International policies and national legislation concerning vicuna conservation and exploitation

MCNEILL, DESMOND; LICHTENSTEIN, GABRIELA; RENAUDEAU D' ARC, NADINE

The vicuña: the theory and practice of community based Wildlife management.

Springer

Lugar: New York; Año: 2009; p. 63 - 79

The aim of this chapter is to describe and explain the policies relating to the vicuna that have been adopted by the four countries Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru, as they are manifested in legislation. The focus is on the modern period, since 1960, during which the policies have shifted from conservation to sustainable use. These policies, and the associated laws, are the result of a negotiation between international agendas on the one hand, and national political, economic and bureaucratic interests on the other hand. What is notable is that national legislation with regard to key relevant aspects – and particularly ownership of land and the vicuna themselves – differs considerably between countries, while overall policies are rather similar. Although this may in part be explained by the fact that they have been subject to the same international convention, CITES, it is important to stress that prior to CITES the four countries had initiated and signed on to the Vicuna Convention – an agreement between these four countries (plus Ecuador) also aimed at conservation.