Encourage the generation of a chain that increases the commercial value of the guanaco fiber by linking the primary production sectors with the national and international textile sectors.

Work with different actors at the local, national, and international levels, to contribute to the design of a fiber value chain that can trigger the activity. The work will consist of the identification of key public and private actors in order to provide tools for the commercialization of the product. The activities that will be developed in this stage of the project include meetings with the textile sector, application authorities, and various important local actors in this area.

-Meetings with representatives of national organizations to evaluate background, regulations, marketing, and support possibilities for wild guanaco management experiences.

-Meetings with selected fashion designers at the national (i.e Buenos Aires) or international (i.e Canada) scale, to generate a fair value chain and promote WFA experience.

-Value-added options will be identified at the national/international level through meetings with actors from the public and private sectors, to expand WFA as a “Based nature Solution".  

Wildlife camelid management actions began in the 80s, based on the philosophy of the "ICDPs", seeking to link biodiversity conservation with improving the life quality of life of local people. These projects, which initially focused on the vicuña, were based on the application of economic incentives to promote the use of wildlife. We prove that wild guanaco use could improve the numbers of those initiatives because of the wider distribution range of the species. In Argentina, the production of SAC fiber could easily double due to an increase in the number of sheared populations and an increase in the frequency of shearing. This would clearly lead to a change in the production paradigm in contrast to the current one. Guanaco fiber is amongst.The Cooperative decided to add value to the raw fiber in order to increase the value. By 2010, most of the projects had stopped due to difficulty in marketing guanaco fiber with a price of USD $40-60 per kilo. The "problem" is there are only two trade companies that buy raw fiber that is exported mainly to Italy and control the market prices. 

Promote sustainable use of wild guanaco populations through demonstrative experiences of live shearing in La Payunia.

The annual shearing of guanacos by the Payún Matrú Cooperative is being closely supervised by the Mendoza Department of Renewable Natural Resources to ensure that the potential economic income provided by guanaco wool is feasible and sustainable. At the same time, Cooperative members understand that by making "good practices" they receive "good benefits". CONICET has tested and developed methods for minimizing the stress of individual guanacos during capture and handling, that reduce negative impacts at the population level.  Our knowledge of ecological, physiological, and behavioral processes that "constrain" these camelids in La Payunia, based on more than 10 years of study, put us in a unique position for advising and teaching the cooperative and government stakeholders how to minimize impacts of live shearing on this population. We will continue training members of Payún Matrú Cooperative in "good practices" to make capture and shearing of wild guanacos within Wildlife Friendly Actions. The following activities will be carried out at this stage:


 

1)Pre-shearing surveys on population parameters, 2)Training of the personnel (without experience) in charge of guanacos handling during herding, within the corrals, and during shearing is key to the success of the activities. 3)Management of wild guanacos: Capture, shear, and release of wild guanacos will be carried out in two events, between September and November. 4)Physiological indicators: physiological stress in the function of handling conditions.5)Post-shearing surveys on population parameters such as social structure and population density.

 

-As we are working with wildlife, pre-shearing surveys on population parameters help us to select the best area to build the management structure.  

-Training of the personnel is fundamental (and the key for the success of this solution) for the good management of the animals, avoiding guanaco mortalities and operator injuries. The management of wild guanacos is different from any other domestic animal, and it is necessary to use particular structures and tools, as well as to learn specific maneuvers for their manipulation, keeping animal welfare in mind.

-Stress approach give us a key physiological indicator to reduce stress in relation to handling time.

-Post-shearing surveys give us key population parameters such as social structure and population allow us to compared with data before the live-shearing experience and define the impact on social disruption.


