News

Studying mountain heritage in Ecuador

23.02.2019

In a running exploratory study, Ecuadorian archaeologist Alden Yépez, from the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador in Quito, is developing a conceptual study for conserving natural and cultural heritage on the glaciered volcano Chimborazo in the protected fauna reserve of the central highlands of Ecuador.

The research is supported by a grant from Mountain Partnership member, the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research (IGF) which is part of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW).

This study focuses on the current sociopolitical landscape of the Quichua-speaking communities in the Chimborazo province, sheds to light the local identities of the peasant communities living near the Chimborazo volcano, and emphasizes selected archaeological sites for sustainable local and regional development. “Due to glacial retreat, we can find more and more traces of pre-Incan, Incan, colonial, republican, and modern history, but this also leads to new conflicts between different groups of interest," says Yépez.

This underlines the fact “that the area urgently needs research that links animal production, heritage conservation, and tourism - to the benefit of all involved stakeholders,” clarifies Yépez.

“As an archaeologist with a marked interest in applied anthropology, Alden is a very welcome guest scientist at our interdisciplinary institute. I am sure that a comparative Andean-Alpine view opens new insights and paves the way for sustainable  land use management, in both the Andes and the European Alps,"  says Haller adds, “always respecting the past and present for a sustainable future.”

The Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research (IGF) focuses on interdisciplinary mountain research (montology) in cooperation with international groups of scientists. It also includes GLORIA, the long-term global monitoring network in alpine areas. The Institute maintains a cooperation with the Mountain Research Initiative, Bern.

News and photo by Alden Yépez/PUCE