In Jerusalem, 40 minutes from Biblián in the province of Cañar,  31 villagers work raising alpacas. The purpose of the project is threefold: to conserve the species, the local environment, and to harvest the animal’s unique wool.

Here, a community co-operative project to protect biodiversity and the water sources on the páramo (moorland) that feed into the rivers Burgay and Déleg is reliant on the presence of these cousins to the common llama.

According to the president of a community workers association, the 102 alpacas (each worth $500-$700) are more soft-footed than other grazers the used to roam the moor and destroy it: cows and bulls.

They bought their first 25 alpacas from Perú in 2002, to populate 1,100 hectares of land purchased by the 31 villagers.

The national government has invested $30,000 in the project. The municipality and parish have contributed $5,000 and $3,800 respectively. The money has gone towards signage, training in conservation and alpaca raising, construction of a tourist centre and equipment to harvest the wool, as well as promotion.

But the villagers are planning to attend a skills exchange with Arequipa University in Perú to develop their capacity further: into wool spinning, garment production and tourism promotion.

Original story