The llama “Lama glama”

The second animal in the history of PROMETA is the more familiar “Lama glama”, which we all call Llama. At the moment PROMETA’S work was wrapping up with the National protected areas, a strategy developed together with the communities and the Yunchará Municipality established to repopulate Tarija’s high plains. At the time, an excessive number of donkeys and sheep was finishing with the native grassland of the area (unlike the llamas, both species have hooves that are too hard and harmful for the soil). In a span of about 10 years the llama herd went from 300 to close to 12.000, notably reducing the donkeys and sheep. The “Chapaca” llamas, in part due to their high quality, started winning the most awards at National Fairs (much to the amazement of the traditional producers). But more than these awards, the biggest reward is seeing the high plain prairie preserved and the local population with a new productive alternative.