Navigating conflict between ranchers and guanacos ( Lama guanicoe ): do sustainable use strategies offer a viable option to foster tolerance and coexistence?

Abstract

As human–wildlife conflict intensifies globally, sustainable useemerges as a potential strategy to foster tolerance. We evaluatedranchers’ tolerance towards guanacos (Lama guanicoe)—a large herbivoreseen as a livestock competitor—on the Argentine side of Tierradel Fuego Island using the Wildlife Acceptance Capacity (e.g., maximumaccepted population size of wildlife). We also examined theopportunities and challenges of enhancing tolerance through sustainableuse based on ranchers’ opinions. Semi-structured interviews on48% of all ranchers on the Island revealed their acceptable guanacoabundance threshold had been surpassed, with tolerance largelyshaped by negative perceptions. Although guanaco fiber commercializationappeared as an opportunity to boost tolerance, guanaco meatcommercialization presents a challenge, as ranchers viewed its implementationmore as population control than profit. Considering thatfocusing solely on population control risks reinforcing perceptions ofwildlife as pests, sustainable use alone would be insufficient toimprove ranchers’ tolerance, especially while distrust in managementagencies and uncertainty about profitability persist.