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

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. In Colombia, the use of wildlife is a common activity despite being considered illegal in some cases (Baptiste et al., 2002). Historically, in the country, the use of wildlife has focused on the extraction of individuals from the wild either for subsistence (Lasso and Morales-Betancourt, 2021) or for commercial purposes, illegally; while legal trade has been based on the production of a few species (Mancera and Reyes, 2008). One of the species of greatest management interest for its profit goals has been the capybara Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Figure 1). This is the largest rodent of the world (up to 52 kg adult weight) and exhibits the following traits: first reproduction occurs at one year of age, average litter size is four, and there are up to 1.2 gestations/year; adults are sexually active throughout the year and group size goes from 10 to 100 individuals (Moreira et al., 2013b). These life history traits and a good habitat facilitate large populations, which together with a wide distribution in South America, have made the capybara a species of least concern (LC) in extinction risk assessments (Reid, 2016). Due to both its biological characteristics and its meat, this species is considered to have high potential to satisfy the need for high-quality protein in Neotropical countries (Nogueira-Filho and da Cunha Nogueira, 2018). Throughout its distribution, other capybara byproducts such as skin and manufactured pieces are incorporated into its direct use (Quintana and Bolkovick, 2013) as well as the potential for tourism to observe its populations and habitats (Tapper and Programme United and Species Secretariat, 2006). (A) Female capybara nursing her pups. (B) Herd of capybaras in the flooded savannah landscape. (C) Capybaras sharing space with cows. (D) Capybara herd on lagoon-land interface. Photo by Group on Conservation and Management of Wildlife. Capybara has been legally and illegally exploited in the Colombian Orinoquia region, to supply the market for dried and salted meat, in Venezuela and some regions in Colombia during Easter. Unfortunately, the uncontrolled capybara meat exploitation has depleted this resource in the natural environment in certain areas (Hernández et al., 1983). For this reason, it is necessary to establish guidelines for the capybara use to be sustainable and to guarantee the conservation of its populations. In this sense, in Colombia, in recent decades, different planning instruments have been developed such as policies, plans, and programs, in order to guide the protection, management, and use of biodiversity in general, as well as ratification of international agreements that seek to incorporate the sustainable use of biodiversity (ONU, 2017). In such documents, it is stated that wildlife use may become a conservation tool, since in addition to bringing economic and social benefits, it could encourage its preservation (Ojasti and Dallmeier, 2000). In this article, we examine the following aspects of capybara use in Colombia: 1) the potential for sustainable use of some capybara populations in the Colombian Orinoquia, based on demographic and habitat aspects, 2) the background of the commercial exploitation of the capybara and regulations, 3) pilot tests of use and socioeconomic aspects, 4) the challenges to achieve sustainable management of capybara in Colombia, and 5) prospects for the use of capybara in this country. In Colombia, capybara H. hydrochaeris is distributed in the Orinoquia and Amazonia regions. Population abundance varies among these regions according to habitat quality and hunting intensity. The largest populations are found in the flooded savannahs of the Orinoquia region, in Arauca and Casanare departments. Smaller populations live in high non-flooded savannas of Meta and Vichada departments (López-Arévalo et al., 2002). In Amazonia, capybaras are found in humid tropical forests in the Caquetá, Putumayo, and Amazonas departments (Moreira et al., 2013a). In flooded savannas, several populations have been evaluated whose densities vary with habitat traits, distance from human settlements, presence of agro-industrial crops, and hunting pressure (Figure 2). Population estimates show variations in density from 0.11 ind/ha (Aldana-Domínguez and Angel-Escobar, 2007) to 5.93 ind/ha (Atuesta-Dimian et al., 2014) in the dry season and 0.11 ind/ha (López-Arévalo et al., 2016) to 6.44 ind/ha (Atuesta-Dimian et al., 2014) in the rainy season. A multiyear analysis of six density estimates in the same locality between 2005 and 2017 agrees with the patterns of variation between dry and wet seasons, with fewer variations among years (Tiboche-García and López-Arévalo, 2021). In addition, that study showed that the population evaluated in that period had a potential for sustainable use. Regional spatially explicit habitat suitability index for capybara in flooded savannas of Colombian Orinoquia. Capybara population distribution and densities are illustrated. We highlight that the largest populations are on properties where their owners have made habitat improvements and maintain populations by controlling illegal hunting. These densities make it possible to identify the areas in which commercial hunting is possible, in locations with densities close to 3 ind/ha, a reference value established within the carrying capacity limits for the Venezuelan savannas estimated based on population dynamics monitoring during each harvest phase (Ojasti, 1973, 2003). In other areas with lower densities, population recovery is a better option, as well as carrying out some ecotourism activities based on this species and its habitats. In the flooded savannahs, the natural variations of capybara population density within the same year are due to variations in resource availability, which is influenced by water dynamics. To assess habitat quality for capybara