- 1AMAP, IRD, Montpellier, France (anais.zimmer@ird.fr; fabien.anthelme@ird.fr)
- 2Department of Geography and the Environment, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA (beacht@austin.utexas.edu)
- 3Universidad Católica del Norte (Chile) (rosaiselameneses11@gmail.com)
- 44Floristics Laboratory, Department of Dicotyledons, Museum of Natural History, San Marcos National University, Lima, Peru (sebastianrivar@gmail.com)
- 5Department of Ethnobotany and Economic Botany, Museum of Natural History, San Marcos National University, Lima, Peru (salcedojean571@gmail.com)
- 6Department of Ecology, Museum of Natural History, San Marcos National University, Lima, Peru (anali.velit12@gmail.com)
By 2100 and due to global warming, 49% to 83% of the world's terrestrial glaciers will disappear depending on which climate trajectory is followed. The resulting proglacial landscapes will create new challenges and opportunities for downstream socio-ecological systems.
In the high Andes, a region inhabited for millennia, glacier retreat exacerbates socio-economic challenges, including risks of species extinction, water contamination from acid rock drainage, slope instability, reduced water availability, glacier lake outburst floods, declines in tourism, and the loss of cultural identity and values. Understanding the mechanisms that drive the development of post-glacial ecosystems is urgently needed in the face of rapid glacial retreat.
These emerging ecosystems, located at the heads of watersheds, play a crucial role in delivering essential services such as water provision, carbon storage, and biodiversity support, benefiting both human and natural systems. To explore these mechanisms, we combined experimental and observational approaches to examine the impact of native Andean camelids on soil properties and vegetation development in four deglaciating landscapes across Peru and Bolivia.
Our research included a camelid inclusion experiment in the Cordillera Blanca, Peru, and observational studies conducted in three deglaciating valleys: two in the Cordillera Blanca and Cordillera Vilcanota, Peru, and one in the Cordillera Real, Bolivia. The findings indicate that native Andean camelids contribute to the formation of novel proglacial ecosystems by creating nutrient-rich hotspots and promoting seed dispersal.
This regional study provides robust scientific evidence that rewilding with native Andean camelids can support adaptation to glacier retreat. It underscores the potential of nature-based solutions to mitigate both ecological and socio-ecological impacts of climate change. Furthermore, conservation policies and management practices that recognize the role of these animals in proglacial areas could significantly influence ecosystem resilience and response to a warming climate.
How to cite: Zimmer, A., Anthelme, F., Beach, T., Meneses, R. I., Rivas Regalado, S., Salcedo Aliaga, J., and Velit, A. C.: Andean camelids as engineers of novel proglacial ecosystems, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-21905, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-21905, 2025.