High-Altitude Andean Wetlands: Classificatory Systems, Nomenclature, and Functional Implications

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Political Geologies in the Ancient and Recent Pasts: Ontology, Knowledge, and Affect" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

High-altitude wetlands, known as bofedales, are vital resources for Andean herding communities because of the high-quality, perennial vegetation they provide. These wetlands are often peat-accumulating, and are attracting renewed attention because of their roles in carbon sequestration and water regulation. Archaeological and ethnographic research has documented how herders have long worked to improve bofedales through the construction of features such as silt dams and canals. While “bofedal” is usually used as a universal term to describe high-altitude Andean wetlands, recent Western scientific classifications describe multiple wetland categories based on soil saturation, geochemistry, and vegetation communities. These classifications have functional implications regarding grazeland management and the (un)acknowledged role of herders in wetland maintenance, yet often minimize the lived experience of bofedales in favor of biophysical factors. Drawing on environmental and archival data from Huancavelica, Peru, I present a preliminary consideration of the intersections and discrepancies between different wetland classification systems and nomenclature, with a focus on their underlying motivations and meaningfulness in terms of how people use the land they describe. Understanding this is a critical step in ensuring the sustainability of wetland socioecosystems in a context of heightened vulnerability due to environmental change, migration, and extractive pressure.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Political Geologies in the Ancient and Recent Pasts: Ontology, Knowledge, and Affect   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36217.0