populations in the Arauca and Casanare departments, Cardona (2017) constructed a spatially explicit regional habitat suitability index (HSI). She used natural variables such as the presence/absence of diverse types of savannahs that provide much of the capybara’s diet; escape/refuge cover, such as riparian forests and scrub, and water availability represented by lagoons and rivers. She also included anthropic variables such as presence and distance to human settlements and road infrastructure, which can affect the intensity of hunting pressure. In that assessment, Cardona (2017) found that around 80% of the assessed area had medium (25%) to high and very high (55%) habitat suitability (Figure 2). However, current habitat transformation due to rice and oil palm cultivation (which have increased recently), intensity of land use for cattle ranching, and infrastructure associated with oil extraction may affect capybara abundance in the region. These last factors represent anthropic pressures that reduce habitat quality and may decrease capybara populations in the midterm. Commercial capybara exploitation in Colombia began in 1935 (Ojasti, 1973), and from that time to present, it is possible to identify at least four regulatory stages. The first one corresponds to the absence of legislation on the subject, which allowed excessive hunting during the dry season. Such exploitation was intended for demand in Venezuela during Easter and lasted until 1958, when the first export permits between Colombia and Venezuela were issued (Bravo-Malca and Gómez, 2017). Despite regulation, by 1960s, illegal capybara meat trade to Venezuela continued and together with farmers’ practice of killing and selling capybaras to reduce their populations considered as pests for cattle ranching (Hernández et al., 1983) capybara populations were reduced until they disappeared locally in some places in Orinoquia. This situation led to a second stage in the regulations, represented by a total ban of capybara extraction in 1964 and later, from 1969, by a partial ban (Ministerio Agricultura., 1964). The latter regulation allowed commercial hunting of adult males only during the months of January to March and hunting for scientific purposes throughout the year, regardless of the age or sex of the individuals (INDERENA, 1969). The third stage occurs from the year 1985 when commercial exploitation of capybara was opened under the semi-extensive husbandry scheme, with the commercialization of meat and skins reaching the use of more than 80,000 specimens from 1991 to 2001 whose destination was the Venezuelan market (Bravo-Malca and Gómez, 2017). Also, small volumes of skins were occasionally sent to Europe. Unfortunately, an evaluation of this system showed that much of the capybaras used came from wild populations and not from animal husbandry, causing such systems to lose strength. Then, a fourth stage began in 2000, when more restrictive regulations from environmental and sanitary agencies appeared to control consumption of wild meat and byproducts. The foregoing has meant that to date, and despite new information on capybara populations and habitat generated in the last two decades, the legal and sustainable use of capybara is not a reality. Recently, based on the evaluation and adjustment of current regulatory instruments related to commercial hunting, there is a draft resolution stating a global quota for use of capybara populations in the floodplain savannas in the Colombian Orinoquia (Arauca and Casanare). Such a quota was adjusted from a previous estimate done by Sarmiento and Montenegro (2014), that used the following inputs: 1) a percentage of population size indicated as sustainable by Mesa-Gonzalez et al. (2014), 2) a global estimate of population density for the whole region of flooded savannas based on several in situ estimates, and 3) spatially explicit modeling of habitat quality for the region. This first estimate suggested an initial experimental quota of about 70,000 individuals the first year, which is the lowest limit of the confidence interval for the mean capybara abundance estimate for Arauca and Casanare departments (Sarmiento and Montenegro, 2014). However, this quota was not used because of lack of a resolution allowing legal capybara extraction. More recently, the global extraction quota for the same area was re-estimated, partially following the same guidelines, but adjusting for the reduction in habitat quality due to the increase in extensive monocultures of rice and palm and using more recent population estimates (Tiboche-García and López-Arévalo, 2021). The adjustment also considered a relationship between group size and abundance, and the new estimate included information from at least 29 densities recently estimated by the research group, giving an estimate of the global quota of about 50,000 individuals corresponding to 10% of the population. In addition, there are the reference terms for environmental impact studies needed to obtain the environmental license for commercial hunting of capybara through Resolution No. 500.36.20-0892 of October 6, 2020, issued by the regional environmental authority (Corporinoquia). However, the Ministry of the Environment has yet to define the global quota for the use of capybara so that the process can begin. Thus, although regulations have existed, there are weaknesses that have affected the legal and sustainable use of the capybara. These weaknesses are a low technical capacity to apply management plans and financial resources for adequate control of compliance with regulations, recently linked to a lack of political will. Traditionally, the capture and sacrifice of capybaras in Colombia and Venezuela consisted of slaughtering them in the field with a blow to the head and processing them in the savannah or in a place conditioned as a slaughterhouse, which has been questioned regarding the quality of meat, animal welfare and ethics (Macdonald et al., 2013; Nogueira-Filho and da Cunha Nogueira, 2018). In response to the above, essays using wild capybaras have been carried out to determine the appropriate methods to guarantee animal welfare and compliance with sanitary aspects (Álvarez-Méndez, 2006; Quiroga and Álvarez-Méndez, 2014). For this, two pilot essays have been carried out, with a sample of 35 capybaras in the year 2006 and 12 capybaras in the year 2021, selecting adult male and female individuals older than 3 years (weighting more than 35 kg) from which different yields and byproducts were obtained (Figure 3). From these pilot essays, we highlight the following main results: 1) The effectiveness of the stunning of the animals was evaluated using a captive bolt gun that avoids stress on the animal and improves meat quality. 