Peru: to the rescue of the alpacas | National Geographic National Geographic National Geographic

Rufino Quico remembers the time when his pastures turned green each November, as the spring rains arrived on the high plains of the Andes where his herd of 380 alpacas (Vicugna pacos) like to graze.

Rufino was born in Lagunillas and lives in the same adobe house as his ancestors. His family members have been raising alpacas for as long as they can remember. Now 57, he cannot guarantee that his children will be able to follow in his footsteps. He is not even certain that his beloved hamlet, rising more than 4,200 meters above sea level and home to 56 families of shepherds, will survive the next decades as climate change reshapes the landscape.

“Our pastures should have turned green but look at them. They are yellow and of little use to our herd,” he laments, staring at the vast expanse of spring grasses wilting under the scorching sun and crystal blue skies in the Puno region of southeastern Peru.

Climate change in the Andes has established new weather patterns that affect alpacas at every stage of their life. Hatchling mortality increases and the size of the grasslands where the herds feed decreases. Sudden changes in precipitation and melting ice are two elements that affect both alpacas and the communities that raise them.