American scientists from the University of Texas at Austin have discovered that introducing llamas to lands exposed by the retreat of glaciers can alleviate the negative effects of climate change by accelerating the formation of stable soils and the formation of ecosystems. To work published In the scientific journal Scientific Reports.
“Glaciers are rapidly melting around the world, creating unstable and dangerous landscapes that violate the land rights of local people and indigenous peoples,” said co-author Tim Beach, professor of geography and the environment.
Lands affected by glacier melt initially have low-nutrient soils that are unsuitable for vegetation. Without intervention, it may take hundreds of years for these landscapes to stabilize.
Scientists collaborated with a community of Peruvian farmers to create an experimental site covering an area of approximately 1 square kilometer in the Cordillera mountains. Llamas were placed on half of the site, and the other half remained unchanged. The researchers then tracked soil quality and plant prevalence in the region from 2019 to 2022.
After three years of monitoring, the llama area saw significant increases in soil organic carbon and nitrogen, as well as a 57% increase in vegetation cover. Additionally, between the second and third years of the experiment, four plant species that were not present in the first year were detected in the region.
The increase in soil fertility in llama areas can be attributed to manure, wool and animal grazing. The researchers also analyzed dung samples to see whether llamas could act as seed dispersers. The manure contained 12 types of seeds, and five of them could still germinate; This meant that llamas could spread plant species from lower altitudes to recently melted soil.
As mountain glaciers continue to shrink rapidly as a result of climate change, collecting data on post-melt ecosystem management is critical.
Previous scientists reported About the “catastrophic” rate of melting of glaciers in Switzerland.