The proposed Vicuña mining district, a $18 billion metallurgical planning initiative, poses a significant threat to the habitat of the vicuña in the high Andes. This region spans the border of Argentina’s San Juan province and Chile’s Atacama region.
The vicuña, a shy camelid, was once hunted extensively for its wool, with populations plummeting to 6,000 by the 1960s. Conservation efforts have helped increase their numbers to approximately 350,000. However, the expansion of mineral extraction, a key driver of a 95% wildlife decline in Latin America between 1970 and 2020, could reverse this recovery.
Source: Mongabay