Pampa Galeras – Barbara D'Achille, Protected area in Ayacucho Department, Peru.
Pampa Galeras – Barbara D'Achille is a protected area in Ayacucho Department, Peru, covering 6,500 hectares of high-altitude plains and gentle hills. The landscape consists of natural ichu grass pastures and small forests of qishuar trees.
The reserve was established in 1967 to protect native vicuña populations that had declined sharply due to poaching. Journalist Barbara D'Achille's name was added in 1993 after she became known for her work in conservation advocacy.
The annual Chaccu festival on June 24 brings families from surrounding villages together to herd and shear vicuñas using techniques passed down through generations. The ceremony follows rules that existed before the Inca period and combines respect for the animal with collective work.
An interpretation center with a small museum offers insights into the wildlife and plant life of the high Andes. Visiting is best done in the morning hours when vicuñas are more active and tend to stay closer to the paths.
The area shelters around 6,000 vicuñas, the largest concentration of these camelids in a single protected site anywhere in the world. Visitors can often observe the animals in groups of ten to twenty individuals grazing peacefully on the highland pastures.
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