Since its discovery in the early 1900’s the ancient Inca site of Machu Picchu has been studied extensively by archaeologists and eventually has become one of Peru’ popular tourist destinations bringing in thousands of tourists from around the world each year. While the tourism industry surrounding Machu Picchu in Peru has been very successful and helped local economies, the environmental impacts of tourism in the area are unmistakable.  In 2008 Machu Picchu was listed among the top 100 most endangered sites due to environmental degradation. One of the sources of this environmental degradation has been the construction of a railway to bring tourists and their luggage into Machu Picchu. This has increased the number of people walking around the site and has led to serious environmental degradation of the area. This site compares some of the costs and benefits of the railway and the map above shows the path that the railway takes. Do you think that the construction of this railroad was a worthwhile Endeavour? Why or why not?