CINCONoviembre 2014

THIS IS NOT A MAGAZINE MORE ON THE ENVIRONMENT

DO WE KNOW THE GOODS AND SERVICESTHIS ECOSYSTEM PROVIDES TO US?

MOUNTAIN Source of life

@CORREO You ask:MINAManswers.

I would like to know if you have an environmental library at the Ministry of Environment. I would like to access the books you may have available to investigate and learn more about the subject. What are the hours of operation and the requirements to access the academic material?Ana Canchis Rodríguez

Hello Ana:We do have an Environmental Library at MINAM (BIAM). You can check it virtually by going to: http://cdam.minam.gob.pe:8080/. You can also access it by visiting our facilities (Av.Javier Prado Oeste 1440, San Isidro). At BIAM, you will find publications (books, brochures, magazines, etc.), as well as photo archives, videosand multimedia materials. You can browse our online catalogue at: catalogobiam.minam.gob.pe.If you need more information, do not hesitate emailing us at biam@minam.gob.pe, or call us at 611-6000, extension 1332 and 1338.

Agents of change.

Five environmental stories

confirm that peace and hope

have come back to several

communities in the mountains of Peru.

Today, their inhabitants

face climate change by

knowing and valuingtheir resources,preventing natural disasters

and combiningancestral techniques with

current knowledge of

production. (Page. 12)

15618

The man harvesting water.Silverio Choquenairauses an ancestral techniqueto get thisvital liquid in thehighlands.

Special. Mother Mountain.(Or how these ecosystems providegoods and services to Peru).

Voices forclimate. This fair of environmental knowledgeplaces emphasison climate change,as a parallel event to COP 20.

IN THIS EDITION

Pills for the Environment.At the bottom of the page you will find the activitiesand cultural productsthat MINAMrecommends.

MINAM

LA N

ACIÓN A ESTE CIUDADANO

This is a publication of

MINAM is the official acronym.This publication bears this name and

will not be another newsletter on the environment.

Editor:

Office of Communications and Institutional Image of the Ministry of Environment

revistaminam@minam.gob.pe

Legal deposit at the National Library of Peru

Nº 2013-14025Printed at XXXXXXXX

Telephone: XXXXXAddress: XXXXXX

Fifth Edition – Noviembre 2014Printing 5000 copies

Av. Javier Prado Oeste 1440 San IsidroLima - Perú

www.minam.gob.pe

MINAM

SPECIAL THANKS:This publication has been possible thanks to the technical and financial support of a group of public, private groups, and the international cooperation that are part

of the driving group of the Pabellón de Montañas yAgua – COP20, which include: MINAM, MINAGRI, ANA,

SENAMHI, SERNANP, COSUDE, PNUD, FAO, CONDESAN, Centro Internacionalde la Papa, Proyecto PRODERN, PACC, Proyecto EbA Montaña, Proyecto MST

Apurímac, Proyecto Glaciares 513 and Proyecto CAT, among others.

MINAM 3

SAVE THE WORLD

Institute for glaciers

The National Institute of Research in Glaciers and Mountain Ecosystems is almost a reality. The Council of Ministers approved the draft law allowing the creation of this area aimed at scientific research and the conservation and development of policies for these ecosystems. We just need the Congress to give the final approval to this organization that will be attached to the Ministry of Environment.

Garbage on the streetsSolid waste management is deficient in many districts of Lima and the country. To date, the Agency for Assessment and Environmental Control (OEFA) has performed 612 supervisions of the district, province munici-palities, and regional governments, and found that 20 landfills had to be considered as “of high risk to the environment”. Consequently, OEFA has filed a complaint with the Attorney General and the General Controller Office of the Republic to the landfills “La Moyuna” (Huánuco), “Pampas de Ñoco” (Ica), “El Milagro” (Arequipa), “El Edén” (Junín) and “Aguas de las Vírgenes” (Junín). Although there are efforts and successful cases in some municipalities, it is disturbing how this problem threatens and affects people’s health. It corresponds to the municipalities, responsible for the issue, to take actions on the matter.

News that make us smile and cryMEASURINGTHE WATER YOU DRINK

Fresh Water availability concerns and obligates all to assume a new culture: savings and rational use of this vital resource. Each year, demand grows in our country. A Peruvian needs 50 liter of water by day to cover its basic needs, as food and cleaning. In Lima, however, unit consumption was 170.67 liters per day in 2013, a number that represent an expense of more than 150% from what it is necessary.

WATER AND INDUSTRYWater in essential for domestic consumption and irrigation of agricultural areas, but also it is indispensable for the industry. If you seek to get a ton of petroleum, expert calculate, there is need 10 thousand liters of this resource. If you seek to start a thermal central of one million of kilowatts of power, you need to employ between 1.200 million and 1.600 millions of cubic meters of water each years.

