Interpretive Summary: Advances, challenges and prospective of sustainable use of capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) in Colombia

By: Hugo F López-Arévalo, Elizabeth Mesa, Olga L Montenegro, Catherine Mora-Beltrán, Pedro Sánchez-Palomino, Guillermo Quiroga, Hernán Serrano, Rocío Cáceres, Carlos Cáceres

• The historical use of capybaras in Colombia has resulted in numerous regulatory stages; however, a crucial factor has been the environmental authorities’ low technical capacity to implement management plans.
• Aiming for good management of capybara harvest that meets sanitary and animal welfare requirements, pilot trials have been conducted to promote good practices, sustainable use, and conservation of this species and its habitat.
• Challenges for sustainable capybara management include overcoming a lack of political will to define a global harvesting quota, strengthening environmental authorities for an appropriate orientation to users, effective control of illegal use, and reducing loss of capybara habitat.
• Currently, in Colombia, there are two scenarios for capybara use: 1) uncontrolled illicit capybara extraction and continued excessive habitat change leading to capybara populations decline and 2) definition and implementation of a national global quota of capybara harvest, and its inclusion in the country’s bioeconomy policy.

Read the full article in Animal Frontiers.