The Razuhuillca micro-watershed in dispute: hydromorphological dynamics and territorial resistance to mining concessions in the Peruvian Andes
The Razuhuillca micro-watershed, located in the Andean province of Huanta (Peru), illustrates the convergence of hydro-territorial fragility and socio-environmental conflict. Through a mixed-methods approach— combining quantitative morphometric analysis using GIS and DEMs with qualitative semi-struc...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2025.1614847/full |
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| author | Bruno Kadafi Cárdenas Morales Bruno Kadafi Cárdenas Morales Manuel Mendoza Colos Santos Clemente Herrera Díaz Solón Dante Carhuallanqui Ibarra Walter Victor Castro Aponte Yirme Yohu Gómez Ccochachi Yodel Cheldo Huari Salazar Saríah Fanny Oré Gálvez Saríah Fanny Oré Gálvez Jorge Luis Lozano Rodríguez Fernando Gari Huayhua Lévano Tulio Celestino Paytan Montañez Crispin H. W. Barnes Crispin H. W. Barnes Luis De Los Santos Valladares Luis De Los Santos Valladares |
| author_facet | Bruno Kadafi Cárdenas Morales Bruno Kadafi Cárdenas Morales Manuel Mendoza Colos Santos Clemente Herrera Díaz Solón Dante Carhuallanqui Ibarra Walter Victor Castro Aponte Yirme Yohu Gómez Ccochachi Yodel Cheldo Huari Salazar Saríah Fanny Oré Gálvez Saríah Fanny Oré Gálvez Jorge Luis Lozano Rodríguez Fernando Gari Huayhua Lévano Tulio Celestino Paytan Montañez Crispin H. W. Barnes Crispin H. W. Barnes Luis De Los Santos Valladares Luis De Los Santos Valladares |
| author_sort | Bruno Kadafi Cárdenas Morales |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Razuhuillca micro-watershed, located in the Andean province of Huanta (Peru), illustrates the convergence of hydro-territorial fragility and socio-environmental conflict. Through a mixed-methods approach— combining quantitative morphometric analysis using GIS and DEMs with qualitative semi-structured interviews coded in Atlas.ti—this study reveals how strategic headwater zones for water recharge overlap with both legal and illegal mining activities. These extractive pressures compromise hydrological regulation and generate spatial, cultural, and political tensions. Local communities perceive water as a sacred and relational element, and invoke Apu Razuhuillca as a territorial guardian beyond state legality. Narratives of affective territoriality, institutional distrust, and autonomous resistance—such as community patrols and demands for protection—highlight the emergence of bottom-up governance in response to extractive threats. In this context, water is not merely a resource but a symbol of identity, care, and territorial legitimacy. The findings underscore the need for a sociohydrological approach that integrates ecological indicators, spatial risk, and lived experiences. The Razuhuillca micro-watershed stands as a threatened yet defended socio-ecosystem, where technical, cultural, and political dimensions of water governance intersect. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1f111ffa1f114865b6f3d3fd0e2951c8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2624-9375 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Water |
| spelling | doaj-art-1f111ffa1f114865b6f3d3fd0e2951c82025-08-20T03:44:04ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Water2624-93752025-08-01710.3389/frwa.2025.16148471614847The Razuhuillca micro-watershed in dispute: hydromorphological dynamics and territorial resistance to mining concessions in the Peruvian AndesBruno Kadafi Cárdenas Morales0Bruno Kadafi Cárdenas Morales1Manuel Mendoza Colos2Santos Clemente Herrera Díaz3Solón Dante Carhuallanqui Ibarra4Walter Victor Castro Aponte5Yirme Yohu Gómez Ccochachi6Yodel Cheldo Huari Salazar7Saríah Fanny Oré Gálvez8Saríah Fanny Oré Gálvez9Jorge Luis Lozano Rodríguez10Fernando Gari Huayhua Lévano11Tulio Celestino Paytan Montañez12Crispin H. W. Barnes13Crispin H. W. Barnes14Luis De Los Santos Valladares15Luis De Los Santos Valladares16Escuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruCírculo de Investigación Aperture Science, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruEstación Experimental Agraria “Canaán”, Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria (INIA), Huamanga, Ayacucho, PeruEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruCírculo de Investigación Aperture Science, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruEstación Experimental Agraria “Canaán”, Instituto Nacional de Innovación Agraria (INIA), Huamanga, Ayacucho, PeruCavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomEscuela Profesional de Ingeniería y Gestión Ambiental, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Huanta, Huanta, PeruCavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United KingdomThe Razuhuillca micro-watershed, located in the Andean province of Huanta (Peru), illustrates the convergence of hydro-territorial fragility and socio-environmental conflict. Through a mixed-methods approach— combining quantitative morphometric analysis using GIS and DEMs with qualitative semi-structured interviews coded in Atlas.ti—this study reveals how strategic headwater zones for water recharge overlap with both legal and illegal mining activities. These extractive pressures compromise hydrological regulation and generate spatial, cultural, and political tensions. Local communities perceive water as a sacred and relational element, and invoke Apu Razuhuillca as a territorial guardian beyond state legality. Narratives of affective territoriality, institutional distrust, and autonomous resistance—such as community patrols and demands for protection—highlight the emergence of bottom-up governance in response to extractive threats. In this context, water is not merely a resource but a symbol of identity, care, and territorial legitimacy. The findings underscore the need for a sociohydrological approach that integrates ecological indicators, spatial risk, and lived experiences. The Razuhuillca micro-watershed stands as a threatened yet defended socio-ecosystem, where technical, cultural, and political dimensions of water governance intersect.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2025.1614847/fullmorphometryAndean micro-watershedwater governanceGISmining concessionssocio-environmental conflict |
| spellingShingle | Bruno Kadafi Cárdenas Morales Bruno Kadafi Cárdenas Morales Manuel Mendoza Colos Santos Clemente Herrera Díaz Solón Dante Carhuallanqui Ibarra Walter Victor Castro Aponte Yirme Yohu Gómez Ccochachi Yodel Cheldo Huari Salazar Saríah Fanny Oré Gálvez Saríah Fanny Oré Gálvez Jorge Luis Lozano Rodríguez Fernando Gari Huayhua Lévano Tulio Celestino Paytan Montañez Crispin H. W. Barnes Crispin H. W. Barnes Luis De Los Santos Valladares Luis De Los Santos Valladares The Razuhuillca micro-watershed in dispute: hydromorphological dynamics and territorial resistance to mining concessions in the Peruvian Andes Frontiers in Water morphometry Andean micro-watershed water governance GIS mining concessions socio-environmental conflict |
| title | The Razuhuillca micro-watershed in dispute: hydromorphological dynamics and territorial resistance to mining concessions in the Peruvian Andes |
| title_full | The Razuhuillca micro-watershed in dispute: hydromorphological dynamics and territorial resistance to mining concessions in the Peruvian Andes |
| title_fullStr | The Razuhuillca micro-watershed in dispute: hydromorphological dynamics and territorial resistance to mining concessions in the Peruvian Andes |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Razuhuillca micro-watershed in dispute: hydromorphological dynamics and territorial resistance to mining concessions in the Peruvian Andes |
| title_short | The Razuhuillca micro-watershed in dispute: hydromorphological dynamics and territorial resistance to mining concessions in the Peruvian Andes |
| title_sort | razuhuillca micro watershed in dispute hydromorphological dynamics and territorial resistance to mining concessions in the peruvian andes |
| topic | morphometry Andean micro-watershed water governance GIS mining concessions socio-environmental conflict |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frwa.2025.1614847/full |
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