27
The effect of roads, expanding agriculture and livestock,
along with increased poaching can also be observed
in South America, such as on the wild camelids in the
steppe, deserts and Andean foothills of Argentina and
Chile. Guanacos (
Lama guanicoe
) and vicunãs (
Vicugna
vicugna
) have lost 40–75 per cent of their ranges, and
probably dropped at least 90 per cent in their numbers
over the last centuries (Cajal, 1991; Franklin
et al.
, 1997).
Only a fraction, probably less than 3 per cent of the
guanaco and some 34 per cent of that of vicunãs are in
protected areas (Donadio and Buskirk, 2006). Also these
species often avoid areas with expanding livestock and
have been heavily exposed to poaching.
Source: Cajal, J. L. 1991. An integrated approach to the management of
wild camelidsin Argentina. In Mares, M. A. &Schmidly, D. J. (eds.), Latin
American Mammology.History, Biodiversity and Conservation.University
of Oklahoma Press, Norman; Donadio, E. &Buskirk, S. W. 2006. Flight
behavior of guanacos and vicunas in areas of western Argentina with and
without poaching.Biological Conservation 127: 139-145Franklin, W. L., Bas,
F., Bonacic, C. F., Cunazza, C. & Soto N. 1997. Striving to manage Patagonia
guanacos for sustained use in the grazing agroecosystems of southern
Chile. Wildlife Soc. Bull.25: 65–73
