Content uploaded by Cédric Vermeulen
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Cédric Vermeulen on Aug 21, 2014
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
Household Bushmeat Consumption in Brazzaville, the Republic of the Congo
Abstract and Figures
Wildlife meat is an important source of animal protein for rural and urban populations in Congo. Quantitative and qualitative surveys on the consumption of bushmeat were undertaken in Brazzaville in 2006, in about 1,050 urban households. The main objective was to es tablish the profiles of consumers and of species concerned. The results showed that 88.3% of the surveyed households consumed bushmeat. Their average size was 5.7 ± 3.2 persons. The average monthly income of an urban consumer with a permanent job was 98,334 (US$197) ± 84,306 (US$169) FCFA. It appeared that households preferred to consume bushmeat for two major reasons: the taste or flavor (67.8%) and food habits (14.7%). Meat from mammals was preferred, the top three orders of this class being artiodactyls (48.3%), rodents (28.3%), and primates (13.0%). Some of them are listed as threatened in Congo Brazzaville and are included in the IUCN Red List. The results showed that in Brazzaville, bushmeat consumption remains important and is determined by socio-economic parameters. The promotion of game farming, and breeding of domestic species such as poultry and fish, in the Brazzaville suburbs could help to meet Congolese demand for bushmeat
Figures - uploaded by Cédric Vermeulen
Author content
All figure content in this area was uploaded by Cédric Vermeulen
Content may be subject to copyright.
... Such volumes are considered to be unsustainable and threaten the majority of large African rainforest mammals (Abernethy et al., 2013). In large urban areas, bushmeat can be considered a luxury food, and a symbol of prestige notably for wealthy classes (Chausson et al., 2019;Duda et al., 2018;Gluszek et al., 2021;Mbete et al., 2011). For rural inhabitants, however, bushmeat is an essential source of food for many people, it can also provide an important source of income, and can be connected to the cultural identity and traditional beliefs of local communities . ...
... Boakye (2018) and McNamara et al. (2016) suggested that consumption and preferences for bushmeat species are also affected by the shortage and rarity of species, but population monitoring of pangolins is needed in this region to know if this is the case. Nevertheless, studies conducted in the two largest cities in the RoC, Brazzaville and Pointe Noire, revealed that the surveyed respondents favored eating bushmeat mainly because of taste (Chausson et al., 2019;Mbete et al., 2011). Consumption preferences should be considered in attempts to reduce demand/ consumption of pangolins using campaigns (e.g., in social marketing campaigns). ...
Habitat loss and overexploitation are the most severe threats to wild animals in Central Africa. One mammalian group under pressure from hunting is the Pho-lidota (pangolins), with three species of pangolin inhabiting the region. While local uses of pangolins have been investigated in several Central African countries , data originating from the Republic of the Congo are lacking. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a semistructured questionnaire survey in 65 rural communities around the Odzala-Kokoua National Park. Our research focused on collecting baseline information on local knowledge of species ecology , and perceived economic values and uses of pangolins in local communities. We identified significant differences in our data corresponding to respondents' sociocultural and demographic profiles in the surveyed villages. Recognition of pangolins was high (98.2%), we recorded 22 traditional medicinal or cultural uses of pangolins by respondents, and the taste of pangolin meat was ranked highly (71.3%). Respondents based along the northern boundary of the park were more familiar with pangolins and the market value of their meat and scales, which could be due to better quality roads in the area and proximity to Cameroon. We then provide guidelines for further research to better understand the dynamics of local use, needed for conservation policy and actions.
... Our integrative approach allowed identifying a total of 94 species-level mammalian taxa sold in the wildlife markets from southern Benin, which is slightly higher than previously reported (87 species; Djagoun et al., 2013). Such number is about twice greater than what was ever found in large-scale bushmeat trade surveys conducted in the biodiversity-rich countries from western and central African forests (e.g., Avila Martin et al., 2020;Fa et al., 2014;Mbete et al., 2011). Our results are especially striking as Benin is situated in the Dahomey Gap, a supposedly diversity-poor savannah-forest mosaic zone relative to the two rain forest blocks that it separates (Booth, 1958). ...