WHAT TO DO TO TAKE CARE Of IT?• Personal hygiene: shower maximum 5 minutes. Close the faucet while you soap or apply shampoo or wash your teeth. For this last task, preferably use a glass of water to rinse. You will save 12 liters of water per minute!

• Environment: avoid throwing trash, wastewater, or toxic substances in water sources: rivers, ponds, etc. That way, you will protect its quality and will lower treatment costs.

• Kitchen: when washing dishes, first soak and soap dishes. Then, open the faucet to rinse. Do not let water run!

• Cleaning: : in order to wash clothes by hand, it is better to use a bucket or sink. Look: doing it under the water jet from the faucet, you consume 40% of more water.

• Exteriors: for great surfaces of grass, use irrigation by drops technique.

• Use the tools It is estimated that a bad regulated faucet wastes between 80 to 670 litters of water. This loss not only can affect you wallet, but also thousands of people in the country, that will be deprived of that resource. That is why make sure that the faucets from your house are working in good condition.

• Regulate the water jet: allow saving in a simple way up to 50% of water.

• Repair any type of leakage: a leak of a pipe means 30 liters of water per day that are lost.

Mindful of the impactsFour out of five Peruvians consider that climate change affects a small or large part of their region. This and other revealing data are the results of a recent study by the Institute of Analysis and Communication that was performed in 19 regions of the country. The surveyed people indicated that garbage on the streets is also one of the main environmental problems. Also, citizens showed their concern about water and air pollution. There is awareness. Now, people need to take action.

LITERS PER ACTIVITYOne of the first steps is to create awareness. For that, it is necessary to know how much water is used in daily activities that a common person does. Do you have any idea?

An open faucet: 20 liters per minute.A shower: 100 liters per 5 minutes.Brush teeth with open faucet: 20 liters.Pull the toilet lever: from 6 to 18 liters every time. Wash dishes: 100 liters per minute.Leave an open hose irrigating: 1.200 liters per hour.Wash the car with a hose: up to 500 liters in 25 minutes.Wash clothes: 120 liters in a round.

If we add to that that in the last 40 years, 40% of glacier Surface has been lost by the effect of the change (ANA), we are against a problem that requires a prompt action.

There are several Peruvians that suffer severe problems of fresh water provision. What habits can be changed to take care this valuable resource and be able to get it to more people?

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MINAM 54 MINAM

Mothermountain

Mountains, those giants that guard water in their snowy summits, feed rivers, seas, crop fields and each Peruvian household. In many areas of the country, mountains are called ‘Apus’, and the Andean population pays tribute to them with “payments to the Earth” and stone towers called “apachetas”. Through these rituals, they hope Apus will continue to provide what means life for them (and every-body else): water. Without it, land and crops would not exist. Nor would livestock, energy, plants, men nor women.

Studies indicate that these natural ‘castles’, where most watersheds are born, provide fresh water to 50% of the world’s population. Peru is rich in water: its mountains account for 71% of the world’s tropical glaciers.

Over the years, however, threats to this ecosystem and to water have become evident: high temperatures and climate change have stripped the mountains. Now, they look without their white ponchos, meaning, without their glaciers, commonly called snowcapped mountains, and located in higher areas. Glaciers work as water collectors during seasons with rainfall excess. They provide water for do-mestic, agricultural or industrial usage

during the dry season, when rain is scarce or no drop falls from the sky.

With the retreat of glaciers over the last decades, the landscape surrounding the

mountains looks different. In some cases, puddles can be seen; in others, lakes. The postcard image that attracts tourists to the Cordillera Blanca has changed. “You see sig-nals of climate change on the lake”, warns

Jesús Gómez, head of the Huascarán National Park. In Pastoruri, the historic snowy mountain of the Peruvian Cor-dillera Blanca, a lake and ice blocks is what is left of this time.

In the Huascarán National Park, you can feel the vulnerability of this ecosystem to climate change and the high risk involved. In mountain regions and surrounding areas, avalanches, landslides, volcanic eruptions, earth-quakes and floods from glacier lakes constitute a threat.

The lake that engineer Jesús Gó-mez mentions does not have a name. It was only a water puddle in 2001, but it has been growing with the deglaciation process. By 2018, the disappea-rance of Pastoruri is predicted, a snowy mountain witness of the retreat. It would not be a new event in Peru: it already happe-ned with the Chonta snowy mountain, a water source of the Choclococha lake that supplies the regions of Ica and Huancavelica. It occurred two years ago. This is why snowy mountains are also considered great labs to study environmental phenome-na from the past and from the present. They can help prepare for the future.

