Mediating mind-sets: the Cerro Khapía Landscape Reserve in the Peruvian Andes

Abstract

The creation of protected mountain areas is often preceded by conflicts over access and use of natural resources. The case of the Cerro Khapía in the Peruvian Andes, however, points to mountains as not just nature but also culture. More than a decade ago, different ontologies and opposing views on mountains led to protests of the Aymara people against the exploitation of Cerro Khapía by a Canadian mining company, mainly because the mountain is the local Aymara's apu or tutelary god. Today, Cerro Khapía is temporarily protected as a Reserved Zone and on track to become a permanently protected area. Moreover, it is a case in point of the importance of questioning one's own ontological viewpoint and mediating different mind-sets.