Guanaco management in Patagonia: Lessons for commons research

LICHTENSTEIN, G

Hyderabad

Congreso; 13th Iasc International Conference; 2011

FES y IASC

Most literature on traditional commons deals with fisheries, forests, water management and irrigation. Wildlife use and management, however, has not been widely explored. Although guanacos (Lama guanicoe) are a rather “uncommon” common-pool resource, they do exhibit the two characteristics of common resources: high excludability and substractability. These wild relatives of llamas live in South America and are distributed widely across the region. It is estimated that the original guanaco population numbered 30–50 million, but numbers have since fallen dramatically, due, in large part, to the introduction of domestic livestock by European settlers. Farming activities exported to Patagonia rarely considered the use of native species complimentary to domestic livestock production, and guanacos were viewed as an obstacle to sheep ranching and consequently killed in large numbers. In recent years, a number of live shearing projects have been established in an attempt to reconcile habitat and guanaco conservation with economic incentives for local ranchers. However, the low market value of guanaco fibre leads to conflicts and competition on resource access and use, with many producers hopeful of receiving official permission to kill guanacos found on their properties. Competition with domestic livestock, the lack of an open established market for the fibre, uncertainty about resource rights, a deficient legal framework, a limited number of beneficiaries, the lack of common property institutions and governmental support are undermining the performance of sustainable use efforts. Using this case study, the paper provides insights into, and discusses the challenges facing the sustainable use of an uncommon common-pool resource. Lessons are thus drawn that could contribute to policy decisions as well as sustainable use programmes for other wildlife species in the region.