We tackle the potential impact of bushmeat markets (BM) and traditional medicine markets (TMM) on the functional diversity of mammalian communities in southern Benin, West Africa. A hybrid approach combining direct observations, DNA-typing and questionnaires allowed us to identify 94 species-level taxa across 11 mammalian orders, the greatest ever reported numbers for African wildlife markets. TMM sold species of high conservation concern or regulated by international conventions and sourced among all the taxonomic orders and bioclimatic zones of the country. BM were taxonomically and functionally 100% nested within TMM. However, functional richness was high in both markets, impacting nine diet specializations and five ecological functions, which included seed dispersion (frugivores, folivores and omnivores), prey regulation (carnivores and invertivores), browsing (folivores), grazing (omnivores) and fertilization (nectarivores). TMM likely jeopardized the regulatory, structural and production functions of the sourced ecosystems as they sold species with the greatest body weights and generation lengths, and smallest litter sizes, including large herbivores and keystone predators. BM, despite their restricted range, sourced among a non-selective taxonomic and functional spectrum and as such, also represent a significant threat to ecosystem functioning in southern Benin. The functional database that we provide can serve as a starting point to pursue the quantification of functional diversity in African mammals and further investigate the impact of wildlife markets on ecosystem functioning in tropical Africa. Overall, long-term surveys of the two types of wildlife markets are needed to accurately quantify the threat they constitute to mammalian biodiversity and the sustainability of ecosystem services.
... Our integrative approach allowed identifying a total of 94 species-level mammalian taxa sold in the wildlife markets from southern Benin, which is slightly higher than previously reported (87 species; Djagoun et al., 2013). Such a number is about twice greater than what was ever found in large-scale bushmeat trade surveys conducted in the biodiversity-rich countries from western and central African forests (e.g., Avila Martin et al., 2020;Fa et al., 2014;Mbete et al., 2011). Our results are especially striking as Benin is situated in the Dahomey Gap, a supposedly diversity-poor savannah-forest mosaic zone relative to the two rain forest blocks that it separates (Booth, 1958). ...
... However, use of PS is site specific and Map of the study area showing study villages. some studies have assessed the use of one or two specific PS such as firewood (Brouwer and Falcão, 2004), bush meat (Mbete et al., 2011), and medicinal plants (Messias et al., 2015). A broad scale study by Joos-Vandewalle et al. (2018) revealed that on average households in northern Botswana collected firewood, wild fruits, vegetables, fish, reeds, grass and water lilies from the wild. ...
Introduction
Forest resources are an important source of products on which rural communities depend for survival. Mpanga Central Forest Reserve (CFR) is a valuable resource to adjacent communities through provision of different goods and serves for subsistence and income generation. It also serves as an important eco-tourist site. However, there is scanty information regarding the products obtained from Mpanga CFR and their contribution to livelihoods of adjacent communities.
Methods
The study explored the provisioning services obtained from the CFR, assessed the contribution of the CFR to the surrounding communities and explored the challenges faced while obtaining these services from the forest reserve. Provisioning services are the material benefits supplied by the ecosystem. A total of 118 respondents were randomly selected from 11 villages in Kamengo sub-county Mpigi District and interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires.
Results and discussion
The residents obtained wild foods, medicinal herbs, fuelwood, construction and carving materials. Most of the respondents used obtained products for subsistence (51%) while the rest sold them. Regression analysis revealed that 76.5% of the variability in cash income from the CFR is significantly explained by age of respondents, period of stay and education level. Increase in age and educational level of respondents reduced ability to obtain cash income from the forest by (β = −0.19) and (β = −0.625), respectively but increase in period of stay acted in the reverse (β = 0.22). Despite the importance of provisioning services in improving the livelihood of communities adjacent the forest, some challenges in accessing the forest were reported. The quantities of some extracted species had declined over a 5-year period resulting in reduction of household income. This negatively impacts on the livelihoods of the young and uneducated that depend on forest activities for income generation. It is pertinent that alternative livelihood options are sought to address this trend. Also, forest management strategies should provide a win-win situation to forest managers and communities adjacent to the forest. This will not only preserve the forest resource but will also ensure a sustainable livelihood to forest dependent communities.
