The Andean Glacier and Water Atlas

Bringing back ancient traditions for adaptation At the height of the Inca Empire in the 1400s, a system of terraces and irrigation channels, covering almost a million hectares of the Andean hillsides, existed to feed the large population. Over the centuries, this system gradually fell into ruin as the Spanish conquerors forced people to farm other crops and to mine mineral resources. Many of these ancient terraces are now being restored to deal with increasing water stress. Using archaeological details about the construction of terraces and irrigation canals, theCusichacaTrust, aPeruvianCharity, has irrigated 160 hectares of terraces in the Patacancha Valley, near Cuzco. The project has improved water access and crop productivity in the region. The ancient canals capture water from waterways during the rainy season and transport it to areas where it can feed into year-round springs lower down the hill, thus maintaining river flow even during the driest periods. Similar initiatives are being carried out across the country, including in Lima, where an ancient system of irrigation channels is being restored. These initiatives are seen as cost-effective solutions. such as flooding and landslides. For EbA to be successful, it needs to be implemented in an holistic way that considers the ecosystem´s complexity, including the relationship between the ecosystems and the hydrology. For example, ecosystems play an important role in the water cycle through the contribution of soil and vegetation to the movement, storage and transformation of water (WWAP, 2018). Implementing simple and effective water harvesting measures Water harvesting is a strategy that can boost water storage and help maintain water supplies for agriculture. Water harvesting systems include rustic micro-dams or atajados. A rustic micro dam is a man- made water reservoir, usually built into a natural depression in the groundor seasonal river bed. Acompactedearthdamisconstructed to capture and store rainwater that runs off the surface, and/or a nearby water source (Santa Cruz Cárdenas et al., 2008; Goetter and Picht, 2010). The dams store water for irrigation and also promote water infiltration and groundwater recharge, resulting in the maintenance of wetlands and water springs in the lowlands (Zeisser et al., 2013). CASE STUDY

Municipal Water Funds for restoring mountain ecosystems Water Funds are amechanismwherewater users pay into funds in exchange for the product they receive – which in this case is clean, fresh water. Dozens of water funds are found across Latin America. One of the oldest is the Fondo Para La Proteccion del Agua (FONAG) – the Fund for Water Protection. FONAG is a heritage fund set up by the Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito through the Public Company Metropolitan Water and Sanitation (EPMAPS) and The Nature Conservancy. FONAG’s aim is to ensure proper funding for managing and conserving water basins that cover Quito’s population needs. FONAG operates as a heritage fund, whose capital comes from EPMAPS, The Electric Power Company of Quito (EEQ), The Nature Conservancy, COSUDE/CAMAREN and two Ecuadorian enterprises, Cervecería Andina and Tesalia Spring Co. The revenues from the fund are used to finance environmental activities and programmes that support water conservation. These include forest restoration and planting activities for water resource protection. One example is the restoration of the forests located on the high Andean plateau, which are essential in protecting the water generating springs of the high Guayllabamba river basin that supply water to the Metropolitan District of Quito. Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) is defined as a process “that integrates the use of biodiversity and ecosystem services into an overall strategy to help people adapt to the impacts of climate change” (Colls et al., 2009). The rationale behind the practice is that healthy ecosystems not only provide a long list of benefits to humans, such as drinking water, firewood, food and medicine, but can also form important barriers or lessen the damage from extreme events CASE STUDY interdependency of species. Such efforts can for example include (re)-afforestation and rehabilitation of degraded land (Harris et al 2006). The engagement of local communities in these conservation activities is highly important. Not only does it strengthen the sense of ownership of the land and the ownership and awareness of the ecosystem and its resources, but it also uses the expertise of local communities in the process of identifying species, propagation techniques and the effective implementation of strategies. Ecological restoration projects require technical and ecological knowhow (Murcia et al., 2016), and the implications of any restoration have to be carefully considered (Harris et al., 2006).

Sources: Panorama (29.11.2016), New Scientist (9.4.2015), Smithsonian.com (6.9.2011)

Source: El Fondo para la Protección del Agua-FONAG, 2018

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