High-altitude wetlands in South America are struggling in the Andes in Ecuador and Colombia. Grassroots activists in both countries are fighting to protect them against drought conditions brought on by an overheating planet and detrimental human activity.
What's happening?
Rural and remote communities in the Andes Mountains of Colombia and Ecuador are battling the impacts of a strong El Niño, a warming world, and damaging human activity to preserve and protect the region's high-altitude wetlands. These forces have combined to create drought conditions that threaten these wetlands, known as paramos to the people who live there.
A women-led nursery set up by the Ecuador-based Fund for the Protection of Water has planted 40,000 trees and is in the process of growing another 100,000. Polylepis trees, also known as paper trees, are among the rarest trees on Earth. These odd trees have large surface areas, which makes it easier for them to capture and store water. The native trees that do well in the climate found in the thin air at high altitudes in the mountains are planted at the nursery and then replanted where they are needed the most.
Why are struggling high-altitude wetlands important?
Paramos play an important role in regulating the water cycle by absorbing and gradually releasing moisture from rainfall in the region.
"The water originates in this area and conserving these paramos, these wetlands, is essential for the low areas in the city," Paola Fuentes, a water analysis specialist with a nursery in the program, told Reuters.
Polylepis trees, along with other plant species native to the area, such as frailejones and espeletia, are well known for their ability to capture and conserve water through adaptation. Water conservation and preservation of the paramos are crucial for maintaining an adequate supply of drinking water and keeping hydroelectric reservoirs full. The historic drought in Ecuador led to power being cut to half of its provinces in September.
What's being done about protecting these wetlands?
The Nature Conservancy has set up two water funds in Ecuador designed to help protect and manage the country's water resources. The Fund for the Protection of Water, also known as FONAG, is one of the oldest Water Funds, dating back to 2000. It has helped to inspire dozens of other Water Funds in Latin America.
"Its primary objectives are to maintain an adequate supply of quality water (particularly during the dry season) by promoting the protection and sustainable management of Quito's source watersheds," according to the Nature Conservancy.
Human activity like deforestation exacerbates the stressful situation that puts the high-altitude wetlands at risk. The heat-trapping gases being released into our atmosphere is another form of human activity compounding the problem.
Relying less on dirty energy sources and turning toward renewable options can help. We can all take simple steps to cool our planet, like using public transportation, walking instead of driving whenever possible, and driving more efficiently when walking isn't an option.
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