The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, situated in a spectacular landscape at the confluence of the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon Basin, is one of the world's greatest artistic, architectural, and land-use achievements, as well as the most significant tangible legacy of the Inca civilization.

Machu Picchu exemplifies the Inca Empire's technological prowess and output at its pinnacle. Its position marks the Empire's ancient boundary; this huge territory was connected by an estimated 40,000 kilometers of road.
The tropical Andes' eastern slopes, with their vast gradient from high altitude "Puna" grasslands and Polylepis thickets to montane cloud forests and tropical lowland forests, are recognized to have rich biodiversity and high endemism of worldwide significance. Despite its tiny size, the property helps to conserve a diverse range of habitats and species, including unique and relict flora and animals.
The Inca City of Machu Picchu's Historic Sanctuary is the articulation center of its environs, a marvel of Inca Civilization art, urbanism, architecture, and engineering. The mountain's works, at the foot of Huayna Picchu, is a remarkable achievement of integration with its surroundings, the product of a massive effort as if it were a natural extension.
Machu Picchu's Historic Sanctuary is a one-of-a-kind testament to the Inca Civilization, demonstrating a well-organized allocation of tasks within space, territorial control, and social, productive, religious, and administrative structure.
The historic monuments and features of Machu Picchu's Historic Sanctuary are set among a majestic mountain scenery of great visual and geomorphological grandeur, demonstrating a long-standing peaceful and artistically magnificent link between human civilization and nature.
The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, which comprises part of the transition between the High Andes and the Amazon Basin, is home to a surprisingly diversified array of microclimates, ecosystems, and endemism-rich flora and animals. The property is part of a broader region that is universally recognized as important for biodiversity protection.
Integrity
Because the natural and human-made features and values that maintain Machu Picchu's Outstanding Universal Value are primarily contained within its bounds, the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu satisfies the requirements of integrity. The visual ensemble connecting the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu's major archaeological site with its spectacular mountain surroundings is mainly preserved.

Extending the property to include a broader range of human-land linkages, as well as additional cultural sites in the Sacred Valley, such as Pisac and Ollantaytambo, and a bigger portion of the Urubamba watershed will help to improve the overall integrity. The benefits of including or a better management consideration of the nearby areas will aid the conservation of the numerous rare and unique species of flora and animals.
The property is vulnerable to losing its future integrity due to a variety of well-documented risks, which will need ongoing management attention.
Authenticity
After the Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu was abandoned in the early sixteenth century, plant growth and solitude ensured the property's architectural qualities were preserved. Although the design, materials, and structures have altered slightly owing to fabric decomposition, the authenticity criteria have not changed. The property's qualities have been preserved thanks to the rediscovery in 1911, as well as later archaeological digs and conservation interventions that followed best practices and international standards.
Needs for protection and management
The state-owned Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu is part of Peru's national protected areas system, and it is safeguarded by many layers of a complex legislative framework that protects both cultural and natural heritage.
The Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu has carefully defined limits, and the protected area is surrounded by a buffer zone that is larger than the property itself.

Ecosystem degradation due to logging, firewood, and commercial plant collection, poor waste management, poaching, agricultural encroachment in the absence of clear land tenure arrangements, introduced species, and water pollution from both urban waste and agro-chemicals in the Urubamba River have been persistent concerns since the time of inscription, in addition to pressures derived from broader development in the region.
It's vital to note that the cumulative threats are exacerbated by the high altitude, harsh topography, and weather conditions, as well as the vulnerability to natural catastrophes.
To comply with protected areas and other regulations and plans, as well as to avoid future deterioration, ongoing efforts are required. There is also a lot of possibility for repairing regions that have been deteriorated.
Machu Picchu's Sanctuary as seen from the air
The Sanctuary's territory appears to be a large open book in the middle, with the mighty Urubamba River at its center and two chains of mountains on either side of a deep valley covered in vegetation; from above, the Sanctuary's territory appears to be a large open book in the middle, with the mighty Urubamba River at its center and two chains of mountains on either side of a deep valley covered in vegetation;

Furthermore, certain investigations have found that when viewed from the air, the Inca capital of Machu Picchu takes on the shape of a bird, namely the Andean condor, one of the Incas' holy birds.
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