In a lesson to humanity and love for Mother Nature, indigenous people are the leading actions for its conservation. Tree by tree, indigenous communities have set to reforest the Andes and seek to generate an impact to combat the effects of global warming.
From Siberia to the Sahara desert to the Amazon rainforest, intact areas of the earth are preserved by natives who seek to restore them and reestablish the natural balance. Now, indigenous communities in Peru are reforesting the highest forests in the world, in the Andes, to conserve what still exists and restore what humanity has torn down.
Acción Andina in search of balance
They have dedicated great efforts to planting queñuas (Polylepis spp), a species endemic to the area, which grows in the highest regions of the Andes. Under the project called Acción Andina, the people seek to reforest the queñua forests that have been hit hard by deforestation, grazing, and forest fires.
This type of forest, also called yagual forest, grows in high-altitude regions. The highest ones reach up to 5,000 meters above sea level and are of utmost importance for the land. They are a unique ecosystem of the Andes, which holds great biodiversity but are also crucial for the water supply of Andean and Amazonian communities.
The queñuas work harmoniously with their environment, taking advantage of the high altitude and the humidity of the clouds to capture gaseous water and transform it into a vital liquid that flows into rivers and springs. Unfortunately, the fate of the queñua forests has been no different from that of other forests in the world. They are subjected to deforestation for firewood production and grazing, to such an extent that currently, only about 500,000 hectares of forest remain.
The goal: 1 million hectares
To undermine this damage, communities descended from the Incas are working hard to recover the highest forests in the world. Acción Andina’s main objective is to restore 1 million hectares of lost forest. However, the work will be arduous since, of the total figure, half a million will be possible only through reforestation. The other half will be cared for to keep the forest safe in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina.
A large number of members of the indigenous community gather to carry queñua seedlings on their backs. They then climb the steepest trails in one of the largest reforestation actions in the world. In a single day, more than 100,000 trees have been planted, thanks to men, women, children, and senior citizens, who act with great honor as part of the indigenous tradition of “Ayni” (mutual aid).
Text courtesy of Ecoosfera
Photos by ECOAN
Translated by María Isabel Carrasco Cara Chards
