison... n/t

[MineralMan]

10. Or a Walmart parking lot, perhaps.

I wonder who thought that was a good idea, really.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

12. horrid idea...

oh, and from what i can tell... wal mart is a prison.

sP

[morningfog]

22. You wouldn't have heard about it or seen the pic

had it been a wal mart parking lot.

[JI7]

29. the people there would have

[REP]

11. Holy shit. What a stupid thing to do.

The future may be renewable, but the past is not. Putting ancient art at risk is not the way to save the future.

[chrisa]

14. Omg...

[dilby]

15. So no one at Greenpeace knows how to use Photoshop?

They could have produced the same exact image without stomping around and ruining the a national treasure. This is just as bad as those two hill billies who tore up the Goblin Valley State Park.

[herding cats]

21. That was my first thought

What they did makes no sense at all.

[Posteritatis]

26. Why bust out Photoshop when they can bust out smug, destructive appropriation instead? (nt)

[dilby]

28. Also how much money did they spend on this?

Sounds like they have more money than they know what to do with if they are pulling this stunt instead of using a computer program that would have done the exact same thing only super cheap.

[Posteritatis]

37. Seriously. Travel there, vehicles, an aircraft orbiting the whole stunt..

... the legal fees they're gonna start accruing ...

[Travis_0004]

38. What is the carbob footprint of that travel?

[NaturalHigh]

17. Morons!

[geardaddy]

18. Kickety...

[FLPanhandle]

19. Is Greenpeace taking public relations lessons from PETA or something?

Stupid.

They could at least man up and apologize.

[Posteritatis]

24. Their 'apology' is impressively quarter-assed.

"We're sorry we did this good and noble thing!"

[FLPanhandle]

32. I may include that note in the next fund raiser they send me.

"Sorry, I tried to send a check"

[Posteritatis]

36. "We deeply regret any offense your earning a lack of donations may have caused." (nt)

[riqster]

58. Brilliant. Stealing.

[NuclearDem]

20. Fucking despicable.

[JI7]

25. are they turning into peta which is mostly about wanting attention for themselves

than actually getting support for what they claim to care about ?

[geomon666]

27. Damage

[FLPanhandle]

31. I love what Greenpeace tries to do, but this was really stupid

I'm done with their donations from now on.

[morningfog]

40. I'd like to see a before and after.

[geomon666]

43. link

http://gizmodo.com/how-greenpeace-wrecked-one-of-the-most-sacred-places-in-1669873583

Has before and after.

[Union Scribe]

52. That is damning. And sad. nt

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

53. Holy hell, all that is from them?

The original photo and story don't show you enough to know what damage took place, but this and the other Gizmodo photos are horrible.

[oneshooter]

30. I would like to see EVERYONE associated with this in Peruvian prison.

At least until the damage is repaired.

[TorchTheWitch]

46. the damage can't BE repaired

That's the point. Walking on it is what creates the damage, and you can't "repair" it without walking on it creating even more damage. These dumbasses permanently damaged it beyond repair.

[oneshooter]

56. AndTHAT is my point.

Read it again.

[closeupready]

33. I hate that they did this.

[Warren DeMontague]

34. Another page from the PETA manual of winning friends and influencing people.

[ColesCountyDem]

35. Jackasses! n/t

[Jesus Malverde]

39. Wow

[morningfog]

41. I like it. There was no real damage. And this is a man made site.

If you are a deep ecologist, a mark made by men is irrelevant to your cause. Even if the mark was done a long time ago. This is no different or worse than when the scale mt. Rushmore, other than timing.

It is a powerful overlay of message did the future with a reminder of out past. And it got much more wide spread press than climbing coal towers.

Go Greenpeace!

[TorchTheWitch]

47. "no real damage"?

In what universe? You can clearly see the damage they did in the photographs of the damage. Damage that because of the delicacy of the earth at that site is permanent and why no one is allowed to walk on it. Fuck these assholes for irreparably damaging a significant ancient work of art. I suppose you'd think it was awesome if they chiseled a giant message across the slabs of Stonehenge and called that no real damage and no big deal because it was man made as well. And for WHAT??? Nothing more than publicity. As if being so careless as to not bother looking into WHY the area isn't allowed to have anyone walk on it and willfully destroying an ancient work of art that's a world wonder for nothing more than publicity is going to make anyone want to put a single ounce of trust in the future in these asswagons. They'd have had more success printing their message on fliers and putting them in mailboxes and all without fucking up an incredible and enduring wonder of the world.

