Colombia is a country where a variety of social, cultural and economic realities are combined. Thus, livelihoods differ substantially between rural and peri-urban communities and major urban settlements. In some contexts, bushmeat consumption represents a fundamental importance to local livelihoods; it is associated with cultural traditions, generates income, and is part of the food security and sovereignty of communities. Aware of this, the team from Fundacion S.I. and CIFOR, visited representative towns from the five bio-geographical regions of the country, to ascertain the importance of bushmeat in local livelihoods. Altogether 22 municipalities were visited.
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The first stop in route was the Orinoco region. There, the team visited the towns of Puerto Carreño, Paz de Ariporo, Arauca and Puerto InĂrida. In those places it is common for urban settlers to hunt within their own lands. These hunters generally consume the harvested meat, however sometimes they sell part of it to known customers, by previous request. In rural areas, peasant and indigenous groups (mainly from the Sikuani ethnicity) practice hunting for consumption and sporadically sell the surpluses to restaurants and consumers. In these remote areas, access to other protein sources is very limited, thus bushmeat plays a major role in food security. In many parts from the Orinoco region, bushmeat consumption, especially from Capybara (Hydrochoerus Hydrochaeris) is part of the local culture. Evidence of this is the significant increase of bushmeat consumption in Arauca during Easter and other traditional festivities.
The second destination was the Caribbean region. The towns visited were Barranquilla, Maicao, Santa Marta, Aracataca and Copey. In Barranquilla the consumption of Hicotea turtle (Trachemys callirostris) and Iguana eggs (Iguana iguana) are very common. The consumption of Hicotea is a tradition during Easter time. Thus, harvest and sales rates increase significantly, to the point of generating major concern for environmental authorities. In Maicao, a trade of sea turtles subsists; they are harvested in Venezuela by fishermen, to be sold in Colombia. Intermediaries are very important in this network trade. They buy the meat to Venezuelan fishermen and transport it to Maicao. Once the meat arrives, it is sold to informal market stalls and restaurants, where it is mainly roasted or stewed. Turtle consumption in Maicao is part of the local culture. Besides, its trade represents a significant revenue for stakeholders, mainly for owners of restaurants and food stalls, who do not perform any alternative activities. In the Caribbean region, bushmeat is also sold at restaurants and grills located along main roads connecting Santa Marta with Cesar. Besides Turtles, other species such as Deer (Mazama americana), Lapa (Cuniculus paca) and ZaĂno (Tayassu tajacu), are consumed.
Continuing the journey to the Pacific region, the towns of Quibdó, Buenaventura and Tumaco were visited. In this zone, the preferred species by consumers is the “Guaga” (Cuniculus paca) because of its flavor. In Quibdó, restaurants which include bushmeat on their menus, are considered upscale restaurants. The traditional dish called “guaga with fine herbs from the Pacific“, can reach a price of up to COP $ 45000 (about 16 US Dollars). In Buenaventura, bushmeat trade dynamics depend largely on women. Once bushmeat reaches the local market, it is sold to women known as “platoneras“, whose main economic activity is the sale of seafood. Those women are called “platoneras” because they carry a metal tray on their heads, whit food products offered for sale. They sell bushmeat to final consumers or to cooks from restaurants located in the same market place. For bushmeat sellers located in Tumaco´s market place, this resource represents their subsistence, because they do not trade any alternative products or carry out additional economic activities. In Tumaco there are about 4 restaurants which include bushmeat on their menus. These restaurants offer a variety of meals, cooked in different pots of which two or three always contain bushmeat preparations.
Continuing the tour in the south of Colombia, we visited the Amazon region. There we went to Leticia, Puerto Nariño, Tarapaca, Mocoa, Puerto Asis and Puerto Ospina. At the Amazon tri-border, bushmeat trade transcends the national borders of Peru, Colombia and Brazil. In Leticia´s marketplace, bushmeat harvested from Brazilian and Peruvian communities settled along Javari River is sold. On Tarapaca´s border, Charapa Turtle is harvested in Colombia and traded in Brazil, where its corporal oil is used as a sexual enhancer. In the Amazon region, bushmeat is very important for local livelihoods, especially for indigenous communities. Food security in the area is based on both, fish and bushmeat. Trade in bushmeat also represents significant revenue for communities. Besides, consumers have the notion that it is healthier than other proteins, and it is also associated with cultural and medical traditions. In the Amazon region, a variety of species are consumed and traded, including Tapir (Tapirus terrestris), Boruga (Cuniculus paca), Zaino (Tayassu tajacu) and Tatabro (Tayassu peccary).
Despite changes in landscape and the consequent shortage of wildlife, it is also possible to find bushmeat in market places and restaurants from the Andean region. In this area, we visited the coffee area (three different municipalities) and Bogota, the capital city of Colombia. At the coffee area it is possible to order bushmeat through local carriers located close to the market places. People to whom the request is made are mostly peasants. At market places of Bogotá, despite the constant monitoring by environmental authorities, it is possible to find meat from Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), Boruga (Cuniculus paca), Armadillo (Dasypus sp.), Wild Pigeon (Columbidae), among other species. Usually, Capybara´s meat arrives from the Orinoco, transported between frozen fish. From the Amazon and the Pacific regions, bushmeat also comes inside refrigerators, hidden among fish. On the other hand, in the coffee area it is possible to find meat from Boruga (Cuniculus paca), Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), Pacarana (Dinomys branickii), Rabbit (Oryctolagus sp.) and Sooty Agouti (Dasyprocta fuliginosa). Although in the Andean area it is not common to find bushmeat restaurants, in Bogotá we found 3 barbecuing places offering Capybara meat.
The visits to those representative points of the Colombian territory, allowed us to identify that despite nutritional and cultural changes, bushmeat continues to play a key role in the livelihoods of many communities. However, the level of importance of this resource varies between the different regions and for each of the participants of the trade. In rural and peri-urban contexts, bushmeat represents a more important role in livelihoods. However, in some urban areas like Leticia, relevant trade dynamics that provide income to hunters and sellers subsist. The importance of bushmeat in certain contexts, depends, among other variables, on the access to other sources of protein; prices; local customs; and personal taste preferences. Despite variations in the level of contribution to livelihoods, it is clear that bushmeat is still present in different markets around the country, both in urban and rural settings.
© 2026 CIFOR
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