Utilising Cultural Heritage to Improve Water Security and Agro-Pastoral Farming in the Peruvian Andes

Abstract

Modern-day climate change is adversely affecting the water security of rural communities in the Peruvian tropical Andes, under threat from glacier retreat, decreasing precipitation, aquifer depletion, drought and increased aridity. The preservation, and where possible expansion, of existing wetlands can increase local hydric resilience and community anti-fragility. Nevertheless, ill-conceived and executed dam construction projects, coupled with mining and rural out-migration, threaten to derail the capture and retention of essential highland water sources. In the past, communities in the Andes also faced climate change and similarly invested in hydraulic infrastructure. Two case studies here highlight the importance of these pre-Hispanic infrastructure projects in maintaining and augmenting hydric resources across whole watersheds, while also providing a potential blueprint towards future rehabilitation of ancient technology for use by modern-day rural communities. The Antaycocha (Chillón Valley, Lima Region) case showcases what palaeoecology can reveal about the temporality and function of pre-Hispanic dams, while the Ricococha Alta (Cordillera Negra, Ancash Region) case demonstrates how existing community knowledge together with archaeological expertise can be harnessed to restore a pre-Hispanic water dam for use in the present. Both studies reflect on how cultural heritage, palaeoecology and indigenous communities can come together to positively reinforce human–wetland interactions, affording a potential path towards sustainable rural development and heritage protection.

Lane, K. J., Branch, N., Handley, J., Meddens, F. M., Gonzalez, P., Walsh, D., Advincula, M., Herrera, A., Vivanco Pomacanchari, C. y Moncada, W. (2025). Utilising Cultural Heritage to Improve Water Security and Agro-Pastoral Farming in the Peruvian Andes. En S. Mithen, M. A. Rabbani y M. Rabbani (Eds.) Cultural Heritage, Community Engagement and Sustainable Tourism, pp. 248-265. Reino Unido: Taylor & Francis.