 

Mid-term assessment of the implementation of the OIPR DZNE - riparian villages agreements for access to the PNC in the context of the worship of sacred sites

Follow-up missions to these agreements have enabled us to ascertain the level of their implementation and to initiate new partnerships. Several worship initiatives in the PNC have been carried out to seek cures, drive away evil spirits and solicit professional promotions. In all, 30 access agreements for the worship of sacred sites were signed in the localities of Nassian, Bouna and Tehini.A workshop was organized to take stock of worship activities carried out at sacred sites within the PNC by communities in each sector, to identify the advantages and difficulties associated with the implementation of the convention for access to sacred sites within the PNC, to provide the OIPR with an annual calendar of worship activities, and to formulate recommendations for improving collaboration between the signatories of this convention. The review workshop took place on December 20, 2023, in the meeting room of the Koutouba Sub-Prefecture. It brought together the Sub-Prefects of Tehini, Nassian, Kotouba and Bouna. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the villages that have signed the conventions, OIPR officials and a representative of the technical partner (GIZ/Pro2GRN).

In all, thirty (30) agreements have been signed between the communities and OIPR for access to the PNC for worships in thirty (30) riverside villages. Fifty-eight (58) worships were performed in five (05) villages in 2023. Four hundred and seventy (470) people accessed the PNC during all the worship activities carried out in 2023. A few testimonials were collected from the local population during the workshop to present the benefits of the PNC access agreements.

Testimonial 1 (village of Kokpingué): fetish worship inside the PNC helped slow down the succession of misfortunes that were befalling the village.

Testimonial 2 (Koutouba village): Several benefits of worship can be cited, the latest being the professional promotion of a state official who had requested the fetish's services and was rewarded with a high position.

Testimonial 3 (Village of Yalo): the village representative reported that drought was affecting the village, leading to crop failure. Following adoration of the sacred sites, the rains were abundant and harvests were good.

A schedule of village worships was drawn up. Some of the difficulties encountered relate to access to the sites, insufficient financial resources for the worships, sites that cannot be found, and the disappearance of some worshippers. Faced with these difficulties, OIPR DZNE and its partners intend to provide technical and financial support to find the people's sites and make the first sacrifices.

A regular review framework is important to assess progress and propose solutions to remove obstacles to convention implementation.

Mission to monitor the implementation of agreements for access to the PNC in connection with the worship of sacred sites in the Bouna and Nassian sectors, and to scale up to all villages on the outskirts.

Following the signing of access agreements to the PNC for the worship of sacred sites, and after months of implementation, a monitoring mission was carried out in the field to identify any difficulties encountered in implementing the agreements and how to remedy them, the planning of visits to sacred sites in the PNC by all partner villages, and the situation of villages that had not made any visits. In addition to this follow-up mission, discussions were held with the customary authorities of villages bordering the Tehini sector, to gather information on the possibility of extending the access agreement to sacred sites in this sector. Twenty (20) sacred sites have been inventoried in collaboration with communities in seven (07) villages in the Tehini sector, where certain communities have expressed the need to access sacred sites within the PNC for their worship. This mission was led by the OIPR/DZNE (the Chargé d'Etudes at the DZNE, the Chiefs of the Bouna, Nassian and Tehini sectors, rural animators and community relays from the sectors concerned) and the Biodiversity Expert from GIZ/Pro2GRN.

During the follow-up, it was noted that some villages had performed adoration in the PNC to implore the manna (35 adoration activities for 03 of the 17 villages that had signed the conventions). As for the other villages that had not performed any adoration, they welcomed the convention's initiative and added that, for the most part, no events requiring adoration had occurred since the signing of the conventions. During the discussions, some villages pointed out that there had been a rift between them and their spirits for a very long time. As a result, worship is not an immediate option. Sacrifices will have to be made before they can resume their ancient practices.

This stage enabled the identification of new partner villages, namely eight (08) villages in the Tehini sector (31 sites identified) and four (04) villages in the Nassian sector (08 sites identified) with sacred sites in the PNC and willing to collaborate in the worship of sacred sites.

In addition to the mission, data was collected from the local population in order to compile a list of useful plants that had disappeared, and the reasons for their disappearance.

