Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru

Presenting an impressive collage of photos and text, "Cordillera Huayhuash, Peru" is a colorful 50-page overview of one of Peru's most remote and spectacular mountain ranges.The 30 km. chain of snowy peaks, home to various ancestral communities and a diversity of flora and fauna, possesses a unique and irreplaceable wealth of beauty, culture and natural resources. The communities within and surrounding the Cordillera Huayhuash have coexisted for hundreds of years in relative isolation, however the construction of new highways, tourism growth and mining exploration are currently removing the barriers to this natural fortress.As an introduction to the Huayhuash, this photo essay describes the geographical, social and ecological characteristics of the region, aiming to inspire people not only to visit this area but also to contribute to its future formation and conservation.
AUTHOR: Jim Bartle & Adam Kolff.
LENGTH: 50 pages
LANGUAGE: English, Spanish
PUBLISHED: 1998, Jim Bartle and The Mountain Institute PRICE: US$10.00

Wildflowers of the Cordillera Blanca

" Wildflowers of the Cordillera Blanca" is a full-color, 284-page field guide to the flowers and plants of the world's highest tropical mountain range, the Cordillera Blanca in the Peruvian Andes. This guide provides a comprehensive description of 112 noteworthy plants, some of which are only found in the Andean highlands. Each plant description includes the following information:1. The common name of the plant and plant family in English, Spanish and Quechua. 2. The scientific name of the genus, species and family. 3. Origin of plant's names, uses, and/or stories about it 4. Physical characteristics of plant, flower, fruit, leaves and habitat. 5. A line drawing of the plant. 6. A color photograph of the plant. Rima rima, Krapfia weberbaueriiButtercup family, Ranunculaceae
AUTHOR: Helen & Kees Kolff LENGTH: 284 pages
LANGUAGE: English, Spanish
PUBLISHED: 1997, The Mountain Institute
PRICE: US$15.00

Master Plan Huascaran National Park 2003-2007

Huascaran National Park complex geography with valleys opening to both the Amazon headwaters and the Pacific Ocean has been inhabited for over 10,000 years and its landscapes transformed by the first hunters and gatherers that lived in the region. Park administration, in charge of the Peruvian governmental agency INRENA has to find ways to achieve its complex goal of conserving these unique mountain landscape while creating opportunities for local development. This master plan was developed with technical support of TMI through an intensive process of consultation with stakeholders. This plan sets strategic directions for the park, including mandates to conserve areas that protect habitat of the spectacled bears, condor, and vicuna and the integrity of its landscapes. The Plan also identifies a number of mechanisms and policies that improve its governance by involving local stakeholders and its management by promoting science-based decision making.
AUTHOR: Ministry of Agriculture (Peru), National Institute of Natural Resources (INRENA, Peru), The Mountain Institute
LENGTH: 220 pages
LANGUAGE: English (executive summary), Spanish
PUBLISHED: January 2003

Tourism and Recreation Plan for the Huascarán National Park

A paradise of valleys, lakes, rivers, Andean flora and fauna, pre-Columbian ruins, and glacier-draped mountains, Huascarán National Park is in many ways the ideal region for mountain tourism, both conventional and adventure. With the rapid growth of tourism since the early- and mid-'90s, both in Peru and worldwide, the number of annual visitors to this national park will undoubtedly increase in the coming years. Anticipating this tourism boom, the park staff has dedicated its efforts to improving tourism management in order to make the park a more attractive tourist destination and improve the regional and local economies, while simultaneously conserving the biodiversity and the natural resources of the area.The "Huascarán National Park Recreation and Tourism Plan" was written through a specific inter-institutional agreement between The Mountain Institute and The National Institute of Natural Resources, a public agency of Peru's Agriculture Ministry. This plan was updated in 2002 also through a public consultation process.The plan calls for joint coordination among the various sectors involved in the promotion, implementation and management of the Huascarán National Park Recreation and Tourism Plan.
AUTHOR: Ministry of Agriculture (Peru), National Institute of Natural Resources (INRENA, Peru), The Mountain Institute
LENGTH: 140 pages
LANGUAGE: English (executive summary), Spanish
PUBLISHED: 1996

Water for Ever: Community Based Monitoring in Areas Affected by Mining

This book presents the results of a 2 year project executed in partnership with the NGO Urpichallay. It was carried out at the request and in support of the peasant community of Vicos. It shows the complexity of a mountain area affected by multiple sources of contamination, including natural sources, small ancient colonial mines an d current small scale mine operations. Community members were trained in the use of simple water quality monitoring kits, supported in their organizational efforts to negotiate based on hard data and constructive propositions with the mining companies and carried out in partnership with companies and municipalities several low-tech passive water treatment systems. The publication presents the story and lessons learned.
AUTHOR: José Salazar Mejía, Kees Kolff, Adam Kolff
LENGTH: 36 pages
LANGUAGE: Spanish
PUBLISHED: 1996

The Condor Sings: Songs of the Peruvian Andes (no cover image

Music is an integral part of every culture and helps us understand and express many aspects of our lives. From sorrow to joy, from history to dreams about the future, the poetry of music provides a medium to communicate deep emotions and complex thoughts. This booklet was published as the preliminary part of a future book about the history of Peruvian music. The thirty songs included in "El Condor Canta" a exemplify the various rhythms and lyrical styles of Peru's oral tradition.
AUTHOR: José Salazar Mejía, Kees Kolff, Adam Kolff
LENGTH: 36 pages
LANGUAGE: Spanish
PUBLISHED: 1996