COVER

(OR HOW MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEMS

PROVIDE WATER TO THE

POPULATION AND CONTRIbUTE

WITH fOOD, ENERGY, MINERALS

AND A VARIETY Of WEATHER IN

PERU)

Lonnie Thompson is one of the most impor-tant glaciologists on the planet, who received the equivalent of the Nobel Price of Science, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. This North American geologist takes with him pieces of ice from snowy mountains from different parts of the world that he stores in his “ice collection”. The ice, he explains, allows us to reconstruct the history of the Earth. In its composition, it stores paleo climate data (the state of the climate in historic times).

For the creation of the Inca Empire, Thomp-son says that the fusion of the Quechuas with the Aimaras was key. The latter moved to the north to survive. Like the Aimaras, the ancient Peruvians have managed to face dry periods since hundreds of years ago - and they did so very well.

Thompson has been studying Peruvian glaciers since 1974. The Quelcaya snowy mountain,

one of the water sources of the Amazon river, is one of its great loves, and it was a direct witness of the Aimara migration. “The Quelcaya is a very nice, healthy and big glacier. As we have been working with it, I have seen it as a big friend that

is dying”, sustains Thompson. Quelcaya is expected to be extinct by 2020.

The latest news about the glaciers from the Peruvian Andes gather shocking data: 81% from 755 existing glaciers measures less than one square kilometer, and 41% of the ice from the highlands has been lost in the last 30 years, according to the National Service of Meteorological and Hydrology (SENAMHI).

Beyond statistics and forecasts, this link of Thompson with the mountain, almost fraternal, is key to relate with nature differently. Only this way, warns Thompson, will we be able to strengthen ties with the planet and face climate change: “The twenty-first century will not be about how we get along one with another, but how we get along with nature. That will be the most important thing”. Ancient Peruvians knew that.

A story writtenon ice

MINAM 7

Frost and rainy seasons have stopped having fixed months. Because of this, Cusco farmers like Alejandro Quispe have changed agriculture for livestock. Frost falls any time, and ruins their crops. What they harvest now is for self-con-sumption. In the worst case scenario, they must go buy their food. “When I was a child, my parents had good crops. We don’t anymore”, Alejandro laments.

Climate change has made water stop freezing in the summits and ice has retreated, leaving only broken stone behind. With less snow on the peaks, water discharge is less. This is of concern for Andean people like Alejandro, who suffer the daily consequences. Under this scenario, terra-ces and amunas become alternatives to face current times.

In Canas (Cusco), the land of Alejandro, not only agriculture has been impacted. Some animals die because of the lack of water, fodder and grasslands. Today, mountains and people like him are threatened due to processes that escape from them: urban growth, migration, economical activities and climate change, among others. Should the population centers in high areas receive a direct compensation due to the ecosystem services that their ponds, springs, fields and even rivers provide?

In Peru, Congress just enacted the Law for Mechanisms of Retribution for Ecosystem Ser-vices promoted by the Ministry of Environment. This law proposes something innovative for the country: if you get benefits from the mountain ecosystem, then you should give back with ac-tions in favor of the conservation, recovery and sustainable use of the ecosystems. It sounds logic. Is it possible to both carry out extraction economic activities and preserve natural herita-ge? The objective is to make this possible.

The ancient Peruvians domesticated Andean grains and established mechanisms for water use, and the expansion of the agriculture bor-der at very difficult areas. Terraces, made with stone, play a fundamental role in water control, because they avoid wasting it by impeding drai-nage. This way, floods are prevented, and water is not lost along the way. Also, terraces prevent soil erosion, and allow for an appropriate distri-bution of different agricultural activities.

“Terraces are a testimony of pre-Hispanic adaptation. The Incas were doing it way before there was a concern about climate change, or the concept even existed”, sustains Gonzalo Llosa, advisor to the Minister of Environment.

Llosa mentions another ancestral techni-que: the amunas, a quechua word that means “retain”. It consists of collecting rainwater in the altitudes, before filtering it through rocks by amuna water ditches, to be collected later on by springs - almost like harvesting water close to the sky.

And close to the sky, as we know, everything is more complex: mountains generate a combi-nation of climates, soils and microenvironments that hold a varied biological and ecosystem diversity. That was the wealth of the ancient Pe-

Do your Part Thousands of Peruvianscommitted to act on climate.How are you committed?Simple, joint actions canmake a big change.http://www.pondetuparte.com/

Environmental VolunteeringJoin the Youth Environmental Volunteering Network and supportthe actions of different public and private institutions. For more information:zonajovenes@minam.gob.pe

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Ancestral knowledge

Alejandro Quispe understands climate and mountain behavior as well as the back of his hand. He grew up looking at the snow giants, noticing the wind, and how it influences the rain. If the wind comes from the south, there will be frost; if it comes from the west, it will rain. This empirical knowledge is one of his treasures.

