In an effort to rehabilitate and protect Machu Pichu, Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra announced Thursday a campaign to plant 1,000,000 trees in the protected zone around the Machu Picchu sanctuary. Machu Picchu means "old mountain" in the Quechua dialect.

In a report by Remezcla, the area around Inca empire's most iconic site faces increased risks of mudslides due to heavy rainfall in the winter and forest fires during the summer. According to the president, reforesting the land safeguards the archeological site and at the same time, ensures preservation of the area which is home to vast fauna and flora native to the area.

As the effort was launched, Vizcarra said it affirms the "commitment from the government, the region, the municipality and all the citizens who want to protect this world wonder."

This reforestation campaign isn't the first effort initiated by the government preserve Machu Picchu. In 2017, the country started limiting the amount of tourist who could enter the treasured site at a time. The following year, the government has already begun restricting areas of the site from tourists in an attempt to prevent further degradation.

However, these efforts to protect Machu Picchu initiated by the government have been criticized by conservationists and archaeologists, who expressed their worries and claimed that the efforts are not enough and are actually contradicting to other state actions. Last year, the Peruvian government has broken ground on a multibillion-dollar airport. The controversial Chinchero International Airport is expected to connect Machu Picchu more easily with the outside world. Defenders of the ancient site fear both the impact pollution from the air terminal to the rural region and historic site and that it will attract more tourists that will densify the area.

This prompted nearly 100,000 people, including archaeologists, historians and anthropologists, to sign an online petition blocking plans for the airport and demanding the government to find it a new home.

"The airport planned to be built in Chinchero, Cusco, endangers the conservation of one of the most important historical and archaeological sites in the world," the petition says. "An airport in the surroundings of the Sacred Valley will affect the integrity of a complex Inca landscape and will cause irreparable damage due to noise, traffic and uncontrolled urbanization."

At present, most visitors travel to Machu Picchu through Cusco airport, which is about 75 miles away. The Guardian reported that despite the limited air travel and difficult trek, about 1.5 million people visit the site annually. According to Chicago Tribune, the site has faced damages due to visitors climbing on the walls, littering and even defacing the structure.

Meanwhile, government officials have assured the public they are approaching the project "with transparency and with the highest-quality standards."

Minister of Transportation Edmer Trujillo told the local press the construction of the airport adheres to construction laws.

They also argue the airport is a necessity that cannot be held back any longer. Juan Stoessel, vice president of Cuzco's tourism agency, said that Cusco airport is "poorly located within the city, impossible to be expanded and will reach its limit of operations in three or four years."

In 1983, UNESCO declared Machu Picchu a World Heritage Site by. It was built by the Incas in the 15th century in what is now known as South America, 100 years before Spanish colonization.