ACR AUSANGATE

Regional Conservation Area AUSANGATE

hectares preserved

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ACR Ausangate

The Ausangate Regional Conservation Area of Cusco includes part of the largest chain of tropical glaciers in the world, which supplies water to hundreds of families in the region.

ABOUT THE AUSANGATE REGIONAL CONSERVATION AREA

The peasant communities of Phinaya and Sallani, located near the Ausangate snow-capped mountain, were among the main promoters of the creation of this Regional Conservation Area. The area holds exceptional geological, landscape, cultural, and water-regulation value, that includes the snow-capped mountains of the Ausangate glacier chain.

Conservación Amazónica – ACCA, through cooperation agreements with strategic partners, provided technical, logistical, and financial support to the Regional Government of Cusco and local communities throughout the declaration process, which lasted more than 10 years. Today, we continue to support conservation efforts through financing and technical assistance for actions that contribute to the long-term protection of this important area.

CHARACTERISTICS

Location: Includes the Peasant Communities of Phinaya (Eastern Zone of the ACR) and Sallani (Northwestern Zone), located in the provinces of Quispicanchi (district of Ocongate) and Canchis (districts of Pitumarca and Checacupe), department of Cusco.
Area: 66,514.17 hectares.
Biological diversity: Glacier ecosystems and high Andean grasslands. Waters originating in Ausangate feed the Vilcanota River, which provides high-quality water to more than half of the population of Cusco. The area also protects high-Andean wetlands and lagoons.
Species: Vicuñas and the Andean Condor.
Snow-capped mountains: The Ausangate massif (glacier chain) – considered the tutelary Apu of this region, and the fifth-highest mountain in Peru (6,385 masl) The Quelccaya snow-capped mountain, at 5,600 meters above sea level, is considered the largest tropical glacier in the world, covering 44 square kilometers, and of great scientific importance for estimating glacier deglaciation rates.