Without going too far, Alejandro knows this ecosystem is the foundation for agriculture pro-duction. Perhaps he has the intuition, with the wisdom that years provide, that it has also have been key for other economic activities. What he does not know, like most of the population in the country, is that mountains have contributed up to 15% of GDP in 2013. In other words, they allowed for a wealth equivalent to 68 million 637 thousand nuevos soles. Beyond the figures, Alejandro Quispe is convinced that without mountains there would be no life for him and his family.

ruvians, and that is the wealth that Peru should look at, enhance and preserve.

It is enough to step on the heights of Huan-cavelica, Puno or Cusco to witness that terraces such as the amunas are practices kept until now in the country. Both, combined with modern techniques such as the tech irrigation, can be replicated in other basins to become a solution for what it is happening in the Andes, and to guarantee the sustainabi-lity of the resource. “The ancient Peruvians had skills that can be part of the solution”, Llosa suggests. This is what it is about: to adapt to the effects of climate change, and that is where we are going to go.

In the land of ancient Peruvians, mountains play their best role: they provide us with a diversity of ecosystems such as high Andean grasslands (puna), bushes, relict forests, lakes and ponds, as well as wetlands, glaciers and fog forests. But there is a paradox in this story: although mountains have become essential for sustainable development of pre-Hispanic cultures, today people living on their slopes are the most vulnerable to climate change. How are we preparing?

¿A retribution for environmentalimpact?

MINAM 98 MINAM

FragilE EcosystEmsThe Peruvian Government recognizes mountains as fragile ecosystems, promoting their special protec-tion and sustainable use (Art. 99 and 100 from the General Environmental Law N° 28611).

gooDs anD sErVicEsMountains provide food, water, minerals, and forest products. The latter are divided in timber and non-timber. The first one refers to wood, and the second one to products derived from trees: roots, branches, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, resins, latex, among others.

ProtEctEDThe National System of Natural Areas Protected by the Government (SINANPE) contemplates in its list mountain ecosystems such as the Huascaran National Park, and the Nor-Yauyos-Cochas Lanscape Reserve, among other Peruvian natural treasures

aDaPtation to changEsThe Ministry of Environment promotes and executes a series of projects to fight climate change at the highlands: The Program for Sustainable Economic Development and Strategic Management of Natural Resources in Apurímac, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Junín and Pasco (PRODERN), EBA Mountain, Glaciers 513, the Project Sustainable Management of Land (MST – Apurímac), among others. All those contribute so that mountain population adapt to climate change, better conserve water, grasslands and their animals, and have a better land to plant and harvest.

At 4 thousand meter a.s.l., the value of mountains can be seen in the hands of Julio Hancco and Rosa Melo Quispe. This couple from Cusco treasures the most diverse varie-ty of native potatoes, which are cultivated on their land of Qanqaupata, in the community of Pampacorral. Facing the snowy mountains of Sawasiray and Pitusiray, Julio and Rosa have preserved and cultivated 186 types of potatoes in the valley of Lares, province of Calca, Cusco. While Julio was recognized a guardian of biodiversity at the Gastrono-mical Fair “Mistura 2010” with the “Golden Pepper” awardas, his wife Rosa also plays a key role.

Beyond mountains, Peru highlands and the Himalayas share something else: the role of women as people who give life and spread knowledge. Like the seeds. Like the mountains. Like Rosa. This is the statement from the Indian leader Vandana Shiva, who left a message that deeply impacted dozens of Peruvian rural women. “Generations of women have been farmers, experts in seeds, producers and selectors”. But their knowle-dge has never been recognized. If you recover the knowledge of a grandmother, you recover the knowledge for many. This applies to all areas”.

This has happened in Peru, in the Himala-yas and other mountain territories. Ancestral knowledge has been transferred over time in mountain areas that cover, approximately, one fourth of the planet’s land surface. In other words, they include 12% of human population, according the United Nations

social projectsIf you are an established organization, and you have identified a social problem, you may submit an innovative proposal, feasible, and replicable to this contest from Universidad PacificoInformation:http://emprendeup.pe/concursos

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Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO). If the world’s population is almost 7 thousand million, then 840 million of men and women live in mountain areas, or are related to these ecosystems. How many guardians of this knowledge and protec-tors of biodiversity like Julio and Rosa live on the planet?

