Harvest_Vicuña_Bolivia

Emma_Hemmerle — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:22:51 +0000

Harvest_Vicuña_Bolivia Emma_Hemmerle Fri, 12/17/2021 - 11:22

Tue, 01/01/2019 - 12:00

Affiliation

IIED

Date Of Record Entry

Fri, 12/17/2021 - 12:00

Type of wild species covered by the record

Wild species sourced from the wild but reared/cultivated in a managed site (e.g., cultivated wild specimens, eggs/juveniles from the wild)

Stage of the value chain covered by the record

Primary Producer/harvester (e.g., NTFP collectors, egg collectors)

Record Source

“Grey” literature (e.g., NGO reports, case studies, non-detriment studies; project documents etc. (not necessarily peer-reviewed))

Harvest of Vicuña fibre for trade in Bolivian highlands since 2006.

Increasing

Is the species endemic HIDE

Population Status

Unknown/not recorded

Formal international protection in place

International Level

CITES listing

National Level

Unknown/not recorded

Population Trend

Increasing

Sub-national Level

Unknown/not recorded

Additional Details (if available)

Biological resource use

Name

Emma Hemmerlé

Scientific Name

Vicugna vicugna

Common Name(s)

Vicuña

Type of Use

Extractive (i.e., the entire organism or parts of the organism are removed from its environment)

If extractive, for the target species, is this use

Non-Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of

Only parts or products of the organism (e.g., feathers, leaves, branches, eggs, nuts)

Details of parts/products taken

the Vicuña are typically sheared for their fibre, before being released back into the wild.

How is the primary use carried out?

Collecting or harvesting parts or products from wild animals (e.g., eggs, wild honey, vicuna fibre)

Are specific characteristics/traits being targeted?

Unknown/not recorded

Purpose of Use

Basic subsistence (meeting day to day essential needs)

Income generation from trade at individual or household or community

What is the main end use for any living organisms, parts or products taken/extracted?

Ornamentation, decoration and apparel

Amount

1250.00

Units Of Measurement

kg of fibre

Time period over which this has been recorded

2018

Is there a regulatory or customary regime in place to govern this use?

Yes, formal (e.g., quotas, viewing or catch-size limits) and complied with

Provide Details of resource rights regime where relevant

In 1969, Peru and Bolivia agreed to ban all hunting and sale of vicuña for a period of ten years. Later they and other range states agreed the Convention for the Conservation and Management of Vicuna (the Vicuna Convention; 1979), which provides in Article I for use of the species “for the benefit of the Andean people”.

Geographic Location

South America

Country

Bolivia

Is the site legally/formally protected?

Unknown/not recorded

Ownership

Unknown/Not Recorded

Management

Unknown/Not Recorded

Local people (e.g., individuals, communities, co-operatives)

Is the use part of a strategy to generate conservation incentives, to finance conservation, or to improve tolerance/stewardship?

Yes

Is there evidence that the use is affecting the conservation status of the species? HIDE

Yes – use is improving the status (e.g., population is increasing or stabilising, extraction effort OR catch per unit effort is decreasing or stable)

Is there evidence that the use is affecting natural selection?

Unknown/not recorded

Is there evidence that the use is affecting poaching of illegal wildlife trade?

Yes, positive (use is helping combat poaching or illegal wildlife trade)

populations have increased dramatically since this approach was first initiated (Fig 1). At a finer scale, population surveys available for community- managed areas over the last decade indicates that in most, populations continue to increase, although populations have slightly declined over this period in several (see Fig 2), due possibly to poaching, climatic factors, or stochastic fluctuations in generally stable populations.

Vicuñas have become an economic asset to local communities, rather than only a competitor for pasture with their livestock, motivating communities to carry out anti-poaching and protection activities.

Is there any evidence that this use of the species is having a knock-on effect on the status of non-target species

Yes, it is having a positive effect (e.g., reduced competition, reduced risk of hybridization)

Yes, positive (e.g., it increases / retains land area for conservation)

Yes, considered sustainable

Additional Details (if available)

There are broader habitat conservation benefits (including for some sensitive habitats such a peatland), and benefits for other flora and fauna.

Additional Details (if available)

There are broader habitat conservation benefits (including for some sensitive habitats such a peatland), and benefits for other flora and fauna.

Details of assessment carried out

use is described as "sustainable" several times in the record.

Has a valuation of financial flows from this use at the site/national/international level been recorded

Yes

Contribution to GDP

If financial benefits accrue disproportionately toward some actors, please explain why

Income from sale of vicuña fibre is distributed according as follows:
 8% royalty payment to the government;
 3% payment of tax on profits;
 3% operational costs of marketing to ACOFIVB;
 85% to benefit families in the communities.

Food

Energy

Medicine/healthcare

Education

Training/Skills

Land/Resource Rights

Decision Making

Conflict- people

Conflict- wildlife

Climate Change

Taking part in management and sustainable use of vicuna has also led to revitalisation of ancient traditions and local knowledge.

While the government officially owns vicuña, local communities have been given the legal right to use wild vicuna for shearing the fibre.

Has any assessment of socio-economic sustainability been recorded

No assessment recorded

Has the use of the species been recorded as resulting in changes to human health in this record?

Unknown/not recorded

Has the species in use been noted as being of particular disease risk to humans?

Unknown/not recorded

Has the use of the species resulted in changes to animal welfare in this record?

Unknown/not recorded

Are there particular practices which have increased the risk to human or animal health or welfare in the use of this species?

Unknown/not recorded

Does the use of this species increase susceptibility to pathogen spread?

Unknown/not recorded

Strong community governance/institutions/rights for wildlife management

Present

Supportive policy and legislative framework

Present

Adequate capacity to implement and enforce governance arrangements

Present

Good alignment of legal protections with local cultural values and traditional

Present

Support from NGOs

Present

Support from Government

Present

High financial returns from use

Absent

Abundant population of target species

Absent

Biological characteristics of target species

Present

Capacity building of community

Present

Establishment and implementation of species and/or area management plan

Present

Effective private sector approach engagement through certification

Absent

Good Market Strategies

Absent

Other Factors

There is no processing capacity in Bolivia – fibre is exported either to Argentina for processing (and then to Italy) or directly to Italy. Development of local processing might increase the economic returns to local communities.

Is this use legal or illegal?

Legal under national law

Source Reference(s)

CITES (2009) CITES & Livelihoods Case Study 2019: Harvest and trade of Vicuña fibre in Bolivia.

Vicuña populations were decimated in the middle decades of the twentieth century, suffering uncontrolled and indiscriminate exploitation for trade in fibre. There were no clear user rights at this time, so the population was effectively treated as an open-access resource.
In 1969, Peru and Bolivia agreed to ban all hunting and sale of vicuña for a period of ten years. Later they and other range states agreed the Convention for the Conservation and Management of Vicuna (the Vicuna Convention; 1979), which provides in Article I for use of the species “for the benefit of the Andean people”.

How many people or households are involved in the use?

9442

Who is involved in the use?

Is there any gender/age specificity in the various roles

Unknown/not recorded

Women participate actively in every stage of the process, and in planning and coordination.

How many of these local jobs accure to the following categories?

How many people outside the local area are employed