Conservation, poverty alleviation, and the creation of a new model for equitable distribution of benefits derived from guanaco management

LICHTENSTEIN, G.

Fujiyoshida

Congreso; 14th Global Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons; 2013

International Association for the Study of the Commons

The economic value derived from the use of a wild species could be an opportunity for linking conservation with poverty alleviation. This paper deals with migratory wildlife as a non-conventional common-pool resource in a country, Argentina, which is poorly represented in the commons literature. Many of Argentina´s public policies regarding natural resource management reflect the historical denial of indigenous and low-income rural communities by the State and the promotion of private property over common property. Guanacos (Lama guanicoe) are wild relatives of llamas. Their fibre is amongst the finest animal fibres along with vicuña. As with most wild ungulates, guanacos overlap their range with domestic livestock resulting in a conflict for the use of rangelands between local livelihoods and conservation. After the ?Conquest of the Desert?, fences and wires started to divide the territory of Patagonia 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. Guanaco population fell dramatically. 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. This paper analyses the challenges facing live shearing programs for guanaco in Argentinean Patagonia and the potential for incorporating lessons from the commons in order to promote sustainable use by local communities. A multi-stakeholder project recently set up in the La Payunia Provincial Reserve by low-income pastoralists is discussed. The creation of a new policy environment at the national level, multiple stakeholder partnerships at the regional level, and the generation of added value at local level were the initial steps towards the creation of a new model to address conservation; desertification processes; and poverty alleviation.