Development of a conceptual model based on the Soft Systems Methodology for evaluating sustainability of Caiman latirostris and Caiman yacare production in Argentina

CECILIA GELABERT; PABLO SIROSKI; VIRGINIA PARACHU; OLGA GONZÁLEZ

Manila

Workshop; CROCODILES Proceedings of the 21st Working Meeting of the Crocodile Specialist Group of the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN convened at Manila, Philippines, 22-25 May 2012; 2012

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Since the 90s, five management programs on caiman species (Caiman latirostris and C. yacare) have been developed in Argentina, all of them based on the ranching technique. The aim of this work was to develop a conceptual model including economic, social and environmental variables on caiman production in Argentina from 1997 to 2011. Four different programs were evaluated, located in Formosa, Chaco, Santa Fe and Corrientes provinces. The model was developed using the "Soft Systems Methodology" and data obtained through ethnographic techniques. We found cause-effect relationships between those variables that determined the activity: international demand for skins is influenced by the international regulatory framework, the global supply of crocodilian skins, the conservation status of the species under management, and customer?s valorization of the product. These variables at global scale impact on the amount of skins produced locally and thus, on the profit of ranching farms which could discourage business continuity, affecting its effectiveness as a strategy for conservation of species and their habitats.