the giant armadillo is protected by law in colombia, guyana, brazil, argentina, paraguay, suriname and peru, and international trade is banned by its listing on appendix i of the convention on international trade in endangered species (cites). however, hunting for food and sale in the black market continues to occur throughout its entire range. some populations occur in protected reserves, including the parque das emas in brazil, and the central suriname nature reserve, a massive 1.6-million-hectare site of pristine rainforest managed by conservation international. such protection helps to some degree to mitigate the threat of habitat loss, but targeted conservation action is required to prevent the further decline of this species.