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In the high mountains of Peru, an Ecosystem
based Adaptation (EbA) pilot project was
implemented. This is an innovative approach
which protects ecosystems as a means to adapt
to climate change. The project was implemented
in the Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape Reserve
(NYCLR), located in the Lima and Junin
departments (see image). Its main objective was
to strengthen the country’s capacity to identify
and implement climate change Ecosystem-Based
Adaptation (EbA) measures, by developing the
tools necessary for both implementation and
monitoring.
The Peruvian EbA pilot project supported local
communities in developing sustainable livestock
practices, including grassland management to
prevent overgrazing by domesticated animals.
This benefits natural grasslands, comprising
bofedales (wetlands) and pajonal (puna
grasslands), which are the NYCLR’s most
extensive ecosystems. These ecosystems are the
most pressured by livestock grazing, and are
potentially the most seriously threatened by the
adverse effects of climate change, according to
the vulnerability assessment conducted as part
of the project. The most important ecosystem
services for the local community is providing
pastures and water for livestock production
- the major economic activity in the area.
Other ecosystems services include fresh water
provision and biodiversity preservation also for
lowland communities.
As a result of measures taken by the communities,
facilitated by the EbA programme, the mountain
ecosystems now also provide economic benefits
from the vicuña (vicugna vicugna), a wild camelid
threatened by livestock overgrazing and spreading
diseases. The vicuña is gathered in season in a
communal effort to collect their wool before they
are released back into the wild. It’s wool is one of
the finest natural fibres in the world and is among
the most expensive. Sustainable management of this
resource therefore provides important revenue to the
community, further enhancing its adaptive capacity
and well-being.
EbA measures implemented in the reserve:
• Vicuña management for animal fiber (in Tanta
and Tomas);
• Community-based sustainable native grasslands
management, including livestock management (in
Tanta, Canchayllo and Miraflores); and
• Community-basedsustainablewatermanagement,
including (ancestral) hydric infrastructure, and
wetland and grasslands restoration (in Canchayllo
and Miraflores).
The project has also made progress towards its aim
to upscale EbA and to mainstream the concept in
public policy. Through an initiative to foster the
preparation of guidelines for public investments
in biodiversity and ecosystem services, the project
positioned EbA in the guidelines for public
investment projects related to biodiversity and
ecosystem services. These were recently released
Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the Nor Yauyos Cochas Landscape reserve, in the
Peruvian Andes
jointly by the Ministry of Environment and the
Ministry of Economy and Finance.
The pilot project in NYCLR was part of the
Ecosystem-based Adaptation Programme (EbA),
which was a global initiative implemented by
UNEP, UNDP and the International Union for the
Conservation of Nature (IUCN), funded by the
German Federal Ministry for the Environment,
Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear
Safety. The World Conservation Monitoring
Centre (UNEP-WCMC) also participated in
this effort. These organizations cooperated with
national governments to use the EbA approach.
Mountain ecosystems and populations were
particularly sensitive to the impacts of climate
change, and hence are targeted by the EbA
Programme. In addition to the project in
Peru, experiences of EbA in mountains were
being developed in the Himalayas in Nepal,
and in the East African mountains on Mount
Elgon in Uganda. In Peru, the programme was
commissioned by theMinistry of Environment of
Peru (MINAM) with the support of the National
Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP).
The activities under IUCN’s responsibility
were implemented in partnership with The
Mountain Institute (TMI) in the communities of
Canchayllo and Miraflores.
CASE STUDY