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| Framing the Páramo through Latour’s Actor–Network Theory reveals its role within a network of non-human actors that intertwines social, political, and ecological dimensions (Latour,1996). Ecologically, the Páramo functions as a vital [[39|hydrological system]], capturing mist at high elevations in the [[02|Altiplano Cundiboyacense mountain range]] bordering Bogotá, transforming it into water that feeds the downstream [[20|Quebrada Limas River]] (Baruffol,2020). This process establishes a chain of interconnections that extend beyond ecology into the social and political sphere. The water originating from the Páramo becomes a site of contention, as industrial actors, such as [[16|mining]] and [[37|waste management]] operations, seek to exploit these natural resources under [[23|regulatory frameworks]], while communities in Bogotá depend on the same waters for sustenance. Thus, the Páramo operates not merely as an ecological entity but as a dynamic network that transcends its physical boundaries, shaping the political and social landscapes it touches. | Framing the Páramo through Latour’s Actor–Network Theory reveals its role within a network of non-human actors that intertwines social, political, and ecological dimensions (Latour,1996). Ecologically, the Páramo functions as a vital [[39|hydrological system]], capturing mist at high elevations in the [[02|Altiplano Cundiboyacense mountain range]] bordering Bogotá, transforming it into water that feeds the downstream [[20|Quebrada Limas River]] (Baruffol,2020). This process establishes a chain of interconnections that extend beyond ecology into the social and political sphere. The water originating from the Páramo becomes a site of contention, as industrial actors, such as [[16|mining]] and [[37|waste management]] operations, seek to exploit these natural resources under [[23|regulatory frameworks]], while communities in Bogotá depend on the same waters for sustenance. Thus, the Páramo operates not merely as an ecological entity but as a dynamic network that transcends its physical boundaries, shaping the political and social landscapes it touches. |
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| The Páramo also extends into the [[29|spiritual]] and cultural sphere, where it is regarded as a sacred landscape that sustains both ecological and social life. Within many Andean communities, the Páramo is conceived as a living entity imbued with ancestral and spiritual significance, symbolising balance, renewal, and the interdependence between humans and nature (Borawska-Melnyk, 2025). Its mist and waters are often perceived as gifts from the mountains, reinforcing communal rituals, local cosmologies, and moral responsibilities toward environmental stewardship (Ulloa, 2017). In this sense, the Páramo’s influence transcends its ecological function, becoming a sacred social actor that shapes collective identity, ethical practice, and the cultural continuity of those who inhabit its landscapes. | The Páramo also extends into the [[29|spiritual]] and cultural sphere, where it is regarded as a sacred landscape that sustains both ecological and social life. Within many Andean communities, the Páramo is conceived as a living entity imbued with ancestral and spiritual significance, symbolising balance, renewal, and the interdependence between humans and nature (Borawska-Melnyk, 2025). Its mist and waters are often perceived as gifts from the mountains, reinforcing communal rituals, local cosmologies, and moral responsibilities toward environmental stewardship (Ulloa, 2017). In this sense, the Páramo’s influence transcends its ecological function, becoming a sacred social actor that shapes collective identity, ethical practice, and the cultural continuity of those who inhabit its landscapes.\\ \\ |
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| | __References__\\ \\ |
| | Baruffol, M. (2020) //Andean ‘water sponges’: The role of plants in water supply.// Kew. 22 March. Available at: [[https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/paramos-andean-water-sponges]] (Accessed: 20 November 2025).\\ \\ |
| | Borawska-Melnyk, A. (2025) //‘Páramo, or water factories: a botanical phenomenon in the Andes’//, Wod ne Sprawy. Available at:[[ https://wodnesprawy.pl/en/paramo-or-water-factories-in-the-andes/]] (Accessed: 20 November 2025).\\ \\ |
| __Bibliography__ | Buytaert, W., & Beven, K. (2011). Models as multiple working hypotheses: Hydrological simulation of tropical alpine wetlands. //Hydrological Processes//, 25(11), 1784–1799. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7936 (Accessed 12 January 2026). \\ \\ |
| | Buytaert, W., Wyseure, G., De Bièvre, B., & Deckers, J. (2005). The effect of land-use changes on the hydrological behaviour of Histic andosols in South Ecuador. //Hydrological Processes//, 19(20), 3985–3997. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.5867 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\\ \\ |
| Baruffol, M. (2020) //Andean ‘water sponges’: The role of plants in water supply.// Kew. 22 March. Available at: [[https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/paramos-andean-water-sponges]] | Correa, A., Ochoa-Tocachi, B. F., Birkel, C., Ochoa-Sanchez, A., Zogheib, C., Tovar, C., Buytaert ,W. (2020) 'A concerted research effort to advance the hydrological understanding of tropical páramos', //Hydrological Processes//, 34(24), pp. 4609-4626. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13904 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\\ \\ |
