Multidisciplinary International Winter School:
The Central Altiplano: The Challenge of Water in an Agro-Mining Landscape
June 29 – July 3, 2026
Online Workshop
April 7 – 9, 2026
The second Winter School of the International Mixed Laboratory (LMI) ALTIPLANO (https://lmialtiplano.com/) se realizará del 29 de junio al 03 de Julio de 2026 en la región de Oruro (Bolivia).
Prior to the Winter School, an online virtual session will be held (three half-days of courses: April 7–9), open to students from universities in Bolivia and abroad, including Chile, Peru, and Argentina. These general online courses are designed to be accessible to everyone and will cover all LMI research topics (social sciences, geosciences, and medicine), with a focus on the Central Altiplano. Given the significant time differences between locations in South America and France, all presentations will be recorded so that students and professionals can access them.
At the end of the sessions, students interested in participating in the field course will be required to submit a letter of motivation explaining their interest in taking part in the Winter School, in relation to their postgraduate studies and/or professional career, and describing the connection and complementarity with their field of research.
Subsequently, the 15 to 20 best students will be selected to participate in the Winter School, and 5 scholarships will be awarded to students not affiliated with UMSA, covering their accommodation expenses (in La Paz and Lake Titicaca) and travel costs (from their place of residence to La Paz and for Winter School excursions).
Day 1 (Tuesday, April 7):
Water Resources and Water Quality in the Central Altiplano
(9:00–9:15): Introduction and Presentation of the Workshop Objective (D. Acha and S. Guédron).
(9:15–9:45): Hydroclimatology: Historical, Current, and Future Trends (J. Molina, F. Satge, M. Morales, J. Apaestegui, and J-C Espinosa).
(10:00–10:30): Soil and water degradation in an agromining context (F. Satge and O. Ramos)
(10:45–11:15): Water Quality/Availability: Perceptions and Social Response (C. LeGouill, N. Laborie, M. Prieto).
(11:30–12:00): Ecohydrology of Rivers and Bofedales (C. Molina, R. Meneses, M. Prieto, G. Zeballos, F. Anthelme, A. Zimmer, R. Loayza).
Day 2 (Wednesday, April 8):
Impact of Mining in the Arid Central Altiplano: Metals (metalloids), Microorganisms, and Health Impacts
(9:00–9:15): Introduction and Presentation of Day 2 (Stéphane Guédron and Dario Acha).
(9:15–9:45): Mining Effluents and Microorganisms: Contaminant Mobility versus Sequestration (E. Resongles, G. Zamora, L. Cabrol, and D. Acha).
(10:00–10:30): Human Exposure to Mining Contaminants in the Central Altiplano: The Case of Oruro (J. Gardon and N. Tirado).
(10:45–11:15): Geogenic Contaminants: The Case of Arsenic (M. Ormachea, J. Tapia, O. Ramos, and C. Duwig).
(11:30–12:00): Human Exposure to Arsenic and Adaptation in the Andes: Archaeological Perspectives and a Case Study on the Bolivian Population (N. Tirado, J. Gardon, and L. Cornejo).
Day 3 (Thursday, April 9):
Peat Sediments as Paleoclimate Archives: Archaeological Evidence of Social Evolution
(9:00–9:15): Introduction and Presentation of Day 3 (S. Guédron and D. Acha).
(9:15–9:45): Paleobiotics and Dust for Reconstructing Past Climates from Bofedales (A. Domic, M. Morales, F. DeVleeschower, et al.).
(10:00–10:30): Agropastoral societies of the central Altiplano over the last millennia (C. Delaere, J. Capriles, C. M. Santoro, and P. Cruz)
(10:45–11:15): Tracing the Historical Human Footprint through Bofedales (Mining and Grazing) (S. Guédron, A. Domic, A. Maldonado, J. Tapia).
(11:30–12:00): New Tools for Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction: Ancient DNA (D. Acha and S. Jelavic).
2026 Winter School Program
(Fieldwork in the Oruro–Poopó Basin from June 30 to July 3)
Day 1 (Monday, June 29):
The Milluni Mining Basin
Travel to Oruro
Visit to the Archaeological Site of Palaspata (C. Delaere, J. Capriles):
Site description within its geographical and historical context, presentation of excavation methods and techniques, and discussion on the role of water for agriculture and grazing during the Tiwanaku period.
Day 2 (Tuesday, June 30):
Mining in the Central Altiplano
Visit to the Oruro Mine and the Vinto Smelter:
Discussion on mining effluents (airborne and waterborne) in an urban context.
Basic Geochemistry:
In-situ experimentation: measurement and physicochemical characterization of surface waters and mining effluents (E. Resongles, G. Zamora, D. Acha, S. Guédron, and M. Ormachea): analysis of pristine and mine water, arsenic levels, and nutrients, with a brief presentation of quality control rules for instrument calibration and sampling procedures.
Day 3 (Wednesday, July 1):
The Agro-Pastoral Zone, River Ecohydrology, and Biodiversity of the Bofedales
River Ecohydrology (C. Molina):
Identification of invertebrates and bioindicators in rivers. Learning from nature how to cope with pollution. Discussion on aquatic ecosystem quality and anthropogenic pressures.
Hydrology (Katari River Station – J. Molina):
How to measure a stream (using a microcurrent meter, salt dilution, or dye tracing)?
Bofedales Biodiversity (R. Meneses and G. Zeballos):
Floristic characterization of the bofedales and assessment of biological diversity. Discussion on the ecological quality of the bofedal and anthropogenic pressures (grazing).
Visit to an Agricultural Operation (F. Satge):
Discussion on soil quality in the Central Altiplano under the effects of climate change (salinization) and anthropogenic pressures (erosion, plastic waste). Introduction to new characterization tools: drone-based experiments for aerial imaging.
Exchange with Local Communities in Machacamarca (F. Satge and N. Laborie).
Day 4 (Thursday, July 2):
The Bofedales
Bofedal as a Paleoenvironmental Archive (A. Domic, F. Guiter, L. Brousset, S. Guédron, and E. Resongles):
Discussion on peatlands as environmental archives.
Sample extraction and characterization: tracing methods and tools.
Discussion on the quality of Central Altiplano archives under the effects of climate change (drought cycles and wet periods) on archive quality, tracers, and information preservation.
Reconstruction of human activities (agropastoralism, mining activities).
Day 5 (Friday, July 3):
Synthesis and Feedback Sessions
Interdisciplinary group work with the Goal of Synthesizing the Winter School from an Integrative, Transdisciplinary, and Interdisciplinary Perspective.
Return to La Paz.