“There are no native products without native societies. This is the case of native potatoes: thanks to cultural heritage, tradi-tional and of social management, we have an interesting range of potato variety”, said Julio and Rosa, members of the Na-tional Association of Ecological Producers from Peru (ANPE PERU). Without them, we wouldn’t be talking about a Peruvian ‘gastronomy boom’. With them, instead, food safety brings hope.

What if we started seeing mountains as managers of life? Next time we open the faucet at a coastal house, we would then know where the water is coming from. When we turn on a light bulb, we would guess the origin of that energy. When we buy potatoes at the market, we would recognize they come from the Andes. When we talk about Peruvian biodiversity, we would highlight the role of these giants that provide us with all these resources from the highest peaks down to us who are down there, dwarfed by their immen-sity. Without proper recognition, there won’t be significant changes.

Guardians of biodiversityEcosistEmas frágilEsEl Gobierno peruano reconoce a las montañas como ecosistemas frágiles, fomentando su especial protección y aprovechamiento sostenible (Art. 99 y 100 de la Ley General del Ambiente N° 28611).

BiEnEs y sErviciosLas montañas proveen alimentos, agua, minerales y productos forestales. Estos últimos se dividen en maderables y no maderables. El primero se refiere a la madera y el segundo, a todos los que proven-gan de la corta de árboles: raíces, tallos, hojas, flores, frutos, semillas, gomas, resinas, látex, entre otros.

ProtEgidosEl Sistema Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado (SINANPE) contempla en su listado a los ecosistemas de montañas, como el Parque Nacional Huascarán y la Reserva Paisajística Nor Yauyos-Cochas, entre otras riquezas naturales peruanas.

adaPtación a los camBiosEl Ministerio del Ambiente promueve y ejecuta una serie de proyectos para combatir el cambio climático en las alturas: PRODERN, EBA Montaña, Glaciares 513 y MST-Apurímac. Todos ellos están cambiando la vida de los pobladores que viven en las zonas de montañas, permitiendo que se adap-ten al cambio climático, que conserven mejor el agua, los pastos y sus animales, y tengan una mejor tierra para sembrar y cosechar.

(Fuente: Pasasasasal).

MINAM 1110 MINAM MINAM 1110 MINAM

CHRONIC

1EaRly waRNINg: The threat of floods, sustains Profes-

sor Irma Caque, no longer generates

the same fear as years ago. At school N°

86303, in Yanamarca, professors and stu-

dents have found peace: “We have peace

and safety - the most important thing is the

emotional issue”. Irma refers to the job they

have been carrying out in Carhuaz, Áncash,

to mitigate the impact produced by climate

change and the retreat of snow. “Now we

know where the area of evacuation and the

safety zone are, and how long it takes us to

evacuate. Students have changed their at-

titude”, she adds.

Four years ago, in 2010, a block of ice

broke off the glacier mountain Hualcán,

causing a 28 meter-wave in lake 513, lo-

cated at the foot of the glacier. The flood

wiped out cultivated fields and houses. It

was then decided to monitor the lake, and

to raise awareness in the population about

what to do in case of an emergency like that

one.

Two years later, in 2012, works in Ancash

started, and an early warning and preven-

tion system was designed against possible

landslides, in order to safeguard the popu-

lation of the area.

However, there is another threat to the

people of Carhuaz: the lack of water, for

both domestic and agricultural usage. Des-

pite living at the bottom of the lakes and

glaciers, water is nowadays a very scarce

Five environmental projects have given back hope to several mountain communities.

Today, they are more resilient to climate change by knowing and valuing resources,

and preventing natural disasters.

commodity, which causes conflicts among

inhabitants of the middle and lower part of

the sub-watershed.

“We have realized there is a way to solve

this problem since we started to work with

the Proyecto Glaciares 513, in July of 2012”,

sustains Artemio Giraldo, president of the

Hualcán Water Users Committee. The po-

pulation, he explains, now knows the Wa-

ter Resource Law, and the existence of an

authority that manages water: “We should

distribute water equally. Local authori-

ties are already more sensitive about the

amount and quality of the resource that we

have”, he adds.

Leaders of

CHANGE

2FERTIlE laNDIIt has gone from an eroded land, due

to the passing of rainfall that used to

drag everything, to a garden where many

crops grow. This new scenario has been

possible thanks to Eugenio Paúcar, who

has carved out terraces on the slope of a

mountain, in the community of San An-

tonio, Apurímac. On those terraces, crop

rotation is practiced, so the soil is streng-

thened.

Eugenio used terraces as a response to the

desertification that suffers great parts of

the land of Apurímac. In Cotabambas and

Grau, for example, 92% of the soil is consi-

dered as high risk, meaning it is vulnerable

Change

Students from school No 86303, In Yanamarca (Carhuaz), perform an evacuation drill, and they locate themselves in a safe area for a possible flood.

