Working packages
TierrasNuevas is built around three work packages (WPs):
WP1: Societal demand for novel ecosystems and co-evaluation of the results
WP1 focuses on understanding how people living near retreating glaciers in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile experience and adapt to environmental change. Together with local partners, we will identify community needs, risks, and opportunities in these proglacial landscapes. Through interviews and workshops, local knowledge and ancestral practices will be combined with scientific insight to design and test nature-based solutions (NbS). These may include traditional land-use and herding practices that help restore ecosystems and support livelihoods. WP1 will also evaluate the success of these actions, using shared workshops to discuss outcomes and future steps. The process ensures gender balance, values women’s knowledge, and encourages broad participation. Ultimately, WP1 will deliver practical, co-produced tools—such as visual guides and policy briefs—to support sustainable management of Andean landscapes after glacier retreat.
WP2: Characterization of the landscapes
WP2 aims to map and understand how glacier retreat is transforming Andean valleys, ecosystems, and communities. Scientists and local partners will combine satellite images, field data, and community knowledge to describe the physical, ecological, and socio-economic features of four key valleys in Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. This information will reveal where and how nature-based solutions (NbS) developed in other work packages can be replicated. By studying glaciers, vegetation, water flows, land use, and local livelihoods, WP2 will identify patterns and common challenges across mountain ranges. Community workshops will help integrate local perceptions and traditional practices into regional maps. The result will be interactive tools and models that help decision-makers and local actors plan sustainable adaptation strategies for Andean proglacial landscapes.
WP3: Implementation of Nature-based solutions inspired from ancestral practices
WP3 focuses on testing, in real conditions, the adaptation strategies co-developed with Andean communities. These nature-based solutions (NbS) include ancestral practices such as camelid herding and traditional water or soil management techniques that help regenerate proglacial ecosystems. Together with local partners, experimental plots will be set up in each study valley to evaluate their ecological, hydrological, and social benefits. Scientists will measure how these practices influence vegetation growth, soil health, water quality, and carbon storage compared to untouched areas. Women’s participation and local knowledge are central to designing and maintaining these experiments. Results will show how traditional practices can become modern tools for climate adaptation. WP3 will produce maps, data, and an atlas of useful plants, offering concrete examples of sustainable solutions for post-glacial landscapes in the Andes.
