Official Synopsis
In the high Andes of Peru and Bolivia, Quechua and Aymara families depend on alpacas and vicuñas for their livelihoods, selling the animals’ prized fiber. Yet gold mining, long present in the region, threatens both the environment and the survival of pastoral traditions. The film highlights the urgent need to protect ecosystems, safeguard workers’ rights, and support herders so their culture and animals endure.
Filmmaker Biography
Filmmaker(s): Bibiana Vilá & CONICET
Dr. Bibiana Vilá is a principal researcher at CONICET (Argentina) and president of VICAM, an internationally renowned biologist studying camelid conservation and traditional Indigenous chaku management.
Related Academic Publication
Vilá, B..
(2020).
Vicuñas (Vicugna vicugna), Wild Andean Altiplano Camelids: Multiple Valuation for Their Sustainable Use and Biocultural Role in Local Communities.
Case Studies in the Environment
, 4
(1)
, 1232692.
https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2020.1232692
Vilá, B. et al..
(2022).
Weaving a vicuña shawl.
Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice
, 12
, 40.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13570-022-00260-6