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A Fresh Look at
Bushmeat
An upsurge in hunting of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians
for "bushmeat" in Central Africa's tropical forests
is unsustainable and poses a serious threat to the food security of
poor forest inhabitants, who rely largely on this meat as a source
of protein.
That is among the central conclusions of a new report from the
Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the Secretariat
of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB) and other research
partners. The authors call on governments to develop policies that
protect endangered species, while allowing sustainable hunting of
more common game.
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Large mammals are particularly vulnerable, the report says. Many
- including elephants, gorillas and other primates - have already
become locally extinct, while fast- reproducing generalist species
that thrive in agricultural environments, such as rodents, may
prove more resilient. The report makes an urgent appeal for a
coordinated policy response to the crisis at the local, national
and international levels. It warns, however, that blanket bans on
hunting and trade that do not take into account differences between
local contexts and species are bound to fail.
Researchers estimate that the current harvest of bushmeat in
Central Africa amounts to more than 1 million tonnes annually - the
equivalent of almost 4 million head of cattle. Bushmeat provides up
to 80 percent of the protein and fat needed in rural diets in
Central Africa, according to the report.
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Bush pigs, duikers,
and monkeys for sale. Makokou market, Gabon.
Photo: CIFOR.
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"If current levels of hunting persist in Central Africa,
bush meat protein supplies will fall dramatically, and a
significant number of forest mammals will become extinct in less
than 50 years," says Robert Nasi of CIFOR, an author of the
report.
Entitled
Conservation and Use of Wildlife-Based Resources: The Bushmeat
Crisis
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the report sums up the latest knowledge on this controversial
issue. It makes a strong case for legalizing and regulating the
bushmeat industry to ensure that the poorest forest dwellers can
continue to access this vital source of protein and income.
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Local, national and regional trade in bushmeat has become a
significant part of the informal sector's "hidden
economy." Overall, international trade in wild animal products
has an estimated value of US$3.9 billion. For West and Central
Africa alone, the estimates range from $42 to $205 million a year.
Yet, these statistics are still largely ignored in official trade
and national policies regulating forest policy.
The report notes that it is important to make a clear
distinction between commercial entrepreneurs, who engage in what
they know to be an illicit activity, and poor rural people, for
whom bushmeat represents both a source of animal protein and a cash
commodity.
"If local people are guaranteed the benefits of sustainable
land use and hunting practices, they will be willing to invest in
sound management and negotiate selective hunting regimes,"
says Frances Seymour, director general of CIFOR. "Sustainable
management of bushmeat resources requires bringing the sector out
into the open, removing the stigma of illegality, and including
wild meat consumption in national statistics and
planning."
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Skinned antelope for
sale, Guinea. Photo: CIFOR.
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"Reframing the bushmeat problem from one of international
animal welfare to one of sustainable livelihoods - and part of the
global food crisis - might be a good place to start," she
adds.
Wildlife is also adversely affected by the industrial
activities, such as logging, mining and oil drilling, as these
activities directly facilitate hunting through road construction
and/or the provision of transportation for hunters. Salaried
employees and their extended families, living in company camps or
near timber concessions, are a major source of local demand for -
and supply of - bushmeat.
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The report recommends that the local and international timber
industry work with nongovernment organizations, local communities
and governments to develop forest policies and management plans
that incorporate wildlife concerns rather than focus just on timber
and other forms of natural resource extraction. Such plans should
include conservation education, an agreed system of law
enforcement, development of alternative protein supplies and an
intensive monitoring program. If designed and applied
appropriately, those plans will not only improve wildlife
conservation but also ultimately benefit the private sector and
local communities as well.
According to the report, the so-called bushmeat crisis is the
focus of many conservation organizations, whose advocacy for a
crackdown on the trade has fostered confusion and misunderstanding
about the links between hunting, wildlife trade, livelihoods and
ecosystems.
Most people in tropical forests hunt, the report notes, and meat
sales within the local village can be significant, including up to
90 percent of the catch sold in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Such figures counter the conventional wisdom of many conservation
groups that suggests banning all commercial sales of bushmeat will
deliver a win-win solution for both conservation and the poor.
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Local kids carry a monkey,
Loa Loa Village, Gabon.
Photo:
CIFOR.
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The report advocates a more secure rights regime as the key to
any solution. "Only if the local hunter is bestowed with some
right to decide what, where and how he may hunt - as well as the
knowledge to understand the consequences of his decisions - will he
embrace his responsibility to hunt sustainably," Nasi
said.
The report emphasizes the critical importance of crafting
approaches tailored for specific cases and species. It also
recommends that policymakers look to other renewable resource
sectors, such as fishing and logging, for clues on how to develop a
sustainable management strategy for bushmeat.
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