It is ironic that Greenpeace, which promotes environmental conservation, is courting controversy after showing complete disregard for the historic Nazca Lines, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Nazca Lines in Peru are a series of ancient geoglyphs visible from the sky. The site is sacred to the Peruvians and, owing to its fragile nature, the government is stringent in controlling who visits the area. Visitors are even required to wear special footwear to avoid damaging the historical landmark.
However, Greenpeace activists, who were spreading awareness on the carbon footprint, have stirred a hornet's nest by going to the restricted area and laying out yellow lettering that read: "Time for Change: The Future is Renewable."
Videos show the Greenpeace activists marching across the desert in a single line at dawn, their shoes grating against the arid earth in the forbidden area.
The activists' footprints have damaged the fragile soil of the area, and government officials allege that their act has also damaged some of the ancient geoglyphs, including the famous Hummingbird.
"They are absolutely fragile. They are black rocks on a white background. You walk there and the footprint is going to last hundreds or thousands of years. And the line that they have destroyed is the most visible and most recognized of all," said Luis Jaime Castillo, vice minister for cultural heritage.
The Nazca Lines consist of hundreds of geometric figures and straight lines that seem perfect in symmetry, so much so that theories of aliens being their creators have often been perpetuated. The mysterious lines are said to have been etched between 500 B.C. to A.D. 500 and are in the Nazca Desert, which is 400 kms south of the Peruvian capital of Lima.
In 1994, the Nazca Lines were deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It features over 70 plant and animal designs that have been created by shifting dirt and rocks to create the imagery. The figures are stylized as spiders, monkeys, fish, hummingbirds, lizards, sharks and more.
While the origin of these mysterious lines is confounding, scholars believe they had a religious significance to the ancients. It is believed that the ancients etched these figures into the earth so that they could be seen by their gods in the sky.
Other theories suggest that the Nazca Lines were a sort of map or calendar for the ancient Peruvians. The most famous is Chariots of the Gods author Erich von Däniken's theory, which perpetuates the notion that since aliens from other galaxies visited Nazca, the geoglyphs then were runways for an ancient airfield that catered to the aliens who belonged to another culture.
Even though Greenpeace meant to "honor the Nazca people," the damage caused by their act is irreparable. The organization has apologized for its negligent and irresponsible act, which has turned into a PR nightmare.
"Without reservation, Greenpeace apologizes to the people of Peru for the offense caused by our recent activity laying a message of hope at the site of the historic Nazca Lines. We are deeply sorry for this," said the organization.
Kumi Naidoo, international executive director for Greenpeace, has flown to Lima to calm matters. However, authorities are still fuming over the incident, which has tarnished Peru's cultural heritage.
"We are not ready to accept apologies from anybody," said Castillo. "Let them apologize after they repair the damage."