MINAM 1312 MINAM

a maN HaRvESTINg waTER

la Na

CIÓN a ESTE CIUDaDaNO EJEmPlaR

GREEN AND DISTINGUISHED

t 55 years old, Silverio Choquenaira does not forget the image had the apu Laramani, the great mountain located besides his community. “Before, he was with its White poncho, full of snow. But over the years, you do not see even a

white mole. Now it is only dressed up in black, but still, it is urinating”. Silverio refers that the snowy mountain is still providing that vital element to survive in the planet: the water. Although he has realized that with that portion is not enough. For some time, Silverio harvests water in the highlands, more than 4 thousand meters a.s.l.

He does that by a ancestral technique recovered thanks to the Adaptation Program to Climate Change (PACC) from the Environment Ministry, in alliance with the Sweeden Cooperation. It is about collecting, by small dams, rainfall water in the highlands. Then, this one infiltrates in the ground, and by gravity action, it shows up in the lower parts. This way, it provides natural

supply to more than thousand people from the district of Kunturkanki, in Canas, Cusco. “In the fountains and streams, the flow rate increases. We have seen the result. We take the water from the Pachamama”, he tells.

In his community, Pumatalla, it lives 250 householders. Before, when frost and rain seasons where fixed, they were dedicated to agriculture. Today, the little they harvest is for self-consumption: potato, quinoa, wheat, barley. To survive, they had to dedicate themselves to livestock. “With milk and cheese, we sustain the economy”, says this father of four children.

“We try not overgrazing to preserve the environment”, sustains Silverio. Without a field there is no future for the population: “The peasant plows the land and take to the market their products, and that the population consumes. We should not forget our land, because it provides us with water, it gives us life”.

AsilVErio choquEnaira is a Cusco peasant leader that

uses an ancestral technique to obtain water in the highlands and fight against climate change.

to erosion and desertification. In both pro-vinces, besides Antabamba, training and in-ternships were provided to raise awareness of small producers.

Thanks to the Project “Promoviendo el Ma-nejo Sostenible de la Tierra” (Promoting Sustainable Land Management) (MST-Apu-rímac), now they know about land preven-tion and conservation through what they ca-ll “combined practices”: a body of knowled-ge that incorporates traditional knowledge and new production systems, in order to reduce pressure on the scarce productive land of the region. This way, it has been pos-sible to increase the productivity of Apu-rimac farmers - between 150% and 250% - and to value traditional crops such as tarwi, kiwicha, corn, faba beans, beans, native po-tatoes, and to raise alpacas.

As of today, some 2,500 families from 23 communities from those three provinces of Apurimac have benefited from the project through the harvest of agro-ecological pro-ducts. Under the Brand “Pachamamanchis Rayku” (“By our Land”), they are already

CHRONIC

PhoTogrAPy: MINAM

selling them in fairs like Mistura and Expoali-mentaria, and they are seeking new ways to export.

3waTER, gRaSS aND vICUñaSPeople in the highlands of Lima and

Junín are standing up to climate change by taking care of water, grass and vicuñas. The idea of the project for Adaptation based on Mountain Ecosystems (EBA, for its acron-ym in English), implemented by the Ministry of Environment, seems simple enough: to uti-lize nature’s services for the use, restoration and better management of these ecosys-tems. Even at more than 4 thousand meters above sea level, everything becomes more complex.

At the farming community of Tanta, in Yauyos, inhabitants depend on sheep far-ming, alpaca and vicuña. Vicuñas are raised in special areas for the production of their wool. With the support of the Government’s National Service of Protected Natural Areas (SERNANP), the Nor Yauyos-Cochas Lands-cape Reserve has organized their livestock, rehabilitated the ancestral water infrastruc-

ture, and restored wetlands and grasslands. This is what it is all about: to preserve nature’s services for the development of the popula-tion of those areas.

.

4THE valUE OF NaTUREAbout two years ago, in the communi-

ty of Santa Inés, change was unanimous-ly embraced. Through an act, the population committed to take care of the land, to keep animals far away, and to restore the fertility cycle of their land. Sometimes you have to lose everything to start valuing what you have. The Program for Sustainable Economic Develop-ment and Strategic Management of Natural Resources (PRODERN) wants to avoid reaching that point to raise awareness: its objective is to put into value the Natural Heritage from di-fferent communities of Apurímac, Ayacucho, Huancavelica, Junín and Pasco.

