Reviving Ancient Water Wisdom in the High Andes

In the Peruvian Andes, communities are reviving centuries-old water systems to secure water, restore grasslands and strengthen resilience to climate change.

The Ausangate landscape in the Peruvian Andes is one of the country’s most important sources of freshwater. Photo: Ditlev Damhus/Aktion Amazonas

 High in the Peruvian Andes, where glaciers are retreating and dry seasons are becoming longer, local communities are turning to centuries-old water management systems to secure water for people, livestock and ecosystems.

Working together with Aktion Amazonas and Conservación Amazónica (ACCA), the communities of Phinaya, Sallani and Sibina Sallma are strengthening water security and climate resilience in one of Peru’s most important water-producing landscapes.

This work takes place within the Ausangate Regional Conservation Area, one of Peru’s most important water-producing landscapes. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns and longer dry seasons are placing increasing pressure on water resources across the high Andes, making effective water management increasingly important for both local livelihoods and downstream communities.

“Water captured and regulated in these high-altitude ecosystems ultimately supports communities far beyond the mountains, making local climate adaptation a matter of regional water security,” explains Oscar Olazábal, Project Coordinator at ACCA.

Water captured in the high Andes eventually flows towards the Amazon Basin, while moisture generated by the rainforest returns to the mountains as rainfall. This constant exchange links two of South America's most important ecosystems. Protecting these headwaters therefore contributes not only to local resilience, but also to the health of the wider Andes–Amazon hydrological system.

To strengthen the ability of these landscapes to capture and store water, communities are drawing on traditional water management practices that have been used in the Andes for centuries.

Ancient Water Wisdom for a Changing Climate

A key component of the project is the restoration and construction of qochas - traditional Andean water reservoirs used for centuries to capture and store rainwater. During the rainy season, water is retained in shallow basins where it gradually infiltrates the soil instead of flowing rapidly downhill. This simple but effective approach increases water retention, supports groundwater recharge, reduces erosion and helps maintain water availability during increasingly prolonged dry periods.

Photo Ditlev Damhus/Aktion Amazonas   Photos: Oscar Olazabal/ACCA

Unlike large-scale infrastructure projects, qochas typically require only modest interventions such as excavation, shaping of natural depressions and the construction of small earthen embankments. These activities can largely be carried out using local knowledge and local labour, making the approach relatively low-cost.

While qochas play an important role in capturing and storing water, ensuring that this water reaches the areas where people, livestock and vegetation need it most is equally important.

Managing Water and Grasslands Together

“For local communities, the challenge is not only water storage but also water distribution,” say Oscar Olazábal, ACCA.

For many families in the area, water availability is closely linked to the health of their alpacas and the grasslands on which they depend. In recent years, springs have begun to dry up earlier in the season, increasing pressure on grazing areas and making water management an increasingly important part of sustaining local livelihoods.

To address this, the project supports families in redistributing water through small channels and conveyance systems that direct water from qochas to drier grazing areas. These distribution networks help move water to areas where vegetation and livestock need it most, increasing the effectiveness of each qocha.

Photos (from left to right): Kevin Sillquihua, Oscar Olazabal/ACCA & Ditlev Damhus/Aktion Amazonas

This redistribution is particularly important because livelihoods in the area depend heavily on alpaca production, and healthy alpacas require healthy grasslands. When water becomes concentrated in only a few locations, grazing pressure often increases around those areas, leading to degradation of vegetation and soils. By improving water availability across larger areas, communities can manage grazing more sustainably and reduce pressure on vulnerable ecosystems.

The project therefore combines water harvesting with improved pasture management. For example, families place temporary night enclosures in degraded grasslands, where alpaca manure naturally fertilises the soil while increased moisture supports vegetation recovery.

These local measures not only improve pasture conditions for individual families but also contribute to the health and functioning of the wider landscape.

The restoration and construction of qochas form part of a broader climate adaptation initiative reaching 24 communities across Bolivia and Peru, benefitting approximately 6,000 people from improved water security, ecosystem restoration and strengthened resilience to climate change. 

In Phinaya, Sallani and Sibina Sallma, the experience demonstrates how traditional water harvesting systems are helping communities adapt to increasingly variable rainfall patterns while restoring the natural capacity of mountain landscapes to capture and store water.

High in the Peruvian Andes, communities are drawing on centuries-old water wisdom to restore grasslands, secure water and build resilience to climate change. Photo: Kevin Sillquihua

Strengthening Entire Watersheds

The project’s landscape-based approach recognises that climate adaptation is not only about helping individual communities cope with drought, but about strengthening entire water systems. Water harvesting, redistribution, grassland restoration and ecosystem conservation all contribute to improving the natural capacity of mountain landscapes to capture, store and regulate water.

By working both where water is produced in the high Andes and where it supports livelihoods further downstream, the project helps build resilience across the entire watershed.

The experience from Phinaya, Sallani and Sibina Sallma illustrates how local action can generate benefits far beyond the communities themselves. It demonstrates that some of the most effective climate solutions may come not from new technologies, but from combining traditional knowledge with practical local action.

As climate pressures intensify, ancient Andean water wisdom may prove more relevant than ever.