2) Good practices in the benefit process were standardized in accordance with current regulations, and those include appropriate methods for individual capture and selection, desensitization following selection in the field using a captive bolt gun, transportation to the slaughterhouse that must take no more than 40 minutes, unloading of animals, slaughter, hoisting, bleeding, and dressing (Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, 2016). 3) A mobile benefit plant was designed for meat, its byproducts, and residue processing. Such a plant consists of an expandable truck that fits into fixed structures existing at the slaughter facility. Average ± SD and (IC 95%) of yield in the pilot capybara harvesting essays: live weight 46.8 ± 4.58 (45.5, 48.1); carcasses weight 25.5 ± 3,.9 (24.4, 26.6); and % of carcasses yield 50.2 ± 4.86 (48.8 51.6). Capybara meat nutritional features have been reviewed for both wild and farmed animals (Nogueira-Filho and da Cunha Nogueira, 2018; Ali and Jones, 2020). These papers emphasize the high nutritional value and quality due to its moisture content (71.9–76.59%, g/100g), protein (20–25%, g/100g), fat (0.65–3.9%, g/100g), and ash (0.9–1.2% g/100g). In addition, capybara meat has low amounts of cholesterol (23–52%, mg/100g), high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, and low levels of saturated fatty acids. These qualities make capybara meat a valuable source of animal protein for human consumption. On the other hand, during the years 2019 to 2021, the advances made toward the management for capybara sustainable use may be summarized as: 1) A market study focused on meats and byproducts (processed meats and skins) was conducted. this a financial was developed based on tests of of different capybara byproducts to several (Figure In addition, the of capybara meat by potential was A sample size was estimated based on the Colombian only those departments with the greatest potential for their consumption of meats and a of The sample size was estimated as which a of with an of was that 80% of meat that has and that it is through a sustainable process that conservation of the Also, and the were to capybara meat or byproducts through such as Capybara byproducts and other capybara in the implementation of the mobile this market could about but is from the owners or to the implementation of the mobile 2) for different and the were conducted as well as the of pieces for in social and the strengthening of and 3) environmental and on the of biodiversity and in the and and was carried 4) of environmental impact studies from properties with sustainable harvesting which were with habitat and conservation agreements were In the political of the country, bioeconomy is as economic practice that and biodiversity and to new and based on and that the of new and in the regions of de Colombia, 2020). However, to incorporate capybara and its habitats in Colombian we the following 1) the lack of political to the global harvest quota that is to illegal are of capybara meat from a few to more than according to an analysis of the of this meat, and to 2) from the environmental authorities well to provide and to in the environmental license so that they can out the since the are extensive and In addition, the environmental authorities better control to guarantee that the populations are used within sustainable limits and following an adequate management reducing illegal and the natural habitat. 3) capybara sustainable use and of its habitat as a to the of the that during the last years has increased areas to rice in the Casanare This of will as suggested by rice production in which of the national production in the second of 4) with and that promote of biodiversity sustainable use to the of and the sustainable use of natural and environmental quality and in the 2017). In for capybara direct use, it is necessary to emphasize that such activity the of practices that guarantee the of the animals, above, by and and with the in current sanitary 5) More studies on are although there are some advances in the of and studies and Álvarez-Méndez, 2014). scenarios toward the sustainable use of capybara in Colombia have two the first one on the of illegal use and the excessive transformation of the as well as other pressures on the flooded savannas such as This in extinction of more increase in capybara meat and in the of capybara as one of at least at the national The second is the definition of the global quota and the inclusion of capybara within the country’s bioeconomy with different direct skins) and This will facilitate this species conservation and the distribution of benefits, under an management In such a environmental authorities are to implement a management for this the monitoring of legal harvest with of and adjusting the harvest On the other hand, capybara commercial hunting under a harvest quota and by the environmental which be based on population abundance and of population will the populations to maintain This will make it possible to the socioeconomic aspects associated with the legal use of whose sustainable use is a for the of populations in a and diverse Orinoquia. 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