Llama and Rewilding

by Zully Rosadio
Supervisor: Dr. Ursula Münster

Photo Credit: Zully Rosadio.

I was motivated to choose this topic for my final project by my curiosity about the rewilding approach in nature conservation. I’m very interested in the ecological processes and actors involved in conservation issues. Trained as a biologist and social and cultural anthropologist, I enjoy researching such socio-ecological processes, and interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work is key in this field. Therefore, diving into the Rewilding literature was not so much a challenge as a pleasure. My second motivation was to learn more about an important animal and an important ecosystem from my own country. I was born and raised in Peru, and this background has guided my academic training. Llamas in the Andes have been well researched from the social sciences and humanities because these animals have played a significant role symbolically and economically for centuries. However, the ecological interplay between llamas and Andean ecosystems are not well researched. Today, conservation projects have become crucial to preserve these fragile ecosystems from growing impact factors such as climate change and tourism. That is why I decided to focus on this region, to highlight and spread the word about the importance of researching and preserving it further.

Photo Credit: Zully Rosadio.

One of the conservation projects I discovered while researching was the Llama Pack Project in the Urubamba mountain range, Cusco, Peru. Their goal is to reduce the impact of present human intervention and tourism by restoring of the tradition use and breeding of carrier llamas. Working together with peasant-herder communities, the aim of this project is to preserve Andean mountain ecosystems (while bringing social an economic benefits to herders, too). I wanted to focus my research on the ecological dimensions of the project— that is, the ecological functions carried out and mediated by llamas. I formulated my concrete question as followed: how do llamas help sustain Andean ecosystems?

Photo Credit: Zully Rosadio.