In high-altitude regions of Bolivia, local communities communally manage, harvest and sell wild vicuña (Vicugna vicugna) fibre, contributing to species and habitat protection. 

Nature-based Intervention:

In Bolivia, all vicuña fibre is harvested from the wild animals by local communities which have been granted the legal right to capture, shear and release the wild vicuña on their communal lands. Organized into registered Vicuna Manager Communities (CMVs) and grouped into Regional Associations of Managers of Vicuña (ARMV), including indigenous groupings such as Quechua and Aymara, the communities use a modified traditional practice from Incan times with religious and ceremonial aspects called the chaku to herd the animals between September and November. There is great potential to expand this initiative, as only around 6% of vicuña fibre is harvested in Bolivia and many communities do not yet participate in the system, due to barriers such as lack of knowledge, lack of tools and materials, and organizational issues, as well as broader challenges such as bureaucratic regulatory environments, traceability requirements, slow issuing of permits and long delays in receiving payments.

Overview of context and outcomes:

Vicuña are wild animals in the camelid family, closely related to alpacas and llamas, native to high-altitude areas of South America, including Bolivia. The vicuña fibre is used like wool to make clothing for high-end luxury markets, usually to end customers in Italy. Highly sought-after for their soft and lightweight wool, by the mid-twentieth century vicuña populations had been decimated as there were no clear user rights to this open access resource. After a ban on the hunting and sale of vicuña was implemented and the Convention for the Conservation and Management of Vicuna was agreed upon by Andean states in the 1970s, vicuña populations began to steadily increase again. Following the success in population restoration, the sustainable use and trade of vicuña fibre has subsequently been allowed, however challenges remain with the threat of poaching, disease and rangeland degradation. One third of the global population of vicuña lives in Bolivia, where the vicuña are officially property of the government. As the communities who manage the vicuña are some of the poorest and most isolated in Bolivia, living in inhospitable climates and unproductive land with little income-generating opportunities, the supplemental source of income from the vicuña fibre can have a significant positive impact, complimenting other activities such as raising of domestic camelids like alpaca or llamas, as well as other livestock. The continuation of international trade, which underpins this conservation model, is crucial to the long term sustainability of the program, as well as the ongoing support from the national government and guidance and financing from NGOs and the international community.