... We assessed the species-specific hunting pressures in the buffer zone based on hunter follows and semistructured interviews (Broseth and Chr Pedersen, 2000;Coad, 2008;Kümpel, 2006;Mbete et al., 2011;Rist et al., 2008). For one month in January 2017, we conducted 16 gun hunter follows covering more than 195 km based out of two villages in the buffer zone, at about 33 km from the LNP boundary (Fig. S1). ...
Understanding the impact of hunting on wildlife is necessary to protect biodiversity in remote, endangered ecosystems, where rural communities depend on bushmeat as sources of food and income. Unsustainable hunting has led to a major decline in mammal population densities across Africa, especially for ungulates and primates. The objectives of this study were to (1) quantify the impact of hunting on lesula (Cercopithecus lomamiensis), a semiterrestrial and poorly known monkey in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and (2) assess the species’ relative abundance in the context of its behavioral ecology and local hunting practices. We compared the relative abundance of lesula to prey species preferred by hunters using data collected from camera trap surveys (5,960 days) and primate vocalization surveys (n = 174) and assessed species-specific hunting pressure in the buffer zone using data collected from surveillance patrols (2,255 km), hunter follows (n = 16), and semistructured interviews (n = 21). We found that the abundance of terrestrial mammal and primate species was negatively impacted by hunting in the buffer zone, but the abundance of lesula appeared relatively similar throughout its range. Our results suggest that the relative tolerance of lesula in the buffer zone was associated with its ecological niche and the specific behavior of local hunters. Lesula is a threatened, endemic monkey of the Congo Basin rainforest, and this study provides data to enable its continuous monitoring and long-term population management. Some primate populations, such as lesula, may be able to persist under specific conditions despite being subject to high hunting pressure.
... Within the implicit frameworks, studies have evaluated the association between economic drivers i.e. income or wealth, bush meat consumption, and the accumulated evidence from urban areas, most in West Africa and Central Africa. Contrarily, at least one study found that higher household income is associated with reduced bush meat consumption in West Africa (Albrechtsen et al., 2005), additional findings have shown that increases in income (Mbete et al., 2011), wealth (as measured through expenditure; The reason for these conflicting results is that consumptive behavior not only depends on people's preferences but also on income and prices. If the price of certain good is held constant, an increase in income will typically lead to higher levels of consumption, so when an increase in income produces an increase in bush meat consumption, bush meat is considered normal good (Mankiw, 2009). ...
It is no more news that bushmeat is highly consumed by many people in the world and despite Covid-19 pandemic around the world people were not deterred consuming bushmeat. This study therefore aimed at identifying drivers to bushmeat purchase and consumption among government workers in Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State. We carried out an enquiry into factors influencing bushmeat consumption, part of the research was conducted via an e-questionnaire sent online to respondents. An application was used to generate questionnaire which was sent to the respondents in Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State. Random sampling technique was used to select 150 government workers out of which 120 responded to the questionnaire. Data were then analyzed using simple percentages, simple counting and mean. From the finding, most (58%) respondents were female as against (42%) male, (68.3%) were married (13.3%) single (11.7%) widowed while 6.7 percent were divorced when most (46.7%) were between the ages of 41 and 60 years. This work reveals the consumption frequency of different types of bushmeat in the study area. It was discovered that most frequently consumed bushmeat were in this sequence grasscutter (32.5%), hare (14.2%), antelope (13.3%), snake/wild pig (10.0%), others (7.5%) and porcupine (3.3%). It was also revealed that drivers to bushmeat consumption were price (M=3.13±0.85) income (M=3.25±1.03). Taste (M=2.92±0.75) and level of bushmeat availability (M=3.05±1.17). Other factor were how safe the bushmeat is (M=3.09±0.75), residence (M=2.81±0.96), fear of Zoonoses (M=3.27±0.9) and disease risk (M=3.11± 0.89). It was recommended that Since many of the respondents felt that Covid-19 is not a threat to Nigeria, more awareness should be conducted by the concerned bodies to the populace on the underlying zoonotic diseases that may be contracted through the consumption of bushmeat during Covid-19 pandemic era.
