Low-latitude alpine ecosystems and nature-based solutions

Details

Full Title
FS 3.117: The future of low-latitude alpine ecosystems in a changing world: what to expect from nature-based solutions?
Scheduled
Talks:
2025-09-18, 10:30 - 12:00 (LT), Theologie – HS 1
Convener
Fabien Anthelme
Co-Conveners
Anaïs Zimmer,
Assigned to Synthesis Workshop
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Thematic Focus
Biodiversity, Ecosystems, Socio-Ecology
Keywords
No keywords defined

Description

Alpine ecosystems (AEs) are characterized the treeline marking their lower limit and the near absence of life defining their uppermost extent. They are sometimes referred to as high-elevation, tropical alpine, afro-alpine, high-Andean, nival, paramo and puna. AEs exhibit high yet variable vulnerability in biodiversity and functioning due to global changes, with regions experiencing greening and others browning. The threat to their ecosystem services has a variable influence on human societies, depending on whether they are inhabited or not. This session focuses on low-latitudes AEs (<35°, e.g. the Andes, East Africa, Himalayas, Atlas, Caucasus, Drakensberg) which face significant biodiversity and ecosystem service challenges alongside a lack of scientific knowledge. The session aims at documenting ecological changes in EAs and to explore how nature-based solutions (NbS) or non-intervention can reduce their vulnerability in rapidly changing environments. NbS refer here to ecological processes (e.g. nurse effects between plants) or traditional/ancestral human management practices that successfully reproduce ecological processes (e.g. mesotopographic modifications to improve water resources). We hypothesize that warming, melting glaciers, snow cover reduction and their interactions with changing land use patterns exert stress on key organisms in EAs. Under these conditions, key ecological processes, whether naturally occurring or applied through traditional knowledge, can enhance their sustainability. We invite contributions of all these types of studies, particularly those improving methodology, multidisciplinary approaches or from understudied mountain regions.

Registered Abstracts

ID: 3.9286

A positive interaction between traditional camelid herding and the sustainability of high Andean peatlands? When science confirms ancestral knowledge

Meneses, Rosa; Bounous, Manon; Condom, Thomas; Garcia Lino, Carolina; Le Moguedec, Gilles; Zimmer, Anaïs

Abstract/Description

The tropical high-Andean peatlands, known as bofedales, are oases of life inserted in a matrix of drylands, mostly above 4000 m a.s.l. They are and crucial providers of nature’s contributions to people, from biodiversity support to water regulation and carbon storage. Archaeological evidences show that people use bofedales as a resource for Andean camelid herding (llamas and alpacas) for millennia, suggesting a sustainable interaction. From a scientific viewpoint, however, data is lacking and herbivory is rather considered as having negative impact on the functioning of bofedales. We aimed to quantify the effects of traditional camelid herding on the bofedales’ dynamics by examining the interactions between foundation cushions plants, grasses and the effects of trampling and grazing by camelids. To do this, we set up in 2014 a long term in situ experiment for the exclusion of herbivores (llamas & alpacas) in a valley of the Cordillera Real in Bolivia (4400 m a.s.l.). After 3 and 10 years of exclusion, the characteristic vegetation of the bofedales is significantly reduced, in favor of a grass community characteristic of drier environments. This change is accompanied by a decompaction of the surface peat and a reduction in its volumetric water content (VWC). The decompaction could be explained by the absence of trampling by camelids. It could then lead to a reduction in the VWC (<40%), by being filled with air. This reduction in the VWC allows species intolerant of soil water saturation to settle and dominate the structuring species of the bofedales. These findings align with ancestral knowledge, suggesting a sustainable relationship between traditional camelid herding and bofedal ecosystem health. They encourage developing more the approach of knowledge hybridization. Recognizing the role of camelid herding in maintaining bofedales can inform adaptive management strategies, ensuring the sustainability of high Andean ecosystems in the face of climate change and land-use shifts

ID: 3.9559

Colossus with feet of clay : Tropical alpine columnar cacti braving the cold and facing global changes

Philippe Choler
PERRON, Rémy; ANTHELME, Fabien; SAILLARD, Amélie; MENESES, Rosa

Abstract/Description

The giant columnar cactus Trichocereus pasacana is an iconic species of the Salar de Uyuni (3600 m), Bolivia’s second most visited tourist site. These cacti can reach up to 9 meters in height, making them the tallest plants in an area that is almost devoid of trees. Trichocereus serves as a crucial resource for local inhabitants, providing materials for construction and craftsmanship. The densest populations of Trichocereus are primarily found on the islands within the salar, which have historically been sheltered from human activity. We analyzed the spatial distribution of Trichocereus, monitored the stem temperature of individuals from both dense and sparse populations over several years, and modeled the daily minimum temperature and heat balance of the stems. Individuals from sparse populations often experienced sub-zero minimum temperatures during the austral winter, while those in denser populations were 3°C to 5°C warmer. The giant cactus can survive night frosts as long as its succulent stem has stored sufficient heat during the day, and nighttime atmospheric conditions prevent excessive heat loss. However, these conditions are frequently unmet in wind-exposed sites, where isolated individuals are pushed to the limit of their thermal tolerance. We discussed the future of the giant columnar cactus and its sustainable use in the context of climate change in the altiplano, as well as the increasing human pressure resulting from tourism and mining activities.

