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Although buoyant economic growth in Peru has generated positive macro-economic figures, this evolution has largely bypassed the remote communities in the Andes, where poverty pockets are widely present. The Jequetepeque river basin is a prominent example. While the nearby mines generate more than a quarter of Peru’s gross domestic product, upland farmers struggle with severe erosion, degradation of both soils and vegetation, and loss of land to mining concessions. Erosion also affects the downstream Gallito Ciego reservoir and others, which are essential for irrigation of large-scale coastal agricultural systems and urban water supply. The farmers are under severe pressure to implement land conservation practices, not only to improve their own livelihoods but also to safeguard ecosystem services for downstream users. The tropical Andes are also an important test-bed for payment for ecosystem services. Jequetepeque is one of 4 cases included in the Incubator of Projects for Hydrological Ecosystem Services’ Compensation, promoted by the Environment Ministry, with support from the Swiss Development Cooperation.

AndesPlus develops and reviews methods that are feasible for producing scientific bases for climate change adaptation projects in mountain regions. Adaptation to climate change has been recognized as an unavoidable measure, and the number of related projects is strongly increasing. However, the information basis is often very limited. AndesPlus aims at closing the gap between data demand and data availability by providing a guideline for the development of scientific bases. The focus of the project is in the Andes, but several methods should be transferable to other mountain regions.