The formalization of access to sacred sites has enabled local populations to renew contact with their spirits. However, for some villages that had abandoned these practices, the resumption of worship requires material and financial resources. New partnerships also need to be signed with new sites identified in other villages. These agreements build trust between managers and local populations, opening up new prospects for collaboration, such as the participatory preservation of utilitarian plants and their domestication for future generations.

Module 2: Drone and Infrared Camera Monitoring System
  1.  Drone Monitoring
    Since 2017, the project has assigned dedicated drone monitoring teams to each elephant herd or individual active outside protected areas. Each team operates around the clock and currently includes over 70 trained personnel, all capable of locating elephants quickly and accurately.
  2.  Infrared Camera Monitoring
    To address the limits of drone coverage—such as shift changes and blind spots at night—the project deployed a custom infrared monitoring system. A total of 600 infrared cameras with real-time data transmission, 21 video cameras, and 177 smart broadcasting devices have been installed in key zones, including roads, elephant corridors, and villages.
    Deployment is based on elephant activity hotspots. This supports space-use planning and the safe coexistence of people and elephants, while also informing corridor design and habitat protection. It aligns closely with GBF Targets 1 and 4 by applying technology to biodiversity management and species conservation.In addition, the project is exploring options for recycling and reusing monitoring equipment to ensure long-term ecological and environmental sustainability.
  1. Technical Support: Both drones and infrared cameras are equipped with advanced features, including high-resolution imaging, thermal imaging modes, real-time data transmission, and intelligent recognition algorithms.
  2.  Strategic Deployment: Equipment placement is scientifically planned based on elephant movement patterns and high-risk areas, ensuring coverage of critical corridors and activity hotspots.
  1. Drone Monitoring Maintenance and Training: Regular maintenance and ongoing training for monitoring personnel are essential to ensure the efficiency of monitoring efforts and the reliability of equipment performance.
  2. Infrared Camera Deployment: Network coverage and power supply need to be considered comprehensively to ensure the stable operation of the equipments.
Implementation of adaptive livestock management strategies on farms adjacent to water source protection forests and public and private reserves

Due to their location near forests that protect water sources and public and private reserves, many agricultural productions are vulnerable to human-wildlife conflicts (HWCs). This vulnerability, combined with a lack or inadequacy of farm planning and the prevalence of outdated livestock management practices, puts at risk productivity in these mountain systems, biodiversity conservation, water resources, and associated ecosystem services

We include renewable energy technologies such us solar panels  to power electic fences, improve livestoc water availability and sensored lights to mitigate economical loses in livestoc farms caused by predation over domestic animales, at the same time, we help rural farmer families to access electricity serveces and improve their food productivity, economicla and food founts

Funding availability
Landowners willingness to include new technologies in their agricultural system
Adaptive livestock management strategies designed collaboratively with agricultural extension units, local small-scale farmers, and other professionals with relevant experience.

The predation of domestic animals by wild predators has been addressed by local authorities and external foundations as a technical issue, through the implementation of “anti-predation strategies” such as electric fences, corrals, and other protective measures. However, these actions are rarely monitored for effectiveness or continuity and often end with the conclusion of contracts with private implementing entities. Our experience has shown that these measures are more effective when focused on improving farm productivity and the quality of life of small-scale farmers, based on the specific context of each property. Furthermore, monitoring and evaluation are more sustainable and efficient when carried out by local actors such as agricultural extension units, environmental authorities, and community-based organizations, increasing the likelihood of long-term success and continuity of these strategies.

We have implementing replicable technological strategies to mitigate economical losses by wild felids predation reaching a reduction of the 100% of attacks from cougar and jaguar over cattle in the Cerro El Inglés Communitary reserve, protecting vulnerable individuals by solar powered electric fences and motion-sensor lights and limiting the access of domestic animals to the forest by technifying water provision for livestock and solar powered electric fences. Having a demonstrative and replicable system used for education purposes with farmers from the region.

