Photographer’s comment: “In the Andean highlands, like Alto Cunas and the Rio Mantaro Valley in Peru, there are species of cactus and flowers of a subtle beauty. The winds and rains have brought pollutants such as lead from the smokestacks of the mining city La Oroya. Those pollutants, crossing hundreds of kilometers, are seriously compromising the ecosystems of the highlands.”
Photo: Herbert Renato Salas Portugal