Latest reports from each work package (Jan 2004)

Work Package 1:  Utilisation systems

We have been undertaking a detailed study of the impact of management systems on both individual animal welfare and population ecology.  Taken together, this information enables us to compare the performance of different management approaches, and establish quality standards. The assessment of welfare in wild animals is a new science, and we have sought to adapt approaches recently developed for studying welfare of deer and domestic species in extensive farms.  An extensive programme of fieldwork was carried forward through 2003 as a collaboration between the Catholic University in Santiago (PUC) and Oxford University (WildCRU). This work has led to the development of a comprehensive ethogram for captive and wild guanacos, and with this, the evaluation of the behavioural impacts of different handling procedures during management activities, including anaesthetic darting and restraint in a handling crush. The techniques were applied in the field to the evaluation of capture systems for vicuña in Argentina during trial captures carried out during May and November 2003.

Work Package 2: Policy, economics and socio-cultural impacts.

International policy for vicuña conservation and sustainable use is continually advancing. During the 2002 Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), held in Santiago, Chile, there was considerable debate on the future of trade regulations for vicuña products. This debate centred on three main issues – the effects of different production systems on conservation, the economics of different production systems, and the importance of local community involvement in vicuña exploitation and conservation.  The MACS partnership was widely involved in providing supporting information to the conference, and is expected to continue this involvement at the next round of talks in Thailand in 2004.

At a national level, we have been collecting data on management systems employed throughout the altiplano and developed an integrated approach to analysing the economic, social and political aspects of each. This work is demonstrating clearly how socio-political context has influenced the regional diversity of production systems observed and highlighted the continuing need for information on the ecological/ animal welfare context of sustainable use.  At a regional level, we have been supplying supporting information to the development of an action plan for vicuña management in Chile, to the regional authorities of fauna management in Argentina, and have been developing improvements to the legislation on vicuña management in Peru.

Work Package 3: Environmental Impacts

Introducing novel management systems for a keystone species is likely to have unexpected consequences, particularly when the management proposed (non-lethal harvesting of wildlife products followed by re-release) is unique in the world. We are looking at three important aspects of this: the possible disruption of “normal” patterns of herd structure and territoriality by capture events; the possibility of long-term impacts of capture and shearing on mortality and morbidity; and the dynamics of resource use and competition between vicuña and domestic livestock (llama, alpaca, sheep).

We undertook two captures of vicuña in Cieneguillas, Argentina during 2003. The first, without shearing, established baseline information on physiological and behavioural variables, and marked animals for future monitoring.  The second involved the harvest of 17 kg of fibre from 70 vicuña. The whole process was intensively monitored, and demonstrated effective measures to minimise stress and mortality. We have completeted the fieldwork phase of a study in Catamarca of the ecology of a protected area where management of vicuña is planned (by the Argentine authorities) following downgrading in 2002 of that population from CITES Appendix I to Appendix II.

Work Package 4: Biodiversity Conservation

The vicuña population throughout the altiplano exhibits important variations.  Two phenotypic variants are recognised as sub-species - Vicugna vicugna mensalis and Vicugna vicugna vicugna – but recently, using a microsatellite DNA technique, it has been possible to distinguish genotypic variants that appear to reflect a history of reproductive isolation of distinct populations.  This level of regional heterogeneity is vitally important to the conservation effort, representing an early stage in possible divergant evolution of isolated populations, and at least, it demonstrates the reservoir of genetic diversity that is an important factor in ensuring the species’ long-term resistance to a range of possible threats. 

We are conducting a far-reaching survey of vicuña and guanaco genetics to produce distribution maps of regional variation, and guide policy on the translocation of individuals in restocking programmes.

Work Package 5: Networking and dissemination

Considerable attention is paid in the MACS project to cooperation with researchers outwith the project partnership, and to dissemination of information.  Dissemination is aimed at policy makers, teachers, local communities, and the scientific community. To this end, the team has produced a wide range of material – a bulletin, brochure, a guide to management for communities, teaching aids, courses to teachers, information to government and NGOs.  In addition, we have communicated the general aims and ideas of the project to a wider audience through the popular media.

Conclusions