Puzzle Pieces of Life: Las Lomas and their Impoverished Neighbors

Much of my time here in Peru will be marked by my work with A Rocha Peru. A Rocha is an Christian international conservation organization which is now present it 19 different countries around the world. As a student at Wheaton, I was actively involved in our student chapter of the organization and affirmed its mission to study and steward creation as a response to our Biblical mandate to "keep and serve" and earth in Genesis 2:15. While each chapter is united under the same mission, the work each one does is different depending on their cultural and ecological context. Here in Lima, we are working to develop a project in "Las Lomas" surrounding the city and stretching along the coast.

What is a loma? Literally translated, a "loma" is a hill. These hills, however, are a unique ecosystem which is borne out of the trade winds which bring mist from the Pacific ocean to the tops of these hills where it hangs from June to November. During these winter months, the mist provides an abundant supply of water to the area and creates a landscape of lush vegetation and a habitat for birds, mammals reptiles, and amphibians. Some of these species are endemic, meaning they can only be found here in these ecosystems. Considering that Lima lies along the dry desert coast, these lomas provide a haven for life which would otherwise not exist.

Since the time of Spanish colonialism, the lomas have undergone significant stress and destruction. Overgrazing by goats and cattle, invasive species, and climate change are just some of the threats which are isolating the remaining lomas habitat and undermining its ecological integrity. Therefore, one aspect of A Rocha's conservation project, is to determine the current state of the lomas in order to deduce what kind of management actions should be taken to restore these ecosystems. A Rocha Peru has biologists which are working on this now and part of my job is to go out with Jose Luis to assist him with biological analysis.

This, however, is not the full story of the lomas, nor can biological integrity be the only focus of a successful conservation project. As your eyes travel down the slopes of the hills you see the green slowly transform into a dusty brown. Clinging precariously to the hillside are thousands of rugged shacks made from whatever material their tenets could find. These slum communities are some of the most impoverished in Lima and the problems which plague these people are deeply systemic. As urban sprawl continues, these communities will build homes higher and higher up the hills. They have little to no fresh water due to contamination and patchy support from the municipalities.

This reality begs me to ask how our conservation project in the Lomas will benefit these people? How can a healthy ecosystem promote a healthy community? How can these people be involved in the project in a way which both empowers them and gives them ownership of its protection? Without this relationship, I fear the long term goals of our conservation efforts will go unmet. The lomas will continue to be destroyed and the conditions of the communities around them will go unchanged. Neither of these outcomes reflect the hope of reconciliation and redemption which Jesus brings to his entire created order.

Although A Rocha Peru is primarily a team of dedicated biologists, they too recognize the importance of identifying the socio-political barriers to restoring the lomas. And, since I am here with a willingness to serve wherever A Rocha needs me to, I get to throw my hat in the ring with the bull. I get to tackle this problem. Obviously there are more connections and intricacies involved here than four months could even begin to process. However, I think the opportunity for me to ask questions, identify relationships and look at the project through a fresh lens, will ultimately be helpful to A Rocha Peru as they carry on this work long after I am gone.

The day to day aspect of my work is a little ambiguous. Each day is different. Over the next month I will be traveling to some lomas along the coast, going on environmental education field trips with Amparo, and working to form a more succinct plan for my Socio-Political Independent Study. The rest of my time is happily spent cooking with my family, learning to navigate the transportation system and picking up Peruvian slang.

I'd say I need to keep learning to be patient as I have the tendency to want to go all the time instead of just learning to be. When you spend your life running through each day just to get to the next one, you miss out of the beauty of the present. And it is in the present where you are shaped and equipped to be a disciple. It is in the daily conversations and interactions with others that you realize life is too precious to wish away on thoughts of something "more important" in the future. Yes there is a metanarrative going on, a master plan which we are amazingly a part of and which gives our lives greater purpose. But, I think the outworking of that narrative is in the day to day aspects of life. And, for a big picture thinker like me, this is sometimes easy to forget.

So, rejoice in the hardships and blessings of the day because God is using them as much in the present as he is to shape you for some "other" purpose in the future.