This species is listed as Least Concern as, although there have been reports of subpopulation declines due to hunting, invasive species and habitat degradation, it remains overall widespread with a large extent of occurrence (226,286 km²), it occurs in many protected areas, and it is still abundant in many places. If threats continue to worsen, this species could qualify for a Near threatened or threatened category in future. Thus, research of its populations and threats is needed.

Desmarest's Hutia (Capromys pilorides) is known from mainland Cuba and many offshore islands within the Cuban archipelago, including the Isle of Youth and the archipelagos of Canarreos, Jardines de la Reina, and Sabana-Camagüey Archipelagos (Borroto-Páez 2011, Borroto-Páez and Ramos 2012).

This species is widely distributed across Cuba and its associated islands (Borroto-Páez 2011). It has been recorded in around 80 protected areas, where in many places there are common or abundant populations (Borroto-Páez et al. 2012), and is also present at high densities in some keys in the Jardines de la Reina Archipelago (Berovides Alvarez and Comas 1997) and around the American naval base in Guantanamo Bay (Witmer et al. 2002). Population density is highly variable, from 1.1 to 130.8 individuals ha^-1 (Silva Taboada et al. 2007). One study of 17 protected areas considered the species to be abundant in just two of those examined (Berovides Álvarez et al. 2009), suggesting that whilst the species is widespread, it may be suffering declines. Extensive overharvesting occurred in the 1990s during Cuba’s economic crisis (Berovides Álvarez et al. 2009). Indiscriminate hunting in this period led to extirpation of some formerly abundant subpopulations, such as the Najasa subpopulation (Sierra de Chorillo, Camagüey Province). This was considered to be the densest hutia subpopulation in Cuba with an estimated 100,000 individuals in 1989–1990, but was rapidly eliminated following a targeted program of week-long campaigns which caught 200–300 hutias/day and >20,000 hutias/month. No animals were detected during a subsequent survey in 2002, and locals reported that hutias disappeared several years earlier (Borroto-Páez 2011). Uncontrolled illegal hunting is likely to continue to affect many subpopulations, with evidence of substantial hunting pressure in nine of the 17 protected areas surveyed by Berovides Álvarez et al. (2009). Although this may result in notable declines within a number of subpopulations, it is not believed that the overall decline across this species' entire range has reached 30% in three generations.

This species is primarily herbivorous, with a diet consisting of leaves, fruit, bark, reptiles, insects and other small animals (Borroto-Páez and Woods 2012). It is a terrestrial, cave-dwelling and arboreal species, with many populations living in mangrove forest (Borroto-Páez and Mancina 2006). It is found in all types of habitats such as montane cloud forests, arid coastal semi-deserts, semi-deciduous forests, low, marshy areas, mangroves and even in the mountains of Cuba. This species can climb trees; however, it is more often found on the ground, mangrove and crevices of coastal zones. The species lives in pairs in dense forests and in big colonies in crevices and caves (Borroto-Páez 2011).

Sexual maturity in females is once they have a body mass of around 2,100 g, or around the age of 10 months. The gestation period is between 120 to 130 days and the highest percentages of pregnant and lactating females occurs in the first months of the year. After this time 1-5, but generally two, fully developed young are born. These are nursed for about 153 days. The life span of the species in captivity is up to 11 years (Berovides Alvarez and González 1991, Borroto-Páez et al. 1992, Borroto-Páez 2011).

The species is terrestrial, so is particularly vulnerable to feral dogs, as demonstrated by the extirpation of the species on a number of small keys and islets because of the introduction of dogs brought on to them by fisherman (Borroto-Paez 2009). The species may also be threatened by predation of young by feral cats (Borroto-Páez and Mancina 2011); recent cat excrement analysis have shown evidence of predation by cats (Borroto-Páez, unpublished data). Uncontrolled illegal hunting is likely to continue to affect many subpopulations, with evidence of substantial hunting pressure in nine of the 17 protected areas surveyed by Berovides et al. (2009). Invasive species and habitat degradation due to mining and agriculture are likely to continue to affect many subpopulations into the future (Borroto-Páez et al. 2012).

The species is hunted; it is a traditional source of meat for farmers and fishermen.

The species is found in many protected areas in Cuba, and is monitored in many of the areas where it occurs. Further research is needed on the population and threats.