How much are worth the goods and services that nature provides to a community? The first thing inhabitants of these areas say is that we need to understand the importance of each of them, and to recognize their importance on biological diversity. In 2011, an intervention happened in the most depressed area of the Peruvian Andes to better manage natural heri-tage with a strategic vision. With that knowle-dge, today many people from those regions carry out their economic activities in harmony, while taking care of the environment.

5POTaTO TREaSUREIn the past, old women remember, people from the city used to despise their native

potatoes. Now, they proudly say, they keep asking for them: “There are no others in the world with that flavor and color that we have always liked”. In this community of Huancave-lica, mothers no longer think about giving up potato cultivation, quite the opposite. Thanks to the IssAndes project, native potatoes can contribute to improving the harsh conditions of chronic malnutrition affecting children less than 3 year old of their region.

In this highland area, one of the main causes of anemia and infant chronic malnutrition is macro and micro nutrient deficiency. An initial research indicates that the variety of native potatoes can be an interesting complemen-tary source of vitamin C, iron and zinc. Knowle-dge of the nutritional quality of that traditional food and training of mothers are key in this crusade.

“We recall how our families used to be able to maintain themselves well by eating these po-tatoes, and they did not have many diseases”, says an enthusiastic mother. At this rate, food safety and the health of their children may seem to be guaranteed.®

MINAM 1514 MINAM

the Environmental ministry,manuel Pulgar-Vidal, participated in the

Climate Mobilization of the Villages during theUnited Nations Summit on Climate

Change, in Nueva York. He did it next to the UNO General Secretary, Ban Ki-moon and the famous primatologist Jane Goodall,

among other personalities. At the end of the meeting, Perú,which had a delegation led by president

Ollanta Humala, adhered to the New York Declaration. This document highlights the importance

of the forests in the planet.

EDUCaTION FOR

THE ENvIRONmENT

SOCIETy mINamWHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Current studies confirm recent disturbing figures and forecasts.President Ollanta Humala just announced to the world, at the United Stations Summit for Climate Change in New York, that Peru may lose up to 20% of its GDP by 2050 if no actions are taken against this phenomenon. By 2030, the

president assured, a reduction of 5% of this indicator would already be seen. The question is: What will happen to our glaciers and the provision of water, and what actions are being taken?

alerts: It is estimated that in the next 10 years, all glaciers below 5 thousand meters may disappear. Thus, for 2030, waTER avaIlabIlITy IN THE PaCIFIC waTERSHED wOUlD decrease by 6% (except in the extreme north).

measures: the National Water Authority (ANA) monitors 10 pilot glaciers, distributed in different snowy mountain ranges. THIS INFORmaTION IS RElEvaNT TO kNOw glaCIER DyNamICS related to the effects of climate change.

Resources: The largest glacier water reserve potential is located in the basins of Santa, Urubamba, Marañón and Inambari, wHICH TOgETHER FORm THE laRgEST glaCIER SURFaCE with 359,62 km2 (27,69 %), 272,9 km2 (21,01%), 198,34 km2 (15,27%), and 148,76 km2 (11,45%), respectively. This record, produced by ANA, represents valuable information for managing water resources.

Disorders: Extreme rainfall would show a possible decrease in the next 30 years in laRgE PaRTS OF THE PERUvIaN terrItorY. The largest increase in the minimum temperature would reach 1.4°C.

actions: the National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology of Peru (SENamHI) RECENTly INSTallED an automatic meteorological station at 5800 m.a.s.l., on the Coropuna glacier (Arequipa), one of the highest glaciers together with Huascarán (Áncash), Huaytapayana (Junín), and Quisoquipina (Cusco). IT IS PlaNNED TO PlaCE aNOTHER EaST STaTION in the highlands of Lima, in the Chuecón glacier, whose waters are vital for the valley of Mala.

glaciers with the days numbered? Different

authorities from minam,cultura, ProDErn and from the Regional

Government of Ayacucho and the Valley of Sondondoparticipated in the event “Diálogos Ambientales” (Environmental Talks).

The subject was: “Cultural Landscape, a proposal forSustainable development, evaluation and application

of ancestral knowledge in mountainecosystems. The experience of

Sondondo Valley”.

the Biodiversity show-window was presented at the great market of the mistura 2014 Fair. This cabinet,presented by the Environmental Ministry Manuel Pulgar-Vidal,

showed the relationship of the ancient Perú with the current gastronomy. He did it by a historical journey and very visual about the past, present

and the future of the Peruvian biodiversity, the ancestral knowledge, and itsclose link with food. For that, a group of sacking women

from the Kuyanakuy Association (which means let’s love each other,in quechua) make two colorful and illustrative panels.

