Peru restores high-Andes ecosystems to secure water supply
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In the Huancavelica region of Peru, the NGO Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN) and Global Forest Generation are collaborating on a project to protect water resources in the Chincha watershed, which supplies water to the arid coast.
The initiative, launched in 2025, responds to the loss of glacial ice. Peru has lost 56% of its glacier mass in the last six decades, and changing weather patterns that threaten water security for communities and businesses.
The project focuses on restoring wetlands and reforesting native polylepis forests at 3,200 meters (10,500 feet) altitude. These ecosystems act as natural reservoirs, storing and releasing water similar to glaciers. Local people in Villa de Arma report a shift from ice and snow to rock in the high mountains, and experience longer dry seasons impacting agriculture and livestock.
While some scientists caution that the benefits of these “nature-based solutions” are difficult to predict and aren’t a universal fix, they agree that inaction is not an option. The project has already planted 30,000 polylepis seedlings and is engaging the community by providing employment and training, hoping to reverse the trend of young people leaving the area. The organizations plan to monitor the project’s impact to demonstrate its effectiveness and encourage replication in other watersheds.