| (Accessed: 20 November 2025). | Correa, A., Windhorst, D., Tetzlaff, D., Crespo, P., Célleri, R., Feyen, J., & Breuer, L. (2017). Temporal dynamics in dominant runoff sources and flow paths in the Andean páramo. //Water Resources// Research, 53(7), 5998–6017. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR020187 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\\ \\ |
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| Borawska-Melnyk, A. (2025) //‘Páramo, or water factories: a botanical phenomenon in the Andes’//, Wod ne Sprawy. Available at:[[ https://wodnesprawy.pl/en/paramo-or-water-factories-in-the-andes/]] | |
| (Accessed: 20 November 2025). | |
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| Latour, B. (1996) //‘On actor-network theory: a few clarifications’//, Soziale Welt, 47(4), pp. 369–381. Available at: [[http://www.jstor.org/stable/40878163]] | |
| (Accessed: 20 November 2025). | |
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| Ulloa, A. (2017) //‘Perspectives of environmental justice from Indigenous peoples of Latin America: a relational Indigenous environmental justice’//, Environmental Justice, 10(6), pp. 175–180. doi: 10.1089/env.2017.0017. Available at: [[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320092634_Ulloa-A-_2017-Perspectives_of_Environmental_Justice_from_Indigenous_Peoples_of_Latin_America_A_Relational_Indigenous_Environmental_Justice]] | |
| (Accessed: 20 November 2025). | |
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| Buytaert, W., & Beven, K. (2011). Models as multiple working hypotheses: Hydrological simulation of tropical alpine wetlands. Hydrological Processes, 25(11), 1784–1799. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.7936 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\\ \\ | |
| Buytaert, W., Wyseure, G., De Bièvre, B., & Deckers, J. (2005). The effect of land-use changes on the hydrological behaviour of Histic andosols in South Ecuador. Hydrological Processes, 19(20), 3985–3997. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.5867 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\ \\ | |
| Correa, A., Ochoa-Tocachi, B. F., Birkel, C., Ochoa-Sanchez, A., Zogheib, C., Tovar, C., Buytaert ,W. (2020) 'A concerted research effort to advance the hydrological understanding of tropical páramos', Hydrological Processes, 34(24), pp. 4609-4626. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13904 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\\ \\ | |
| Correa, A., Windhorst, D., Tetzlaff, D., Crespo, P., Célleri, R., Feyen, J., & Breuer, L. (2017). Temporal dynamics in dominant runoff sources and flow paths in the Andean páramo. Water Resources Research, 53(7), 5998–6017. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR020187 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\\ \\ | |
| Díaz, E., & Paz, L. (2002). Evaluación del régimen de humedad del suelo bajo diferentes usos, en los páramos Las Ánimas (Municipio de Silvia) y Piedra de León (Municipio de Sotará), departamento del Cauca., Universidad del Cauca, Popayán, Colombia.\\ \\ | Díaz, E., & Paz, L. (2002). Evaluación del régimen de humedad del suelo bajo diferentes usos, en los páramos Las Ánimas (Municipio de Silvia) y Piedra de León (Municipio de Sotará), departamento del Cauca., Universidad del Cauca, Popayán, Colombia.\\ \\ |
| Harden, C. P. (2006). Human impacts on headwater fluvial systems in the northern and Central Andes. Geomorphology, 79(3), 249–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.06.021 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\\ \\ | Harden, C. P. (2006). Human impacts on headwater fluvial systems in the northern and Central Andes. //Geomorphology//, 79(3), 249–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.06.021 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\\ \\ |
| Poulenard, J., Podwojewski, P., Janeau, J.-L., & Collinet, J. (2001). Runoff and soil erosion under rainfall simulation of Andisols from the Ecuadorian páramo: Effect of tillage and burning. Catena, 45(3), 185–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(01)00148-5 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\\ \\ | Latour, B. (1996) //‘On actor-network theory: a few clarifications’//, Soziale Welt, 47(4), pp. 369–381. Available at: [[http://www.jstor.org/stable/40878163]] (Accessed: 20 November 2025). \\ \\ |
| | Poulenard, J., Podwojewski, P., Janeau, J.-L., & Collinet, J. (2001). Runoff and soil erosion under rainfall simulation of Andisols from the Ecuadorian páramo: Effect of tillage and burning. //Catena//, 45(3), 185–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0341-8162(01)00148-5 (Accessed 12 January 2026).\\ \\ |
| | Ulloa, A. (2017) //‘Perspectives of environmental justice from Indigenous peoples of Latin America: a relational Indigenous environmental justice’//, Environmental Justice, 10(6), pp. 175–180. doi: 10.1089/env.2017.0017. Available at: [[https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320092634_Ulloa-A-_2017-Perspectives_of_Environmental_Justice_from_Indigenous_Peoples_of_Latin_America_A_Relational_Indigenous_Environmental_Justice]] (Accessed: 20 November 2025). |
| https://condesan.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Libro2.pdf - p113 buenas practicas para la gestion de los paramos | |
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