Andes 2021

Scientists and indigenous people work together to conduct a census of the condor

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Scientific expedition in  Bolivian Andes reveals four species thought to be extinct

Andes-2019-2

Chile's glaciers are rapidly melting

Andes-2019

Chimborazo shrinks by 20% since the 1980s

Andes-2018-2

Water shortage caused by climate change threatens the Andes

Andes-2018

Study shows that global warming acts as an "escalator to extinction" for species in the Andes

Andes 2017 atacama

The Atacama blooms early

Andes 2014 amazontsunami

Amazonian tsunami caused by deforestation in the Andes

Andes-2014

Highland condor habitat protected

Andes 2011 mine

Protests over plans for gold-mine in the high Andes

Andes-2009

Gold Mining Contaminates Water

Chacaltaya glacier (1)

Chacaltaya glacier disappears

Andes-2000-SantiagoPollution

Santiago Pollution Creates Smog Emergency

Andes 1991-2000 glacier

Chile's state-owned mining company, Codelco, destroys glaciers 

Andes-1998

El Niño of the Century

Andes-1993

Yanacocha mine established in Cajamarca

Andes 1985

Huascarán National Park established

Andes-1980-VicunasChile

Lauca park saves Chile's vicuña population

Andes-1973

Manú National Park established

Andes 1960s uru

Hahuari, devil of the mines

Andes-1970s

Mining as a violation of the mountain

Andes-1959

Torres del Paine National Park established

Andes-1954

Vicuña population plummets

Andes-1941

From "Yawar Fiesta" 

Andes-1937

From "Telluric and Magnetic" by César Vallejo

Andes-1922

Animal Life in the Andes

hist-3430-photo-“14 Fine Grapefruit Trees”

“14 Fine Grapefruit Trees”

Andes-1911

Ruins of Machu Picchu publicized by American explorer

Andes-1905

Vegetation of Lake Titicaca

Andes-1879

The eruption of Cotopaxi

Andes-1875

The Vicuña

Andes-1856

Travelling up the Ica River Towards Cuzco

Andes 1839 TierradelFuego

Darwin observes the Tierra del Fuego

Andes-1807

Humboldt & Chimborazo

Andes-1799

Alexander von Humboldt observes rain in the dry Llanos region

Andes-1615

The patio of the Inca House

Quechua Song

Andes-1609

Wild Animals of the Andes

Andes-1600s-2

The Farmer's Chant

Andes-1600s

The Curious Animals of the Indies

Andes-1550-ForcedLaborMines

Forced labour in mines leads to decline in indigenous agriculture

Andes-1547-Overgrazing

Dry Season and Overgrazing in the late Incan Empire

AMAZONIA-1545-Potosi

Silver Veins Discovered in Potosí

Andes-1530-2

Predictions at the feast on the Sun God points to the end of the Incan empire

Andes-1530-IncaAgriculture

Agricultural Diversity in the Incan Empire

Andes-1500s-2

Incan Flood Myth 

Andes-1470

Harvest Song from a Quechua Play

Andes-1300s

Vertical Archipelagos of Andean Civilization

Andes-1200s-2

The Incas build the "finest highways in the world"

Andes-1200s

Waterworks in the Inca Empire

Andes-1000AD

Prehistoric engineers build ambitious canal system in the Moche Valley

Andes-200AD

Ancient Peruvian civilization, the Moche, masters irrigation agriculture

Andes-AD1stcentury

Evidence that thriving Prosopis forests protected against El Niño rains

Andes-0-650AD

Geoglyphs highlight the importance of water to the Nasca 

Andes-BCE1100

Evidence of Pre-Hispanic El Niño Floodwater Farming

Andes-BCE1350-Maize

Corn arrives in the Andes

Andes-2100BC

Rise of Agriculture in the Andes

Andes-BCE3000-Agriculture

Deforestation of the Andes with Introduction of Agriculture

Americas, South America, Andes

Atacama Desert

To the west of the Andes lies the Atacama Desert, the driest nonpolar desert in the world. In addition to extreme aridity caused by the cool Humboldt ocean current, the Atacama is known for its dense fog and lack of precipitation (receiving only 15 millimeters of rainfall a year). Due to the intense climate of the Atacama, the region is largely devoid of plant and animal life.

Altiplano-Puna Plateau

In the widest part of the Andes, running through the west-central region of the continent, lies the Altiplano, a series of intermontane basins, active volcanoes, desert expanses, and puna grasslands. It is home to Lake Titicaca, the highest-elevation lake in the world, and Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flats. The mineral-rich plateau has been subjected to extensive mining.

Páramos

Falling above the timberline and below the snow line, the Andean páramos is a biodiversity hotspot that is not only a home to an unusually high number of endemic species, but also the critical water supply that the páramos provide for lower elevation communities. The ecosystem is threatened by deforestation, overgrazing, and road construction. 

Cloud forests

Between elevations of 2,000 and 12,000 feet lie the Andean cloud forests, formed by the humidity of the Amazon rainforest as it cools and travels west. Covered in an ever-present fog, these dense mountain forests are some of the most complex and fragile habitats on Earth, boasting greater plant diversity than the Amazon, but particularly vulnerable to the effects of deforestation.

Key Habitats

Loss of biodiversity

The Andes are known for their rich biodiversity and high levels of endemism, which are being threatened by variety of human activities including infrastructure construction, mining, and invasive species. The tropical Andes region is considered most critically endangered biodiversity hotspots, due to growing populations and urbanization.

Climate change

Due to its highly specific biome diversity, the Andes Mountains are at particular risk of devastation from climate change. Temperature rise causes deglaciation of snow-capped peaks, leading to an island effect that leaves higher-elevation species vulnerable to extinction. There is evidence that climate change has increased the frequency and severity of infamous El Niño storms, which cause mass destruction of natural and human environments—not just in the Andes, but worldwide.

Mining

Rich in mineral resources (including copper, gold, silver, lithium, and iron), the Andes Mountains are site to many large-scale mining efforts. Mining may be the most important industry for economic development in South America, but it has led to significant destruction of cloud forests and páramos habitats, and has depleted critical water tables that support the livelihood of neighboring communities.

Deforestation

The Andean landscape has drastically changed due the effects of deforestation driven by commercial mining, agriculture, and road construction. This has led to devastating flooding and landslides as well as habitat fragmentation for hundreds of animal and plant species.

Most Pressing Issues

Andes