... It is estimated that the bushmeat extraction rate in Central Africa is six times higher than the sustainable rate, with over 4.5 million tonnes extracted each year (Bennett, 2002;Nasi et al., 2011). While most urban households consume bushmeat on a regular basis (for instance 88% of households in Brazzaville in 2006; Mbete et al., 2011), rural populations daily use bushmeat for both basic protein needs (15% to 27% of meals in a village in Cameroon; Lhoest et al., 2020a) and as a source of income (Fa et al., 2015;Mbete et al., 2010). In Tanzania, three-quarters of hunters aim to generate income while a quarter only hunts for their protein intake (Loibooki et al., 2002). ...
Conservation programmes of recent decades aimed to adopt an approach that addresses biodiversity conservation goals through socio-economic tools and to better integrate the human dimension into biodiversity conservation. Yet, to analyse this complex conservation-development nexus, studying conservation perceptions of local populations are crucial to understand the dynamics and establish sound conservation-development management policies. Therefore, we aim to identify the key determinants of conservation perceptions in the Central African context in order to implement successful local and regional conservation strategies. Conservation perceptions of two national parks’ adjacent populations were examined through household surveys, adapted from the Poverty-Environment Network (PEN), in Rwanda and Republic of Congo. Outcomes were statistically analysed to identify the most important factors affecting perceptions about conservation measures. Using a nonlinear canonical correlation analysis, we found that economic factors (e.g. salary, savings, cattle size) and education positively affect conservation perceptions while ecosystem-dependent factors such as hunting and gathering other non-timber forest products have negative effects. Though, we identified a significant difference between two sites, whereby, conservation perceptions are negatively affected by bushmeat factors in Republic of Congo, and NTFP in Rwanda. In addition, our study showed that resource use and rights play a major role in communities’ perceptions and that revenue-sharing projects have a key impact on the perceptions. To ensure sound conservation and development measures, revenue-sharing schemes focusing on material benefits and alternative livelihoods may provide the best approach if participation of communities in the decision-making process is ensured. In this optic, improving education levels will raise awareness and positive perceptions of conservation measures. Development measures should target poor households as they appear to be more conservation-adverse. We conclude that in depth research on local demands for ecosystem products, relationships among stakeholders and community decision power are crucial factors to understand the complexity of the conservation-development nexus.
We tackle the potential impact of bushmeat markets (BM) and traditional medicine markets (TMM) on the functional diversity of mammalian communities in southern Benin. A hybrid approach combining direct observations, DNA-typing and questionnaires allowed us to identify 94 species-level taxa across 11 mammalian orders, the greatest ever reported numbers for African wildlife markets. TMM sold species of high conservation concern or regulated by international conventions and recruited across all the taxonomic orders and bioclimatic zones. BM were taxonomically (25 species), bioclimatically and functionally 100% nested within TMM. However, functional diversity was high in both markets, which sampled across nine diet specializations and five main ecological functions, including seed dispersion (mostly frugivores, folivores and omnivores), prey regulation (mostly carnivores and invertivores), browsing (mostly folivores), grazing (omnivores) and fertilization (nectarivores). TMM sampled species with the greatest body weights and generation lengths, and smallest litter sizes, including large herbivores and keystone predators. For these reasons, they likely jeopardize the regulatory, structural and production functions of the sourced ecosystems. BM, despite their local sourcing, sampled across a non-selective taxonomic and functional spectrum and as such, also represent a significant threat to ecosystem functioning in southern Benin. The functional database that we provide can serve as a starting point to pursue the quantification of functional diversity in African mammals and further investigate the impact of wildlife markets on ecosystem functioning in tropical Africa. Overall, long-term surveys of BM and TMM are needed to accurately quantify the threat they constitute to mammalian biodiversity and the sustainability of ecosystem services.
