Restoration of Andean Forests Using a Socioecological Approach: Case Study from the Aquia Mountain Community in Peru

Polylepis forests, growing up to 4800 m above sea level in the Peruvian Andes, have been severely decimated by human encroachment in the last centuries, causing declines in ecosystem services In the last 2 decades, restoration projects in Polylepis forests have started to embrace local community needs. However, so far, these restoration projects are patchy, small scale, and poorly documented, hindering scaling and knowledge sharing across the mountain range. Here, we present the restoration procedures, outcomes, and success factors in a model restoration project in Aquia (Ancash, Peru). This project was part of a regional Polylepis corridor restoration project implemented by Instituto de Montaña between 2004–2009. We combined a document analysis of the archive of this nongovernmental organization (NGO) with 12 postproject semistructured interviews held in 2022 (with 10 community members and 2 NGO project managers) to give a long-term view of project outcomes and sustainability. The project restored 16 ha of Polylepis forest and improved 41.6 ha of mountain pastures. It reduced grazing pressure on forests by facilitating the creation of community conservation reserves in existing forests, offering farmers alternative farming livelihoods, and addressing needs highlighted by interviewees (improved livestock breeds, pasture seeds, and tools). A participatory design centered on improving livelihoods and formalizing restoration commitments in local conservation agreements, which allowed for long-term project persistence, ecological implementation, and social uptake. Prior socioecological diagnostic work, such as identifying community needs and designing viable restoration strategies appropriate to the challenging mountain context, made it possible to set up the project sustainably and codesign it in line with the community's needs and ways of living. Lessons learned highlight the need for: (1) formalization of conservation agreements, (2) incorporation of in-depth local knowledge, (3) purposeful participation and collaboration, (4) external agency support, (5) creation of local capacity, (6) monitoring of sustainability outcomes, and (7) development of medium- and long-term plans.