The Andes have been experiencing glacier retreat at an unprecedented pace in the last decades, leading to the rapid expansion of post-glacial terrains. These emerging terrains, though unstable and potentially generating downstream risks, may naturally transform into integrated socio-ecological systems that provide multiple Nature’s Contributions to People. In that sense, they present both challenges and opportunities for people and nature. However, the extremely rapid human-induced climate warming is detrimental to their development. Given that people have inhabited the Andes and interacted tightly with ecosystems for millennia, understanding this ecological transition – and potentially valuing it in this region – is a priority for people and nature. While academic approaches are necessary to acquire this knowledge, they are not sufficient. Indigenous and Local Knowledge (ILK) offers Nature-based Solutions (NbS) already validated by communities and suited to the local context. But the sharing of ILK among communities is hampered by biophysical and socio-economic barriers. We argue that significant progress can be achieved by hybridizing ILK with academic knowledge. This hybridization can support the identification of NbS best-suited to fostering post-glacial ecosystem development, while helping to overcome the biophysical and socio-economic barriers that limit their transferability. These solutions could provide both social and ecological benefits and contribute to risk mitigation. Here, we (1) review existing NbS in high-Andean environments, (2) analyse the biophysical and socio-economic barriers to the transferability of post-glacial NbS, and (3) explore in what aspect knowledge hybridization can enhance the accessibility and transferability of post-glacial NbS.