Andean communities watching over the ice in their glaciers

Every year, Andean villagers make a pilgrimage to Mount Ausangate in Peru to give thanks for their harvests and livestock. But the sacred mountain is melting before their very eyes. How are they responding to the problem?

Ausangate in Peru has been venerated by Andean villagers for centuries. Every year, thousands of them make a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Qoyllur Riti at the foot of the snow-covered mountain to give thanks and pray for their harvests, vicuñas, llamas and alpacas.

But Ausangate is no longer as it was. Melting has accelerated the disappearance of the ice that covered one of the biggest tropical glaciers in the world, leaving the earth exposed. For the Quechuan communities of Phinaya and Sallani, the loss of Andean glaciers not only represents a change in landscape, it is a threat to their own survival.

Over the last 50 years, Peru has lost more than half the area of its glaciers. Ausangate forms part of the chain of glaciers in peril, which also includes Quelccaya, 5,600 meters above sea level. Once considered to be the world’s largest tropical glacier, it has lost around 30% of its mass in the past 40 years, says NASA.

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A collective effort to halt melting of the Andean glaciers

More than 10 years ago, the communities of Phinaya and Sallani launched a campaign to protect their last ice-covered mountains. Their efforts yielded the Ausangate Regional Conservation Area, a territory of over 66,500 hectares in Cusco.

Unlike other protected zones, a conservation area in Peru allows the communities to continue their traditional activities as long as they are aligned with conservation goals. Thus, the rearing of alpacas and llamas continues to be the cornerstone of life in Phinaya and Sallani.

“For us, Ausangate is our life source. With the conservation area, we are going to protect our life, our animals, our plants, our water,” explains Fredy Chuquichampi, leader of the Sallani community, in the following video:

The process has not been easy. For a whole decade, the communities worked together with Amazon Conservation (ACCA) to gather biological, environmental and social information, and undertake a prior consultation with the Ministry of Culture. Although at first lots of communities supported the proposal, only Phinaya and Sallani lasted to the final stage. The conservation area received official recognition in 2019.

Now the other communities have once again committed to campaigning to protect their lands. The Ausangate community wants 12,847 hectares to be recognized as a Private Conservation Area with ACCA’s support. Another two communities have established biodiverse farming areas, contributing to the conservation of the region.

Conserving wetlands to head off the water crisis

Glacier melting in the Andes has obliged the communities to find alternatives for storing water. The National Institute for Glacier and Mountain Ecosystem Research identified 5,662 hectares of bofedales, high-altitude wetlands that function as regulating water and are essential for rearing alpacas.

We’re worried about the loss of the Andean glaciers and the imminent reduction in water from the mountains. We’d like to achieve a more efficient use of rainwater and strengthen communal organization to manage this,” said Ronald Catpo, ACCA’s conservation director.

Over 50 hectares of wetlands have been restored since 2020, improving their water retention capacity and role as carbon sinks.Traditional water management knowledge has also been emphasized as the communities seek to store more rainwater. “We are not only caring for water for Phinaya and Sallani, the water benefits all the communities,” comments Chuquichampi in a video.

The climate change and sustainable tourism route

he conservation area has also brought the communities new economic opportunities such as ecotourism. “Phinaya Climate Change Route Awaits You” initiative was created to generate revenue and raise awareness among visitors about the impact of climate change on the glaciers. The tourist route is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Program, which has allowed the communities to train in gastronomy and tourist services.

Despite the progress, Ausangate still faces big challenges. Climate change continues to speed up melting of the glaciers, affecting the region’s water security and biodiversity. The United Nations declared 2025 to be the “International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation”, emphasizing the urgency of protecting these endangered ecosystems. On Ausangate, the Andean communities are already doing their bit. Now the challenge is for the rest of the world to listen to their warnings.

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