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eco.montJournal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management
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Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
A-1011 Wien, Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2
Tel. +43-1-515 81/DW 3420, Fax +43-1-515 81/DW 3400 https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at, e-mail: verlag@oeaw.ac.at |
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DATUM, UNTERSCHRIFT / DATE, SIGNATURE
BANK AUSTRIA CREDITANSTALT, WIEN (IBAN AT04 1100 0006 2280 0100, BIC BKAUATWW), DEUTSCHE BANK MÜNCHEN (IBAN DE16 7007 0024 0238 8270 00, BIC DEUTDEDBMUC)
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Eco.mont Vol. 13 Nr. 1, pp. 22-30, 2020/12/30
Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management
In the Atacama Desert highlands, Aymara communities have practised herding since pre-Hispanic times. Currently, large areas of the mountains’ ecosystems are under official protection. This situation has created tensions between Aymara herding practices and official conservation policies. In this article, we document herding practices and how they have contributed to the production of these ecosystems. We also explore several conservation policies in the area and how they clash with Aymara herding. To do this, we make use of ethnography and state conservation plans. We suggest that these policies reproduce colonial dynamics, creating conflicting aims and affecting Aymara territorial rights. We conclude that traditional Aymara ecological knowledge and practices should guide the conservation of these mountain ecosystems.
Keywords: herding, Aymaras, traditional ecological knowledge, protected areas