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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Conserv. Sci.
Sec. Plant Conservation
Volume 5 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2024.1405392
This article is part of the Research Topic Reconciling Nature Conservation and Sustainability of Tropical Ecosystems View all 4 articles
Mining expansion may reduce livestock but facilitate vicuñas recovery in tropical Puna of South America
Provisionally accepted- 1 Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
- 2 Wildlife Conservation Society (Bolivia), La Paz, Bolivia
High-elevation tropical grasslands in South America are vital for sustaining the livelihoods of indigenous communities, particularly in the Central Andes where herding of both wild and domesticated camelids has been a primary socio-economic activity for centuries. However, these grasslands are facing challenges due to changes in land use, economic activities, and climate, posing threats to the sustainability of camelid herding. Here, we determine the intricate relationship between land use management and camelid populations of the highlands of Apolobamba National Park in Bolivia. We identified two critical milestones in land use management across the indigenous communities: the creation of the Tierra Comunitaria de Origen (TCO) in 1999 and the expansion of the National Park in 2000. These initiatives collectively resulted in the diversification of livelihood sources by increasing the number of mining concessions and facilitating the management of wild camelids for their wool and fibers, catering to international markets. We found that this diversification of livelihood sources was negatively related to the densities of domesticated camelids across the studied communities. In contrast, the densities of wild camelids populations increased with an increasing number of mining concessions, likely due to local conservation efforts and reduced competition with livestock. Our results indicate a potential shift in land use management strategies and suggest that mining activities encroach upon pastoralism practices within indigenous communities. Understanding the long-term effects of land use changes is essential for providing comprehensive and sustainable land use strategies that will support both grasslands and animal conservation while providing livelihood security in this ecologically sensitive region.
Keywords: Tropical grasslands, Indigenous communities, camelid herding, Wild camelids, Mining concessions, Land use strategies
Received: 22 Mar 2024; Accepted: 26 Jun 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Sandoval Calderon, Van Kuijk, Hautier, Alberto and Verweij. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Ana Patricia Sandoval Calderon, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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