Insights at the tail end of a trip to Peru
In September 2017, a group of University of Arizona researchers from the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policya, the School of Government and Public Policyb, and the Department of Civil Engineering and Engineering Mechanicsctraveled to Ayacucho, Peru, to participate in the Agua-Andes Congress. This event was organized by the Centro de Competencias y Agua—a key research partner in the International Water Security Network funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation in the U.K., and the Centro de Investigación Agua Andes. The congress was hosted by the Universidad Nacional San Cristóbal de Huamanga; it featured presentations on the water-security-related efforts of IWSN and of AQUASEC, the IAId Center of Excellence for Water Security in the Americas.
a Andrea Gerlak, Christopher Scott, Robert Varady, and Adriana Zuniga
b Adam Henry and Emily Bell
c Kevin Lansey
d IAI is the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, a consortium of national science organizations in the Americas
After 10 days in Peru, our team not only shared our own expertise and research findings, but we also learned about the many diverse environmental and social issues faced by residents in the Andean region. This experience also strengthened our relationships and research networks and allowed us to discuss in more detail our methodologies, approaches, and overall future goals regarding water security.
Main plaza in Cusco, Peru (R. Varady)
L to R Adriana Zuniga and Andrea Gerlak in the Inca ruins of Tipon (R. Varady)
Alpacas grazing in humedales (wetlands) (R. Varady)
Plaza de Armas in Ayacucho Peru (R. Varady)
L to R Adam Henry, Sonja Bleeker, Kevin Lansey, Adriana Zuniga, Christopher Scott, Andrea Gerlak, Robert Varady, Bimo Nkhata, Chad Staddon, Busani Masiri, Bram Willems, Rosa Miglio, Martha del Castillo, Alfredo Ribeiro (Photo by Ana Luisa Calvo)