Map of the Great Inca Route in Peru, protected areas, and conservation priority zones Pamphlet: The Great Inca Route.
Before the Spanish arrived in Peru in 1532, the Great Inca Route was a road network 8500 km long that stretched from the city of Pasto in southern Colombia to Talca, Chile. These roads united the entire Inca Empire. Today, only 25% of this great route remains; the rest has disappeared or has been destroyed. Of the remaining route, the only portion in good condition is found in the remote Andean highlands, where descendants still use it. These ethnic groups and rural communities that have inherited the Capaq Ñan, the route\’s name in Quechua, live in extreme poverty.
The Great Inca Route passes through 15 of the 100 ecoregions in South America. The roads are found between 1,000 and 4,500 meters above sea level and pass through or close to eight Peruvian protected areas in addition to several others in neighboring countries. This shows us that the Great Inca Route has both cultural and natural value. After studying both the cultural and natural significance of the Great Inca Route, the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and Conservation International (CI) decided to develop a joint sustainable development project that would help the communities and conserve biodiversity along the route. The general idea is to revitalize the route and develop tourist attractions to explore its cultural, archeological, and natural resources. Thousands of people could benefit economically by re-awakening the Great Inca Route.
The Natural Landscape
At the 5th World Parks Congress in Durban, South Africa, Miguel Peirano, South American Regional Director of the IUCN, noted that protecting the route is essential for preserving some of the most fragile ecosystems in the world (1). The most threatened ecoregions along the route in Peru include the Peruvian yungas and Marañón dry forest. There are also several endangered or threatened species found in protected areas along the Great Inca Route, including vicuña (Vicugna vicugna), guanaco (Lama guanicoe), spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus), Andean condor (Vultur gryphus), Mountain Viscacha (Lagidium viscacia) and Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus). In addition, there is a World Heritage Site, three biosphere reserves, three RAMSAR sites and five national reserves along the route.
The project\’s main objective is to develop a network of protected areas associated with the Great Inca Route (RAPAGRI) that integrates the six countries where Inca\’s once flourished: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. The project will probably propose creating biological corridors between areas.
In addition to conserving biodiversity and promoting biological connectivity along the Great Inca Route, the project recognizes the importance of connecting isolated Andean agricultural communities. Each Andean community cultivates a different type of agricultural product depending where they live. This occurs because of the multitude of Andean microclimates, which change according to elevation. Estimates state that rural Andean communities grow more than 3000 potato varieties, 2500 varieties of quinine and 1000 distinct corn classes (2). The Great Inca Route used to be a distribution and trade route for thousands of seed types. That is why the route is also called the \”antiguo camino de las semillas\” or the ancient seed road. However, with time and because of the development of hybrid and genetically altered, commercially produced seeds, this customary form of trading seeds has been lost and the communities isolated. The project will try to revive this traditional economic activity and foster intercommunity connections.
La Pachamama
The natural landscape has a sacred dimension for Andean residents. Mother Earth, who feeds anyone who plants, cares for, and harvests their crops, was called \”Pachamama\” by the Incas. This concept encompasses man, the earth, and natural resource management using traditional conservation practices. The Pachamama was the foundation for the relationship between humankind and the environment. There is hope that this will also be the base of the sustainable development model of the Great Inca Route project, which proposes integrating the ancient wisdom of conserving what\’s sacred with modern protected areas management.
Ricardo Espinosa, \”the walker,\” walked almost 4,000 kms along the Great Inca Route in 5 1/2 months. From this experience, he is one of the few people who have seen what the project will be like. He says that traditional knowledge coming from 20,000 years of human experience is alive and well in the Andes. The lively cultural manifestations show that they have constant dialog with what is sacred. Revitalizing the Great Inca Route will provide an intercultural experience to explore and value these cultures\’ past and present cosmovision.
Espinosa works to ensure that the tourism component of this project promotes sustainable development of the Andean towns. The organizations collaborating on this project include UICN, CI, the Latin American and Caribbean Network of Environmental Funds, RedLAC, The Mountain Institute and United Nations Development Program-Peru.
Against the clock
There are several threats to the viability of the Great Inca Route Project. First, the cultural and archeological sites are degrading. All along the Great Inca Route, there are important archeological sites and many small, forgotten ruins. According to Espinosa, there are at least 100 first class archeological sites (3). Many have been destroyed by looters, eroded and/or buried by the harsh altiplano climatic conditions. Other threats include landing strip constructions, mining concessions, and over extraction of the natural resources.
The budget to carry out the project in Peru is $ 2,350,000 (4). In addition, regional strategies for each tourist local along the route must be developed as well as establish priorities and necessary controls in accordance with local custom and culture. The coordination for the project should include national organizations, municipal governments and agencies, and private property owners, among others. There is a long road ahead.
ParksWatch – Peru: December 2003
By: Inés Vera
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Notes:\r\n
1 Session Report September 13, del World Parks Congress 2003, Durban, South Africa, see press release for more:
http://www.iucn.org/themes/wcpa/wpc2003/pdfs/newsevents/day6/inca.pdf
2 Ibid.
3 \”El Camino Inborrable\” En: Revista Caretas 24 de mayo del 2001. Edición # 1671, Lima, Perú.
4 \”The Great Inca Route,\” material distrubuted during the presentation of the Great Inca Route at the World Parks Congress, Durban, South Africa.