The Peruvian government has revoked a permit granted last year to an international company to build and operate a cable car system in the archeological sanctuary of Machu Picchu, due to the environmental impact implied by an increased flow of tourists. An average of 1,200 people a day visit Machu Picchu, an ancient stone city set atop a tropical mountain northeast of Cuzco. The cable car system would double that number, according to studies by the National Institute of Natural Resources.

Machu Picchu, a legacy of the Incan empire, was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1983 for both for the cultural and natural wealth it represents.