Use and trade of bushmeat in Colombia: Relevance to rural livelihoods

Key points

• Except for the Andean region, bushmeat trade chains are a reality in all regions of Colombia. These chains are usually short and respond to local trade dynamics.
• In the Caribbean region, bushmeat trade chains cross different administrative boundaries, thus routes operate at greater distances.
• Bushmeat continues to play an important role in the local livelihoods of many communities in Colombia.
• The level of dependency on bushmeat increases in rural areas that are located far from urban settlements, because of the difficultly in accessing other proteins and the lack of alternative productive activities.
• Bushmeat consumption in Colombia is also associated with deep-rooted local cultural traditions.
• The widespread existence of bushmeat trade chains in the different regions of Colombia, despite being illegal, highlights the need to review current legal frameworks.
• Simplifying the requirements for the legal trade of surplus meat from non protected and resilient species by rural communities may be the way forward. However, there is a need to improve the capacities to monitor the use of wild meat and agree on the local governance that should be responsible for ensuring/controlling for sustainable use.

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