|
|
 |
|||||
|
Form Object
|
Location & Field Conditions
This is a high altitude project (4,300m) in the southern part of Peru, not far from Machu Picchu, but slightly higher. Nearest Town: Cusco Which Ventures support this project?
Base Camp: Project HQ is under canvass. A mess tent and galley are established first and everyone lives in tents (supplied by VentureCo) for the duration of the project. This is a remote site living within the Quechua community (the modern Inca people). Facilities are basic and living conditions are genuinely “wilderness”! But the opportunity of sharing life with a community very different from our own is unique. Background:The focus of this project is one of South America's most endangered forest ecosystems, the Andean Polylepis forests. Polylepis trees are the only native tree in the high Andes and as well as being an extremely important source of fuel and construction material for indigenous people, the tree and its root system hold the mountainside together and retain water. The Andes Mountains are an area of high rainfall, with the attendant risk of serious soil erosion if deforestation is allowed to take hold. Ecologically, Polylepis forests prevent erosion by retaining water. More retained water means less soil erosion, which means more trees, which means more animal species and a wider range of plant species. It’s all related and the lynch pin to this ecosystem is the Polylepis tree. Goats and other grazers eat the Polylepis seedlings. The stocking rate of llamas, mules and other grazers is too high, which prevents seedling Polylepis taking root. And the human population is such that the demand for building materials and cooking-fire fuel outstrips the natural ability of the trees to regenerate. The destruction of the remaining forest would be an ecological disaster that would be a major loss for the community as well as threaten many rare birds with extinction. The biggest human challenge was getting the local people on-side, and this is where ECOAN, our partners, are crucial. The practical challenge was how and where to assemble a village of 80-or-so people to talk about conservation in the first place!? The houses in these villages are small, one-family-size, single-room houses. Project Aims: To conserve the remaining Polylepis forest through community development activities and to reforest selected areas with new Polylepis groves.
|
|
Terms & Conditions |
Privacy Policy Statement |
|||||
VentureCo worldwide Ltd, The Ironyard,
64-66 The Market Place, Warwick CV34 4SD, Phone Number 01926 411 122 |
home
