The sustainable use perspective: challenges and opportunities for conflicts over guanacos in Patagonia

LICHTENSTEIN, G.

Oxford

Congreso; International Conference on Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence; 2023

Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (Wildcru), Universidad de Oxford y IUCN SSC Human-Wildlife Conflict & Coexistence Specialist Group;

Wild large herbivores and humans have a long history of interaction and conflict along the world. In the case of Patagonia, the history of human societies could not have been written without mentioning the guanaco Lama guanicoe. The large-scale introduction of sheep was the main cause of population decline. After the “Conquest of the Desert”, fences and wires started to divide the territory and restrict the movement of people and animals. Local inhabitants were replaced by European settlers, traditional management gave way to European farming, and native species were replaced by sheep. Guanacos were excluded from the model of development and quickly became perceived as a “pest”. In Southern Patagonia, conflict between guanaco conservation and livestock has increased in recent years due to severe droughts, and increased desertification. However, a conflict could be turned into an opportunity. Guanacos have extremely fine fibre that can be obtained through life shearing thus providing an opportunity to link conservation with local economic development. In this conference I present a brief history of the relationship between guanacos and local inhabitants from Patagonia along the years and the different drivers that shaped it. The presentation describes the shift from pro poor inclusive policies and sustainable use experiences to the National Guanaco Management Plan (2019), and the consequences of its implementation.