Guanaco management by pastoralists in the Southern Andes

LICHTENSTEIN, GABRIELA; CARMANCHAHI, PABLO

Pastoralism: Research, Policy and Practice

Springer

Año: 2012

2041-7136

As with most wild ungulates, guanacos (Lama guanicoe) overlap their range with domestic livestock resulting in a conflict for the use of rangelands between local livelihoods and conservation. This paper explores a multiple-objective project that was set up in Payunia Protected Area (Mendoza, Argentina) in order to address conservation of a migratory population of guanacos; desertification processes; and poverty alleviation. The Cooperative Payún Matrú was formed in 2005 mainly by local goat herders with a subsistence economy, thus providing a unique example where the beneficiaries of guanaco use are a low income community. The project faces a number of challenges that result from the lack of an open established market for guanaco fibre. In addition, there are challenges in connecting a remote community to international markets as well as a number of agendas that overlap on the Protected Area. This paper explores the potential for guanaco use and management by a low income Cooperative in a Protected Area, analyses socio-economic impacts derived from the use, and discusses the challenges facing the experience. Lessons are thus drawn that could contribute to policy decisions as well as sustainable use programmes for other wildlife species.