Abstract Introduction The degradation and loss of High Andes wetlands result from climate change, landscape modifications, reduced hydrological connectivity, and intensive grazing. Knowledge about the ecological processes regulating wetland recovery after disturbance remains limited. Objective This study aims to assess the effectiveness of low‐cost, traditional techniques for landscape rehydration in promoting the recovery of a degraded mountain wetland in the High Andes of Mendoza Province, Argentina. Methods We built five check dams in 2020 and 2024 to redistribute water in the Ciénaga del Tupungato wetland. We monitored the wetland area using Sentinel‐2 and Landsat imagery and applied a Before–After–Control–Impact‐style comparison with two nearby untreated wetlands. To detect local treatment effects, we delineated a restoration sector using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) map algebra and analyzed pixel‐level NDVI statistics (mean ± SD). Results Vegetation cover estimates show a 48% increase in vegetated surface following restoration efforts, from 3.8 ha in 2020 to 5.6 ha after the second intervention in 2024. Long‐term analysis (1986–2025) revealed marked interannual variation in wetland extent. At the landscape scale, restored and control wetlands displayed similar climate‐driven patterns. Still, the delineated restoration sector exhibited a higher mean NDVI and reduced temporal variability than surrounding areas. Field GPS measurements indicated an increase in vegetated area (~0.4 ha). Conclusions These findings suggest that rehydration low‐cost techniques can be an effective strategy for restoring these ecosystems. Monitoring and replication across sites are necessary to assess effectiveness and improve our understanding of the ecological drivers of High Andes wetlands.
Álvarez et al. (2026) studied this question.