However, harvesting of the skins of this caiman and others became very common in the 1950s, due to the declining stocks of crocodiles.[1] Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the species was frequently traded, causing its population to decrease in some areas. Its skin was often exported from South America and utilized primarily for leather; at least 6 million skins were exported from Colombia from 1996 to 2015. However, conservation efforts since have caused a significant reduction in the number of skins exported.[1] In most countries, hunting this species is legal.