Accelerated warming is shrinking tropical glaciers at rates unseen since the middle of the Little Ice Age . Climate-driven upwards migration of species, associated with warming and glacier retreat, has modified species distribution and richness and community composition along the Andes altitudinal gradient . Climate-driven glacier retreat alters hydrological regimes, directly impacting Andean pastoralists  and the provision of water to lowland regions . The drying of wetlands has modified alpine plant communities, which are relevant for storing carbon, regulating water and providing food for local livestock; this has led to negative impacts on herders' livelihoods  and affecting the wild vicuña and the domesticated alpaca and llama. The wool from Vicuña  and alpaca  is an important source of income for indigenous communities and the llama  is their main source of meat. Vicuña are adjusting their feeding behaviour and spatial distribution as vegetation migrates upwards , causing them to roam outside protected areas and become vulnerable to illegal poaching.
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report