Adaptive Livelihoods in Andean Pastoralism: Community-Based Institutions, Peatland Management, and Migration in Sajama National Park, Bolivia

• Published in: Mountain research and development Vol. 45; no. 2; pp. R1 - R8
• Main Author: Perreault, Tom
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: International Mountain Society 01.05.2025
• Subjects: Alpaca; Andean peatlands; bofedales; Bolivia; community-based institutions; Llamas; migration; Mountain Research; MountainResearch; National parks and reserves; Nonprofit organizations; pastoralism; Peat; Peat-bogs; rural livelihoods; Social networks; Chile; Bolivia; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 0276-4741; 1994-7151
• DOI: 10.1659/mrd.2024.00030

This article examines livelihood practices among Indigenous Aymara pastoral communities in Sajama National Park (SNP) on the Bolivian Altiplano. Pastoralist livelihoods within SNP are based on the management of Andean camelids—llamas (Lama glama) and alpacas (Vicugna pacos)—and the high-elevation peatlands, known locally as bofedales, that provide essential pasture. Aymara pastoralists employ a variety of practices to manage bofedales, including the use of fences to control herd movements and demarcate grazing parcels, known as sayañas. Temporary labor migration, within Bolivia or internationally, represents another important livelihood strategy. Fencing facilitates temporary migration by allowing pastoralists to leave their herds unattended and seek wage work. Community-based institutions that govern land tenure and communal obligations incentivize pastoralists to return to their communities. Migration and fences positively impact pastoralists' quality of life, but carry potentially negative consequences for bofedal quality in the form of overgrazing and bofedal degradation. Community-based institutions, fences, and temporary migration together contribute to adaptive livelihoods among pastoralists in SNP.