ID: 3.10878

Nature-based solutions in the Colombian Andes: social and ecological perspectives on high-mountain restoration projects

Diana Isabel Jimenez Restrepo
Vargas, Orlando; Tobón, Conrado; Ungar, Paula; Hofstede, Robert; Bader, Maaike Y.

Abstract/Description

Colombia´s high-Andean forests and paramos are of great importance regulating water fluxes, storing carbon and supporting a remarkable biological and cultural diversity, while also supporting basic human needs. However, many economic activities have become threats due to soil overexploitation and the replacement of natural ecosystems with large-scale cultivation or grazing areas, as well as exotic tree plantations, invasions of exotic plants, and mining extraction. To reverse the resulting degradation, ecological restoration projects has been initiated by governmental, non-governmental and civil society actors. We set out to map the variety of projects operating in the high Andes of Colombia, aiming to understand how restoration objectives and actions differ among otypes of actors. We found that projects initiated by civil society, particularly local communities, often include both ecological and social motivations, such as recovery of biodiversity and water resources, but also improving the local economy, strengthening social organization, or recovering traditional knowledge. Corresponding actions include collective strategies such as cooperative work for the common good (“mingas”), plant propagation in community nurseries, and the strengthening of ecological knowledge and research, while restoration actions were often small-scale and integrated in agroecological systems. In contrast, projects by NGOs tended to orient their objectives towards global commitments such as climate-change mitigation, as well as support for environmental compensation that private companies must comply with. Actions commonly revolved around tree planting, also done by government entities, recently focused on meeting government targets for planting a specific number of trees rather than on ecological restoration, and fencing areas whose role in promoting natural regeneration remains uncertain. Governmental and non-governmental projects were less oriented towards social and community goals and more towards restoration of water resources and biodiversity. This overlap of restoration objectives among actors suggests these themes as a good basis for joint restoration efforts between them. Importantly, the objectives formulated by civil-society actors provide an indication to institutional actors that projects may need to adopt a broader view on ecological restoration, finding local nature-based solutions to ecological and socioeconomic problems in a synergistic manner.

ID: 3.11629

Bofedales and Nature-Based Solutions: Integrating TEK and Science for Sustainable Low-Latitude Alpine Ecosystems

Gabriel Zeballos Castellon
Prieto, Manuel

Abstract/Description

Bofedales—high-altitude peat wetlands of the Andes, locally known as ok’os or uqhu in Aymara—are critical ecological systems that regulate water, store carbon, and sustain rich biodiversity while underpinning the livelihoods of ancient pastoral communities. However, climate change, extractive activities, and socio-economic shifts undermine their ecological integrity and the transmission of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK). This project adopts a transdisciplinary approach, integrating Cultural and Political Ecology with the 3H (Co-in-Habitants, Habitats, and Habits) framework, to explore how ritual practices, cosmovision, and indigenous language use influence the biodiversity and ecological stability of bofedales. The study co-produces knowledge that merges remote sensing tools and ecological field work, with indigenous and local knowledge by combining satellite and UAV imagery analysis, botanical field assessments, participatory mapping, and ethnographic workshops. We hypothesize that the regulatory networks formed by cultural rituals and practices enhance the resilience and adaptability of bofedales to environmental and anthropogenic pressures. The insights gained are intended to inform sustainable management strategies and policy interventions, ensuring the long-term viability of these vital low-latitude alpine ecosystems and the cultural heritage of Andean herder communities.

ID: 3.13280

The overlooked link between different resource partitioning strategies and plant species richness differences in tropical alpine ecosystems

Martha Kandziora
Vásquez, Diana L. A.; Brochmann, Christian; Gizaw, Abel; Gustafsson, Lovisa; Chala, Desalegn; Galbany-Casals, Mercè; Kolář, Filip; Sklenář, Petr; Nürk, Nicolai M.; Schmickl, Roswitha

Abstract/Description

Species coexistence relies on resource partitioning, which shapes biodiversity across climates, latitudes and altitudes. Resource partitioning can occur via niche size or separation in the geographic range or ecological niche. While it promotes biodiversity, the impact of different partitioning strategies on species richness remains largely unexplored. We compare two ecosystems with similar climates and ages, the species-rich Paramo of the South American Andes and the more species-poor Afroalpine in the eastern African mountains. We test whether differences in geographic range and climatic niche partitioning explain variations in species richness. Therefore, we analyzed six lineages from the Asterales and combined phylogenomic data with occurrence records to estimate metrics of size and overlap for climatic niche and geographic range. We show that the Andean species have larger climatic niches than the African species, suggesting that niche size is not explaining higher species richness in the Andes. Instead, a striking pattern for species with overlapping geographic ranges emerged: the Andean species show less climatic niche overlap than the African species. We hypothesize that this increased niche separation among geographically overlapping species in the Andes compared to the eastern African mountains contribute to the species richness difference between these tropical alpine biodiversity hotspots.