CAN COLD CAPITALISTS SAVE THE VICUNA?
(FORTUNE Magazine) – A connection between the beady-eyed American alligator and the doe-eyed vicuna, the national symbol of Peru, isn’t easy to find. Yet the vicuna, a pretty relative of the camel, shares a relationship with the swamp thing: Both were once slaughtered close to extinction to feed the ravenous maw of the luxury goods market. In 1966 the alligator was classified as an endangered species, and in 1970 the vicuna–its numbers less than 10,000–followed. The alligator recovered partly because authorities allowed market forces to transform what had been contraband into a renewable resource–that took the shape of an elegant bag or a pair of shoes.
