![]() They give more detailed information and, crucially, they are the only ones that can give precise indications on when and where to sow different kinds of crops. When they are building their nests, you know it's going to rain because they are preparing their homes."įorecasts based on bioindicators have proved to be an excellent complement to those generated by observatories. But then I started following the indicators my grandfather had taught me, and now I do," says Lidia Mondaque, a local councillor in Villa Abecia, a town nestled at 2,311 meters above sea level in the department of Chuquisaca, in the south of the country. Non-governmental organization PROSUCO has been doing this for more than 10 years now, and the results have been surprising to many - including younger community members. As part of efforts led by the Bolivian Government to preserve and value Indigenous heritage, knowledge on bioindicators is being rediscovered and systematized. The ability to read natural signs, ranging from plant and animal behaviour to star alignment, wind and humidity, seemed destined to die with the last of its keepers: a thing of the past, little more than superstition, superseded by newer and - so everyone was told - more reliable ways to predict the weather.Įxcept, this wasn't necessarily the case. Youth left in growing numbers for towns and cities in search of opportunities, losing touch with - and faith in - the wisdom of their forebears. The height at which the quiri quiri bird places its nest on the shores of Lake Titicaca indicates how much rain is to be expected. ![]()
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