Rufino Kiko, who raises 380 alpacas in the Andean highlands, remembers that every year in November, when it rains in the spring (South America), the pastures turn green.
"It's supposed to be the season when the ranch has turned green, but look at this. The grass is still yellow and of little use to the sheep we raise. Kiko looked out over the pasture, where the spring grass was gradually withering under the strong sunlight and bright blue sky.
Chico, 57, was born in Lagunillas, in the province of Puno in southeastern Peru, and has lived in the same adobe house as his grandparents for generations. The family has been caring for alpacas for generations. However, with the gradual change of the surrounding environment with climate change, whether the community at an altitude of 4200 meters can continue to exist in the future is uneasy for Kiko.
In the Andes, climate change has had a variety of effects on the survival of alpacas. Changes in precipitation and the retreat of glaciers have led to an increase in infant alpaca mortality and shrinking pastures in the steppes.
The Peruvian plateau is not suitable for animal husbandry, and precipitation is not much from past records. However, it is enough for raising alpacas. Alpacas only give birth during the first three months of each year, during the rainy season. However, the current temperature of the rainy season is unstable. Alpacas, which are sensitive to cold, are more susceptible to disease due to sudden changes in temperature, leading to increased infant mortality. Thousands of alpacas have lost their lives in cold weather.
As glaciers recede, the decrease in river flow is also a major problem. According to experts, during the long dry season from April to November, the river supports the grasslands and wetlands of the highlands. Oscar Cardenas, head of the alpaca program at peru's Institute for Agricultural Innovation (INIA), said a perennial grass-covered swamp can easily support the survival of 25 alpacas per hectare, while ordinary grassland can only support one alpaca per hectare.
"Glaciers are the basis of their existence," Cardenas said. "If the wetlands disappear, so will the alpacas."
The long history of alpaca farming
According to INIA, peru is home to about 4 million alpacas. This equates to more than 70% of the total number of individuals in the world.
In Peru, alpacas have been raised as domestic animals since at least 6,000 years ago. Cardenas explained that although alpacas belong to the camel family and look robust, as long as elements such as the decline in the nutrition of the pasture are confused, the entire camel population will be severely hit. In the 16th century, with the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors, the alpaca population raised by the Inca Empire was almost completely destroyed. It was not until around 1900 that the number of individual alpacas increased due to the high demand for alpaca wool.
Villagers are shearing alpacas
Cardenas said that while climate change will not lead to mass deaths of alpacas, one of the direct effects is that it may lead to changes in coats that reduce the value of wool. There are two types of alpacas, one is a short-haired species and the other is a long-haired species.
Peru produces about 7,600 tonnes of alpaca wool per year. Adult alpacas can weigh up to about 60 kilograms and can trim about 2 kilograms of hair per year. Coats are classified by color and quality, with a total of 22 colors, with white being the most common and popular color.
Alpaca wool is mainly used for clothing, and sometimes also for blankets and household items. Peru earned about $121 million from alpaca exports between January and July 2021, the same as in 2019 before the COVID-19 outbreak. The main export destinations are China, Italy and the United States.
Peru's alpaca handicraft industry has been hit hard by the pandemic
"We are looking for ways to address the impacts of climate change"
In recent years, scientists, breeders and activists have been working on measures to support alpacas. This can help areas like Lagunas that raise alpacas.
Based in the Province of Puno, the Team at the Peruvian Institute for Agricultural Innovation (INIA), Cadenas, is working on a genetic project. Using about 3,200 alpacas, they tried to preserve the genes of colored alpacas so that the existing coat color did not disappear. They are also developing different methods to help alpacas adapt to higher temperatures and thrive at lower elevations.
Cardenas said: "The climate has gone wrong, it has become unstable, and this has created all kinds of problems. In addition to nutritional problems due to fewer grasslands, we are also dealing with parasites caused by climate change. The number of ticks, lice and spp.a bugs is increasing, which were previously absent on the plateau. ”
Baby alpacas are being treated by keepers
Alpacas can live at low altitudes. This evidence can be seen in alpaca breeding in Australia and the United States. However, alpacas in lower elevations have coarser coats. In addition, in warm low-altitude areas, alpacas are affected by diseases that are not available at high altitudes.
INIA is working with communities to find low-tech solutions, such as building huts that can protect alpacas and growing feed crops such as alfalfa to supplement their dry-season diets. In 2020, Peru's Ministry of Agriculture launched a three-year program to introduce 2,300 livestock sheds in communities in the Andes.
Alpaca keepers are also struggling to find solutions. Keepers with enough land take advantage of higher heights in pursuit of the quality of the pastures. Take Alina Surkisla, for example, who has 500 alpacas, who graze their cattle at an altitude of about 4,300 meters during the rainy season, and gradually move to higher altitudes when the rainy season is over and the grass begins to turn yellow. In search of pasture, they sometimes go to places above 5,000 meters above sea level.
In search of better pastures, alpacas are migrating to high altitudes
Christina Condori of Lagunairas raised 200 alpacas from the rainy season. Until now, the Condori family has used the traditional method of laying canals with mud and storing water in small ponds. In addition, they dug wells. "My family is trying to find a solution because it's the source of our lives and what generations have been doing."
Traditionally, alpacas roam freely on the prairie. But now for the first time, the community in Kiko intends to set up a fence. This is to manage the place where the alpacas graze and give the alpacas the opportunity to restore their pastures. Kiko stood on the steps of the locked chapel and looked up at the mountains in the distance. Due to the retreat of the glacier, the mountain is exposed.
"Climate change is certainly troubling," Kiko said. "But we're doing what we can to adapt." We are always looking for the best countermeasures. ”