At more than 4,000 metres above sea level, Nuñoa is a remote town surrounded by mountaintops and treeless, dry Puna, an Andean steppe ecosystem.
Due to poor soils, short growing seasons, and limited rainfall, most varieties of crops are impossible to grow at this altitude, and therefore locals primarily keep livestock.
As a result, Nuñoa is known as the world capital of the Suri alpaca, a rare breed of alpaca, known for its very soft and expensive fibre.
Driving into the quiet district centre, home to most of its 10,000 inhabitants and situated five hours drive from the nearest urban centre of Puno, there are large alpaca statues lining the road and crowning the arches that welcome you to town.
These depict the Suri breed, an unusual variety with a long coat of silky dreadlocks that hang to the ground around its fine, slightly fragile frame. Nuñoa prides itself as the home of the Suri and the animal has become a symbol of the town, in part due to the efforts of a unique project supported by the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) and implemented by UNDP.