The “Archaeological Park” of the Tadrart Acacus and Messak Settafet (south-western, Libya).

The increasing tourist activity and the expansion of oil prospecting in Libya represent a dramatic danger for one of the most important archaeological areas in the world, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985: the Acacus range and Messak plateaus. The overexploitation of trees and water, pollution and alteration of the archaeological landscape are the immediate effects of the huge influx of tourists, after the removal of the embargo and the opening of Libyan frontiers to foreign visitors. New roads and airstrips, and intensive oil drilling are going to be a major element of danger in the Messak Plateaus and surrounding sandy region, where an immense oil field has recently been discovered. The Libyan authorities are trying to reconcile the need of development with the safeguard of the cultural heritage. It is a difficult and demanding task, and some foreign archaeological missions are trying to support the Department of Antiquities of Libya with archaeological rescue operations and with the establishment of a preliminary project for the constitution of an archaeological park in the region.