Applying a behavior change approach to address human dimensions related to jaguars in strategic areas where the species is present

According to IUCN guidelines for coexistence with wildlife, educational approaches are more effective when focused on promoting behavioral change towards wildlife. This can be achieved through well-designed processes targeting key stakeholder groups and addressing specific actions—such as the killing of jaguars or their potential prey, or the implementation of changes in production systems—within a defined time frame.

This approach is grounded in the Theory of Planned Behavior, which posits that human actions are influenced by intentions, which in turn are shaped by attitudes, subjective (or social) norms, and perceived behavioral control.

Our objective is to develop educational strategies for jaguar conservation that focus on these three key determinants of human behavior. In this way, we aim not only to ensure structural but also functional connectivity for the jaguar by promoting a culture of coexistence with other forms of life

  • Identification of key stakeholders
  • Informed consent from the community
  • Appropriate public order conditions to ensure participants' safety

Most environmental education approaches developed in the territory to address human–wildlife conflicts (HWCs) have focused on providing information about the ecology of wild cats and promoting short-term deterrent methods. However, these activities have shown limited contribution to fostering long-term coexistence. In contrast, experiences that involve more in-depth processes—such as the active participation of local community  in wildlife monitoring and the implementation of adaptive livestock management strategies on private reserves—have demonstrated positive effects on behavioral change, particularly among former hunters.

Implementation of community-based monitoring of jaguars and ,mammal diversity using camera traps

We develop wildcats and potential prey community based monitoring with the families associated with Serraniagua in their private natural reserves by employing a small set of five trap cameras.

Natural reserve land owners willingness to develop monitoring activities within their lands
Trap cameras availability, this is a limited resouce for our organization 
Financial resources availability
Public Order
Favorable climatic conditions

Through community-based biodiversity monitoring, many new, endemic, and/or endangered species of plants, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals have been recorded, contributing to scientific knowledge and the implementation of technologies that support wildlife identification and habitat conservation.

A notable result of this effort is the documentation of six out of the seven felid species of Colombia within the area, including the rediscovery of the jaguar in the Andean region of Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Antonio, identified as an individual preying on livestock, has been tracked, revealing a movement route. We intend to explore this route as a landscape management strategy by implementing a robust trap camera monitoring program to identify potential anthropogenic impacts on wild mammals.

More precise understanding of the impact of human activities

Different from most monitoring that only focuses on the species themselves and ignores human impact. By using the gradient boosting decision tree model, the most important factors affecting human utilization were identified, and suggestions on how to effectively control and make decisions were proposed at the management level. Research has found that altitude, maximum vocal pressure level, total vocal duration, and NDVI are the main factors affecting bird richness and activity, while temperature, total vocal duration, maximum vocal pressure level, NDVI, and altitude are the main factors affecting bird activity. Compared to bird richness, selecting parameters can better explain changes in bird activity, which may be related to the fact that activity is a timely feedback of bird behavior choices, adaptability, and quality of life, while richness is more influenced by long-term factors such as habitat suitability and resource abundance. Thus accurately assessing the impact of human noise on bird richness and activity. Therefore, the project has great significance in implementing human impact control on protected areas, and can provide more accurate guidance for the control of protected areas(Figure below). 

Achieving more precise control over human influence

Bird species’ diversity and rhythms were represented in detail

By using acoustic event scene detection technology, the richness and activity characteristics of birds were identified. We have achieved higher temporal accuracy (daily, quarterly, annual) and longer time series observation and disclosure of biodiversity characteristics(Figure below). As shown in the figure, it reveals the ranking of bird song heat in different months, the differences in bird richness at different time points of the day, and the continuous song heat map of the orange winged babbler for six months.

It can be refined to display bird rhythms on a daily and annual basis.

Passive acoustic monitoring is a tool that reflects bio timing.