Mountain EbA – Peru Project
The Mountain EbA Program will continue to work in the Peruvian Andes with mountain communities in the Nor-Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve. Our goal is to help them adapt to present and future climate change impacts. Currently, up to 70 percent of the local population depends on sheep and cattle grazing for their livelihoods. This makes them strongly dependent on healthy grassland ecosystems and a steady supply of water. By restoring wetland and grassland ecosystems in the Reserve, local communities can better manage the declining water supply, reduce erosion and the risk of natural disasters while also improving habitat for native species such as the vicuña.
A small, wild relative of the camel, vicuña live above 3,000 meters in the central Andes and are sheared every two years in a traditional roundup known as the chaccu. Their fleece is very soft, warm and light, producing a wool finer than cashmere. Our Mountain EbA project in Peru will help mountain communities continue to improve their methods for managing wild vicuña and its habitat. Our goal is to help ensure the survival of this unique species, as well as the sustainable source of income they provide. We will continue to work with communities to protect water sources and revive natural pastures. Both are key for managing livestock in a sustainable manner.
In partnership with with local communities, we’ll develop the EbA solutions that are best-suited to their specific needs. Our project will support local efforts to restore, protect or expand key ecosystem services identified as crucial by community members. The Mountain EbA Project in Peru will also coordinate with national, regional and local governments to build support for applying nature-based adaptation methods more widely.
The benefits of healthy ecosystems in the Peruvian Andes extend way beyond local populations. Downstream from our EbA project site, there are 10 million inhabitants in the capital city of Lima who also rely on these mountains as one of their main sources of water.
Mountain EbA Peru Collaborators
—Ministry of Environment of Peru
—National Service of Natural Protected Areas
—Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve
—Campesino Communities of Canchayllo, Miraflores, Tanta and Tomas
More here about our Mountain EbA Project in Nepal.
The official name of our program is “Scaling Up Mountain Ecosystem-Based Adaptation: building evidence, replicating success, and informing policy.” This program is part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag. Our Mountain EbA Program is led by The Mountain Institute (TMI) and implemented jointly with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and country partners over the period 2017-2020.