Comunidades Locales, Conservación de Recursos Naturales y Mercado Global

Abstract

"This paper addresses the interserction between public policies on biodiversity conservation, poverty reduction and husbandry production and the different agendas and perspectives from the social actors involved from the international to the national level. Vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) management for fibre commercialization by Andean communities from Argentina, Chile, Peru and Bolivia is used as a case study. Vicunas are wild South American Camelids that were at the brink of extinction in the 1960 due to their characteristics of common pool resource (CPR) managed as open access, and the high commercial value of their fibre at international markets. The species recovered due to international, national and local conservation efforts. After a period of strict preservation, management was shifted to sustainable use for the benefit of Andean communities. However, given the high eonomic value of the fibre at the international market, and the lack of sufficient legislation, in recent years the fibre has turned into a commodity. This paper enables us to illustrate the complex relationship between local communities and the global market, and the need to develop public policies that promote a more equitable distribution of benefits in projects that aim at addressing conservation and poverty reduction."