Historically, alpaca herding has been the main economic activity of indigenous Andean people living in high altitude communities. Five Peruvian communities seek to preserve their traditions while improving their quality of life through the protection and restoration of bofedales, high elevation wetlands. This project strengthens knowledge on climate resilience, replenishes water with micro reservoirs and irrigation systems, controls pasture grazing, and plants native grasses.
Bofedales are a fundamental part of high-altitude environments in the Andes because they help regulate water levels in nearby aquifers and provide a habitat with a rich biodiversity that is important for both wild and domesticated animals. These wetlands are vital for the survival of rural populations because they regulate water levels within the community and provide water and grazing pasture for livestock. During the last several years, bofedales have been disappearing signficantly.
This project seeks to address the issues that are leading to the disappearance of bofedales in alpaca herding communities. We aim to provide theoretical training to 61 individuals in order to strengthen knowledge on climate resilience, replenish water by creating 49 geomembrane micro reservoirs and 61 irrigation systems, fence 64 hectares to control pasture grazing, plant 3,829 kilos of native grass seeds, and continue to implement 61 individual restoration plans.
The long term goal of the project is to recuperate a total of 70 hectares of bofedales in the five communities with whom we are partnering, ultimately improving the communities' economic situation through the proper care of their environment, alpaca herds, and high quality production and sale of hand-spun alpaca yarn.
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