Through this initiative, international organizations and organizations from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru are joining forces to raise awareness of the important role of this emblematic camelid and the need to protect the areas it inhabits and transits. In 2024, International Guanaco Day will focus on connectivity and ecological integrity, highlighting the importance of promoting networks of protected areas interconnected by wildlife corridors.
August 19, 2024 - Next Friday, August 23 will be celebrated for the first time the International Day of the Guanaco(Lama guanicoe), a date agreed upon by 39 governmental and academic organizations, representatives of indigenous communities and civil society, mainly from the countries where this native herbivore that connects landscapes and cultures in South America is found.
In the last 200 years, the guanaco population decreased from around 20 million individuals to approximately 2.5 million. It is currently present in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru, but its conservation status differs from country to country. It is most abundant in southern Argentina and Chile, while Bolivia, Paraguay and Peru have small, isolated populations that are at risk of local extinction, as was the case in Ecuador.
The year 2024 is a transcendental year for the awareness and conservation of the species. On the one hand, it was declared the International Year of Camelids by the United Nations to highlight their contribution to food security, nutrition and economic growth, as well as their cultural relevance for many communities around the world. In addition, the guanaco was specifically included in Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) during COP14 in Uzbekistan in February, encouraging governments to implement, improve and coordinate management plans for the species in the region.
Simultaneously, organizations from all over the world joined the campaign #GUANACONECTA (www.guanaconecta.com/es) and agreed on a date to raise awareness of the importance of the ecological role of this wild herbivore and its transboundary migratory processes. The month of August was chosen to honor the guanaco in conjunction with the Pachamama festival celebrated in the Andean regions.
Connectivity and ecological integrity for guanaco conservation
Each year, International Guanaco Day represents an opportunity to provide information and raise awareness about the importance of its conservation. In 2024, the focus will be on the connectivity and ecological integrity of the environments it uses throughout its life cycle.
The guanaco depends on extensive and connected habitats to feed, reproduce and avoid predators. In addition to contributing to the conservation of the species, their movements are part of processes that allow the regeneration of pastures and help soils to store carbon, playing a key role in mitigating and adapting to climate change, favoring the integrity of the ecosystem.
But their migrations, like those of other large herbivores, are one of the most threatened ecological processes worldwide, due to causes such as habitat degradation caused by overgrazing and the mining, oil and energy industries, the erection of barriers such as fences, roads and housing developments, and the scarcity of water and food due to the climate crisis.
Today, its range has been reduced to 40% of the geography occupied by the species in the past. And although in each country it is found in different situations, its conservation must be addressed regionally, since in most of its range its survival may be threatened if its seasonal migrations are restricted.
According to IUCN criteria, in Peru, Bolivia and Paraguay, its conservation status is categorized as "Critically Endangered"; in Chile, in most of its territory it is defined as "Vulnerable", except for the regions of Aysén and Magallanes where it is considered of "Least Concern"; in Argentina it is also considered of "Least Concern" and although in areas of Patagonia it has recovered in recent decades, its population is fragmented in mostly small and relatively isolated populations.
Therefore, in order to facilitate the naturalness of its seasonal and dispersal routes, it is necessary to create a network of protected areas interconnected by wildlife corridors, thus maintaining the ecological and evolutionary processes in the large extensions through which the guanaco travels.
Protecting the guanaco in Bolivia
The guanaco population in Bolivia is concentrated mainly in the altiplano (Potosí) and the Chaco region (Santa Cruz).
A total of 59 individuals have been estimated in the municipal protected areas of the Altiplano, according to the results of the guanaco population estimation study (DGBAP 2024 - VMABCCGDF - MMAyA), distributed as follows: the Cordillera Crucero-La Tranca Municipal Protected Area, of the Cotagaita Municipal Autonomous Government, is home to 38 guanaco individuals, in an area of 36,362 hectares, and the Cordillera de los Chichas Mochará Municipal Protected Area, of the Tupiza Municipal Autonomous Government, has 21 individuals in an area of 41,357 hectares.
In the Kaa-Iya National Park, located in the Gran Chaco of Bolivia, it is estimated that there are about 200 guanacos. However, a new population estimate is planned in order to obtain more updated data on the population of this species in the aforementioned area.
The conservation status of the guanaco in Bolivia is currently very critical; the species is threatened by several factors such as illegal hunting, the entry of mining into the municipal protected area, fences or barriers for livestock management, or competition with domestic animals, among others. The Political Constitution of the Plurinational State of Bolivia prohibits illegal hunting of wildlife (Law No. 1525, Ley Integral de Protección y Conservación del Cóndor Andino).
To conserve the species, several measures are proposed: expand local protected areas to provide shelter and security for the guanacos, reduce human activities, control hunting, and reduce domestic animal grazing within the protected area in order to guarantee the guanacos' habitat.
It is also important to socialize information about the importance of this species to the communities, both in the area and in the surrounding areas, in order to achieve effective conservation.
Finally, the General Directorate of Biodiversity and Protected Areas (DGBAP) of the Ministry of Environment and Water will implement the National Action Plan for the Conservation and Protection of the Guanaco. We are committed to continue working to ensure the preservation of this species and its habitat.
#GuanaConectaa movement for the guanaco
International Guanaco Day is promoted by international institutions such as Alianza Gato Andino, Born Free Foundation, Conservation without Borders, CMS Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, Ecoflix, South American Camelid Specialist Group, Humane Society International, Panthera, Pew and Wildlife Conservation Society; from Argentina, such as the Government of Mendoza, Áreas Naturales Protegidas de Neuquén, Centro de Ecología Aplicada de Neuquén, Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales, Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina, Pumawaka; from Bolivia, such as the Charagua Iyambae Guaraní Autonomous Government, Ministry of Environment and Water, Municipality of Cotagaita, Municipality of Tupiza, Museum of Natural History, National Museum of Natural History, Environmental Protection of Tarija, Vice-Ministry of Environment, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Forestry Management and Development; from Chile, as Ministry of Environment, National Forestry Corporation, Kintu; from Paraguay, as Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Association of Biology Students of Paraguay, Association of Students of Environmental Engineering, Paraguayan Organization for Conservation and Sustainable Development, Paraguayan Youth Network for Biodiversity, Paraguayan Association of Mastozoology, Defenders of Chaco Pyporé, Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences of the National University of Asuncion, Volunteer Park Rangers; and from Peru, such as Nodo Conservation, Ministerio de Desarrollo Agrario y Riego, and Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre.
"For more information about the campaign and how to support guanaco conservation, visit. GuanaConecta."