16 MINAM

CHRONIC

the most complete and updated

information on climate change will be

presented for the first time in a space called

“Voces por el clima” (Voices for climate).

this is one of the most important events

organized during coP20 in lima.

aLL voices

Learn more• ”Voces por el clima” will take place at Jockey club del Peru (av. El Derby 15023, santiago de surco). admission is free. schedule is from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., from the 1st until the 12th of Decem-ber. • coP20 will take place in the army headquarters (cuartel general del Ejercito) (av. Bou-levard s/n, san Borja), from the 1st – 12th of December. admission is restricted and subject to prior accreditation under the rules for this type of events. • lima coP20 should esta-blish the foundation for a new global agreement to be signed in 2015 (at coP21 in Paris). it should take effect in 2020, to implement specific actions to reduce emissions.

Peru, as a host country for COP20, wanted to open a space for dialogue to bring together key information on climate change from the country and the rest of the world. This is “Voces por el clima”, a knowledge fair in which five topics have been prioritized: Forests, Mountains and Water, Oceans, Energy, and Sustainable Cities.

Each of these emblematic topics

is shown in halls covering a total of 3,600 m2 of museum exhibit. Prior to that, the Main Hall explains what climate change is, the progress made in the issues, and the role of Peru in the climate debate, and as a country in charge of COP20. Everything that

will occur in the official venue of COP20 - very close to Climate Fair - will be displayed in real time on a giant screen.

The goal is that, by the

end of COP 20 (which goes from December 1-12th), a consensual roadmap be designed by stakeholders in the public system and civil society with regards to these five big topics, and they establish commitments for the near future.

But there is more than these five

topics. The so-called “Maloca” of Indigenous People is a meeting area

of organizations and representatives from those groups, both from Peru and the rest of the world. Their initiatives and knowledge on climate change are key in the fight for preserving the planet.

It is known that the effects on climate change can have different impacts in the Peruvian territory due to its

characteristics. Peru is one of the 10 megadiverse countries in the world: it has the second largest Amazonian forest, and the chain of tropical mountains of greater

surface. 84 out of 104 areas of life identified in the world can be found in Peru. Also, our country has a great glacial wealth with no

less than 71% of the world’s tropical glaciers.

As a matter of fact, “Voces del

Clima” seeks to raise awareness and to promote our natural wealth, not only through discussions and roundtables, but also with artistic and eco-cultural expositions, whose purpose is to protect and spread biological, geographical, ecological, cultural, ethnic, archaeological and artistic diversity. “Voces por el Clima” will be an area where ancient Peru and its traditional knowledge can be heard. ®

18 MINAM MINAM 19

PhoTogrAPy: MINAM

PORTFOlIO

STaNDINg bEFOREa NEwSCENaRIO

MINAM 2120 MINAM

underwater PaintIt is the name of an exhibition on a spectacularproject: how a man does artwork on the sea floor. Aphotographer records the process and tells us about the project, whose purpose is to raise awareness.Information of the sample: www.pinturasubmarina.com

PORTFOlIO

NATURALWEALTH. Different environmentalinitiatives developed in the countrylook to meet thesame objective in the mountain areas fromPerú: put in valuethe natural patrimonyof Andean communities.Because the goods and services thatnature provides tothe inhabitants fromthose locations are

Ecological award The Toulouse-Lautrec School of Design is looking for the bestecological design project for its next Padis award.More information at: 617-2400,informes@tls.edu.pe http://www.tls.edu.pe.

limate change has transformed the Scenario of inhabitants from mountain areas. It is as if suddenly, they were following the script of a movie very different of what their life was up until recently. In this one, the White poncho from the snowy mountain has been disappearing, and it is almost a bare hill; the productive calendars have had to modify their beginning dates of planting; agriculture has been reduced, making a way for livestock; and water, finally, has become a scarce commodity.

In this new role, however, they have shown their great ability to adapt themselves to this new scenario, presenting a sustainable development and a climate irrigation management before any emergency. Without them, and without mountains, there would not be water, nor food, nor energy, nor plants, nor many more other resources. That is why, projects undertaken by the Environment Ministry and other local And foreign institutions, as well as different Initiatives from civil society, play an important role in this history. Because the moviemay be different, but the planet is the same and it is time to protect it.

MINAM 2322 MINAM

AMBIENTV (MINAM)

The Huascarán N

ational Park is one of the

areas most affected by global w

arming, as show

n in

this image captured by TV

Peru. The crew of the

Am

bienTv program visited the Park, and ascended

the Hualcán snow

y mountain, talking w

ith the

population that struggles to adapt to climate change.

You can follow A

mbienTv, a program

of the Ministry of Environm

ent, every Sunday at

9:30 a.m. on TV

Peru.