"The majority of World Heritage Sites in Argentina have conservation problems that could affect its exceptional value." This was stated by the General Audit Office (AGN, for its acronym in Spanish), in its report published in December 2011.

At the time of the audit, there were eight Argentine sites that according to the UNESCO have universal high cultural or natural value: Cueva de las Manos of the Alto Rio Pinturas, las Manzanas and Estancias Jesuíticas de Córdoba, the Misiones Jesuíticas Guaranies, the Quebrada de Humahuaca, Iguazu National Park, and Talampaya Ischigualasto Natural Park, Glacier National Park, and the Valdes Peninsula.

As stated in the report, Argentina "was part of the World Heritage Committee (CAPM, for its acronym in Spanish), unique in Latin America, under the Ministry of Education to carry out a specific technical assistance to management problems of World Heritage Sites." However, they found that "it lacks organization, resources, and budget."

What Is Happening With The CAPM?

The AGN observed that this single entity "only acts as an intermediate between the UNESCO and the local government agencies of each site." According to the Constitution, "the provinces or the National Parks Administration is directly responsible for the conservation of each place through the appointment of an administrator." That is why having no direct territorial jurisdiction; the Committee only detracts from the role of "intermediary" and "link" between the UNESCO and the World Heritage Sites.

The report says that "there is a bill (passed in the Senate in 2009) to create a new body that can issue binding rulings on issues of conservation- that means, to be carried if or when to practice and enforce penalties. This Project is also assigned its own budget.

According to the Audit, while "the CAPM holds annual seminars where administrators report on the conservation status of each site by performing an evaluation report where intervention priorities are established to determine which sites require international technical and financial assistance" therefore mixing their functions.

Consequently, the financial support petitions "are low." Specifically, in the audited period there were only two: one in 2006 for the Iguazu National Park, which was rejected; and another, in 2009, to promote the review and updating of the management plan in the Peninsula Valdés, which was approved. However, the AGN could not get information about the results and the implementation of expenditure by the CAPM because the Committee argued that "it is not the authority responsible for the implementation of financial assistance."
 
Another function that the Heritage Committee has is "to provide technical assistance to enable site managers to develop their own management plans." The audit team found that in some cases "there is no management plan, like in the Cueva de las Manos" In Ischigualasto and Talampaya, "every park has its plan and there is not a unified arrangement", just like in the Jesuit Missions.

The AGN also noted that "the Committee did not meet the minimum frequency set out in the resolution, which meets once a month." In fact, in the audited period, running from 2005 to 2010, “only 16 meetings were registered" even though it should have been 72 meetings. 

Moreover, according to the watchdog, to perform their duties, the Committee doesn’t have "a budget or its own human resources." Nor did they implement "a national strategic plan with targets, indicators, and systems review."

Quebrada Of Humahuaca

As part of the fieldwork, the audit team visited the Quebrada Of Humahuaca and noted that the preservation of archaeological sites and historic sites "was insufficient and were not prepared for tourism." Furthermore, "the indigenous communities consider some of these sites as sacred and therefore disagree with tourist walking the area."

The auditors concluded that "the declaration of World Heritage did not signify an increase in site protection measures" and "did not correctly assess the impact an excessive gathering of people may have on the sites”.