[muriel_volestrangler]

49. See link at #43

The 'after' image shows clear rectangular marks just where they laid out their message.

"If you are a deep ecologist, a mark made by men is irrelevant to your cause"

Very few people in the world think that people and their works don't matter. Greenpeace hasn't come acorss before as a "people don't matter" organisation. And I'm amazed you think that's a good message to have.

[hack89]

51. So defacing protected cultural icon is ok to you?

Really?

[Feral Child]

59. You're incredible myopic.

There are many, many ways to defend the environment without damaging a priceless archaeological legacy.

I agree the environment needs to be protected but NOT at the cost of vandalizing a precious artifact of this magnitude.

That's exactly the kind of short-sighted fanaticism that has earned PETA it's reputation for irresponsibility. Greenpeace has done irreparable damage, not just to this artifact but to their cause. For years wingers will counter any statement they make with this horrendous and grievous error of judgment. FFS, think of the repercussions, not just your own smug little satisfaction over getting noticed for assholery.


You should retract your post. I don't know you and I don't want to publicly shame you but your statement MUST be challenged. Please delete and I'll do the same.

[KitSileya]

61. Would you feel the same if they did it to other man-made monuments?

Say, if they took the stones of Stonehenge and spelled out their message with them? Or carved their words into the the presidential faces of Mount Rushmore or the sides of the Great Pyramid or the Great Wall? How about if they took your house and used the materials from it to make signs? Would you feel that that would be ok?

[dembotoz]

42. during the wisconsin capital rotunda protects--walkers stooges made similar claims about damages

seems the folks in charge(walkers police) wanted to maximize the damage claims to maximize the pr benefits against the protesters. And it worked.

The damage claims turned out to be PURE POLITICAL BULLSHIT

perhaps we could wait a bit here too before we GO off all stupid

[TorchTheWitch]

48. or perhaps you could read the article

that spells out WHY the area is now permanently damaged and look at the pictures of the permanent damage before going off all stupid making lame ass excuses for criminal fucks that irreparably damaged an ancient wonder of the world for no other reason that their own publicity.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

55. Look at photos and read the linked Gizmodo story.

comments 27 and 43 I think they were.

The tracks they left are clearly visible in those photos, and unlike the Wisconsin rotunda, they can't simply be cleaned up. They're pretty much permanent on any human timescale.

[HereSince1628]

60. Blue painter's tape destroys marble...or so we were led to believe.

99.999% of the estimated damage was associated with cost of estimating the damage.

[fadedrose]

44. iDIOTS

[branford]

45. I hope all the individuals responsible are sentenced to the maximum prison term

Last edited Sat Dec 13, 2014, 12:38 PM - Edit history (1)

in a Peruvian prison. Since the vandalism of a cultural heritage sight appears to have been meticulously planned and financed at the highest levels of Greenpeace, I would also hope that the Peruvian authorities arrest the Greenpeace leader once he arrives in country to personally deliver his apologies. That would send a message that Greenpeace might truly understand.

I cannot imagine how any rationale actor could possibly believe that defacing a third-world anthropological treasure would gain any sympathy for any cause. The worthless "sorry if you were offended" apology offered by Greenpeace was particularly galling.

Given the reaction of the general public in Peru, I'm certain that the vandals will be very "popular" in prison. I wouldn't be surprised, and would not shed any tears, if they receive some involuntary Nazca lines prison tattoos to remember their stay

[MindPilot]

50. One of those things that is incredible simply because

in order for this to happen a group of people had to agree this was a good idea.

You cannot convince me they did not know exactly what they were doing.

[Shrike47]

57. I end up disgusted by those who destroy, no matter their reason.

Some humans seem determined to destroy or deface natural places or ancient monuments. I really dislike them and any cause they claim to support by their actions.