Our sacred connection to Pachamama (‘Mother Earth’ in the Aymara language) teaches us that her wellbeing is directly tied to ours, yet the degradation of our Uru Uru lake threatens the balance of life for all who depend on it. Words cannot describe the sadness that touches the heart of everyone connected to the lake when we see flamingos return each season only to find dust and contaminated black water, ducks no longer having safe places to lay their eggs, and the most vulnerable – us humans – without the lake, becoming migrants.
In 2019, my community’s brothers and sisters could no longer bear this situation, or the government’s failure to protect and restore our lake. In response, the Uru Uru Team was born – an Indigenous youth initiative working tirelessly to restore our sacred Mama Qucha (‘Mother Lake’ in Aymara) through innovation stemming from our Indigenous ancestors’ knowledge.
Known scientifically as phytoremediation, this process of decontaminating highly polluted aquatic ecosystems using native plants such as, in our case, the totora, has been a millennial practice by our ancestors, who also used this plant to build their houses and boats. Now we are using it to bring our Uru Uru lake back to life thanks to the plant’s extraordinary ability to store highly polluting metals such as arsenic or lead in its roots and leaves and thus remove these contaminants from the water.
We are certain that no lake means no life – no more agriculture, no more livestock, no more balance. Pachamama has taught us that any disruption, by anyone, affects us all. That is why respecting Pachamama’s natural state is crucial, and we do so by applying our natural solution, which uses no more than a native plant from the area and the immeasurable volunteer force of our team.
We began by transplanting totora into the contaminated channels that run off from the city, discharging pollutants into our sacred lake and causing irreparable damage. We combined our traditional knowledge with scientific methods, breaking the misconception that these two cannot work together.
However, what truly propelled our project was the involvement and leadership of Indigenous girls and women. The disappearance of our lake impacts them the most, not only due to the loss of fresh water, but also because of the migration challenges. Economic constraints often force migrant women into early marriages, leading to economic and educational violence. That’s why their leadership in our project was crucial. They are on the frontlines of adversity and are best positioned to find the most effective solutions. Their commitment ensures that no time or resources are wasted.
It is through all this that our team of young people, women, elders and the entire community have achieved a 30% decontamination rate through the totora planting. This is our path towards achieving our goal of a 100% decontamination rate, the sustainable restoration of our lake, and the wellbeing of animals, plants, ourselves and surrounding communities.
We are certain that global issues like the one we are facing affect everyone on our planet, but we also know that they can be addressed by integrating Indigenous and native knowledge with scientific methods and the advantages of technology. Elevating and acknowledging young people, women, Indigenous and other marginalised groups is crucial because important and significant insights are lost when we don’t, and solutions like those demonstrated by the Uru Uru Team are achieved when we do.
Being honoured with the prestigious Iris Prize is a milestone, not only for our team and our community, but also for Indigenous and minority groups worldwide. It encourages us to continue our efforts for a better world through the application of Indigenous knowledge as a solution to present and future challenges.
As a young group that started from a lake shore with nothing but enthusiasm and a collective dream, being seen, supported and validated through our journey is living proof that when we pursue something from the bottom of our hearts, the universe conspires to make it come true.
We are certain that our Pachamama, more than anyone, has been supporting us, providing us with the totora plants unconditionally, safeguarding our work, and encouraging us through adversities such as government denial and mistreatment during peaceful protests for our rights and those of Mother Earth. Despite the hazards we face working in contaminated areas, our Pachamama has sustained us with enough harvest to support ourselves and our project during tough times.
I am sure that with the support of Pachamama and the Iris Prize, our restoration efforts will continue to grow, scale, and replicate in other places around the world that face similar catastrophes but still lack attention, and, more importantly, tangible action. Together we can aim to keep restoring the environment through our knowledge and our unique life connection with Pachamama.
Our journey is just starting, and we are not going to stop until we help our lake come back to life – not only through our planting, but also through constant action against mining and plastic contamination.
Jallalla!*
* Jallalla is an Aymara-Quechua word that calls for the celebration of life through unity, harmony and wellbeing.
You can see the Iris Prize film of the Uru Uru Team and their efforts at www.theirisproject.org/winner/the-uru-uru-team
The Iris Project was set up by environmentalist and rewilding activist Ben Goldsmith in memory of his daughter Iris, who died in an accident in 2019 at the age of 15. You can hear Ben talking about how this tragedy led to setting up the annual prize in the Resurgence podcast Hope Springs. www.resurgence.org/podcast
