Cattle Raising and Floodplains

In the floodplains of the Orinoquia the marked hydroclimatic variability determines resource availability and seasonality, as well as the dynamics of wildlife and human activities^1,2. The plains, in general, and the floodplains in particular, are ecosystems that have high species richness³ but are not yet included as areas to be conserved in Colombia^{3, 4, 5, 6}.

Since a long time ago, the cattle raising system has been established as one of the major economic activities in floodplains. It represents an example of an adaptation process by inhabitants of the area to its natural resources and ecological dynamics^1,7. Currently, cattle raising in the floodplains of the Casanare represents the most essential part of its economy and is the third largest producer of cattle in the country⁸. Complementary activities in the region that adjust to cattle raising dynamics include crops for basic feeding, fishing, and the exploitation of wild fauna^1,9.

This type of cattle raising is based on an extensive use of the territory in which there is a varied and nutritive natural offer of forage and water management that enables the maintenance of a low animal density^1,10. The system is supported by a detailed local knowledge about the different parts of the territory and the use of available resources according to ecosystem seasonality and the geomorphological characteristics of the plains.

During the last 40 years, economic activities such as the exploration and extraction of hydrocarbons, and more recently the agroindustrial production of flooded rice fields, have become the major drivers of change¹ in floodplains, representing other ways of understanding the territory and forming new socio-economic interactions between existing actors. These drivers of change have significantly transformed the landscape, exerting a greater pressure on resources and generating various environmental issues related to the ecosystems, their services, and the quality of life of the people living there.

Based on the socio-ecological characterization of floodplains in Paz de Ariporo, developed between the Humboldt Institute and the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (Pontifical Xaverian University) it was determined, among other things, that productive agricultural practices of basic foodstuffs and the form of cattle raising are similar because they are based on the exploitation of floodplains. The forms of use that these ecosystems offer are closely related to intrinsic hydroclimatic and geomorphological conditions.

Two visions regarding the future of floodplains exist: one perceives the ecosystem as a rich shelter for resources that may and should be conserved without excluding their productive use whereas the other seeks to increase productivity on the short run, transforming the ecosystem and ignoring local knowledge, intrinsic characteristics, biodiversity and strategic ecosystem importance^1,3. That is how tensions around the current and future management of the territory emerge and involve local actors, environmental authorities, and government entities at different scales¹.

In the present, local alternatives to production and conservation have been created. Based on the dialogue between local and scientific knowledge, and using figures such as natural reserves of the civil society, natural corridors, or areas of conservation of wild species, strategies of sustainable cattle raising have been developed. Two examples are water gathering and good practices in rice production¹⁴. Additionally, many regional and global initiatives exist. An example is the Alianza para Conservación de Pastizales (Alliance for the Conservation of Grasslands), which works in the temperate plains of many countries of South America and now also in Colombia¹⁵.