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AFP

The Peruvian Ministry of Culture announced on Friday that it would send "special brigades" and drones-drones to inspect 5,000 kilometers of dunes and deserts along the route of the Rally. -Dakar 2019. 19659003] "A special team was formed to follow the activity (Dakar):" We have thousands of kilometers to protect, we already have the first routes, "said the Minister of Culture, Patricia Balbuena, at a foreign press meeting

Balbuena explained that the ministry activated the brigades that will work three months before the race, which starts on January 6 from Lima, to see the trip with the support of drones that will take pictures.what it does is take pictures to report if there are remains (archaeological) in what we do not see, which moves the teams in theirs work, "said Balbuena

. has people who prefer that Peru be marginalized from the rally. One of them is the engineer and activist Klaus Hönninger, who argued that it could cause "very serious" damage to archaeological and paleontological heritage in the southern deserts.

The minister said the brigades of specialists would place signs in the zones. "

" If we had all the locks possible, there could be no damage to the heritage, "said Balbuena.

In the 2012 and 2013 editions, Dakar Rally vehicles and spectators caused damage to the skeletons of large mammals, especially whales, sharks and fossilized dolphins in the southern region of Ica, denounce specialists.

From Lima to the border with Chile

In its 5,000 kilometers – 70% In the sand, the Dakar-2019 will cross Lima and the southern regions of Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua and from Tacna, this last frontier with Chile.

This will be the first time the Rally will be held in one country. The most difficult stage for every car and truck will be the 370-kilometer marathon between Arequipa and Tacna, the fifth day of the competition (January 10), said the French organization Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), organizer of the Rally.

Peruvian Minister of Environment Fabiola Muñoz also told AFP that "protected areas are off-road" of the 2019 Rally, whose goal will also be Lima.

The Peruvian capital was the goal of the Dakar in 2012 and the beginning in 2013 and 2018, on three occasions when Peru was part of its route, among the complaints of archaeologists and ecologists.

Despite criticism, the Dakar looks attractive to other South American countries, as Chile wishes to host it again and Ecuador for the first time in 2020, according to sources close to the competition .

Almost canceled by austerity

The "hardest motorcycle race of the world" – which since 1978 has been developed in Africa and the terrorist threats displaced in South America in 2009 – will be challenged for the first time in a single country after the defections of Argentina and Chile for the policies of austerity and lack of agreement with Bolivia. The previous edition, last January, left Lima and crossed Bolivia before ending in Córdoba, Argentina, after 14 stages.

"In Peru, it is possible to mount a high quality tour (…) .We are more than happy that it is 100% Peruvian and 100% Dakar because it is a fantastic field, we are in the DNA of the discipline with the Peruvian desert, "said race director Etienne Lavigne recently in the Limburg daily El Comercio.

Peru confirmed on June 28 that the rally could take place on its territory, after the Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra gave the green light to the Dakar in May, but then hesitated in the face of the urgent need to reduce public expenses.

After the statements of 24 Peruvian pilots -and to badess the damage to the image of the country that would cause the cancellation of the race- Vizcarra gave his approval despite the fact that his government must disburse about $ 25 million, according to local media.

Six million go to the organizing company, but there are additional costs in infrastructure, security and logistics.