The hunting of wild animals for their meat has been a crucial activity in the evolution of humans. It continues to be an essential source of food and a generator of income for millions of Indigenous and rural communities worldwide. Conservationists rightly fear that excessive hunting of many animal species will cause their demise, as has already happened throughout the Anthropocene. Many species of large mammals and birds have been decimated or annihilated due to overhunting by humans. If such pressures continue, many other species will meet the same fate. Equally, if the use of wildlife resources is to continue by those who depend on it, sustainable practices must be implemented. These communities need to remain or become custodians of the wildlife resources within their lands, for their own well-being as well as for biodiversity in general. This title is also available via Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Bushmeat hunting has evolved into a large-scale commercial activity in western and central Africa. Primates are particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation and tend to be absent from heavily hunted areas. To reduce their rate of decline, human use of, and reliance on, bushmeat must be understood so that locally appropriate mitigation strategies can be developed. We address the social dimension of bushmeat hunting by revealing why people hunt, the techniques used, harvest composition, species preferences and the nature of human economic and nutritional reliance. Data were collected during May and June 2007 in Lebialem Division, Southwest Region, Cameroon. Ninety semi-structured interviews with hunters and trappers were conducted alongside participatory appraisal sessions in 6 rural communities. The main reason for harvesting bushmeat was income generation. Shotguns were the weapon of choice, enabling 74% of interviewees to hunt primates. A decrease in mammalian abundance was reported by 88%, motivating hunters to trek to pro- tected areas outside of Lebialem. 64% sold more bushmeat than they consumed, with hunters selling a greater proportion than trappers, due to species composition. Fish was the principle source of animal protein consumed on a regular basis. Hunting and trapping were mainly secondary income- generating activities, but the flexibility of labour inputs and rates of return make them important livelihood components. To reduce financial reliance on bushmeat harvesting and the volume of species extracted, the development of economic alternatives and conservation education pro- grammes should be given priority.
As a result of forest modification, primates are increasingly having to rely on fragments; so too are the human populations that have historically relied on continuous forest for critical resources. The role of primates in seed dispersal is increasingly understood to have significant unique effects on plant demography and forest regeneration. Our aim in this paper is to explore the potential for monkey seed dispersers to maintain the utility of forest fragments for humans through seed dispersal in the Taï region, western Côte-d'Ivoire. We established a list of fruit species whose seeds are dispersed by seven of eight monkey species occurring in the Taï National Park by using primary data and published accounts of their fruit diet, and determined the abundance of human-used and monkey-dispersed tree species in forest fragments in the broader Taï region. The monkeys of the Taï National Park consumed 75 tree species. Of this total set of 75 species, 52 (69%) were dispersed almost exclusively by monkeys and were found in neighboring forest fragments. Of the 52 fruiting forest tree species that are dispersed by Taï monkeys, 25 (48%) have some utility to local inhabitants suggesting that maintaining populations of primates is important not only for forest regeneration, but also for human populations that rely on forest resources. The conservation of primate species is a critically important goal in itself, but by working to ensure their protection in forest fragments, we certainly protect indirectly the seed dispersal of important human resources in these fragments as well.
A questionnaire survey and literature review revealed the extent of hunting of bats for bushmeat in the Old World tropics. High levels of offtake were reported throughout Asia, the Pacific islands and some Western Indian Ocean islands, where fruit bats of the genus Pteropus are eaten extensively. Most hunting in Africa was reported in western states and the largest fruit bat Eidolon helvum was preferred. Insectivorous bats are also eaten, particularly Tadarida in Asia. Hunting is both for local consumption and commercial, sometimes involving cross-border transactions. The high levels of hunting reported and the low reproductive rate of bats indicate there are likely to be severe negative effects on bat populations, and declines of several species are documented. Although there has been only one reported attempt to manage offtake, this indicates that it is possible and apparently successful. Furthermore, voluntary controls on hunting have halted declines in bat numbers. There have been several initiatives to reduce hunting pressure and conserve threatened bat species, mainly on islands that, when sustained, have been successful. More education projects and community-based conservation initiatives should be encouraged together with further attempts at sustainable harvesting in situations where disease risk has been evaluated.
We assessed the consumption and hunting of wild animals by people in urban areas of western Madagascar using structured questionnaires in households and direct observations. Six wild mammal and five wild bird species were reported, or observed, to be sources of bushmeat although fish and domestic animals were the preferred and cheapest sources of animal protein. Bushmeat accounted for 10% of the meat consumed the day before our questionnaires were completed. Common tenrec Tenrec ecaudatus and bush pig Potamochoerus larvatus were the preferred wild meat and the former was also the most expensive type of meat. Taboos and strong dislikes limited the consumption of domestic pigs, bush pigs, goats, lemurs and fruit bats. Game species were hunted according to their availability, which coincided with the legal hunting season for fruit bats but only partly so for the other game species. Illegal hunting of Verreauxi’s sifaka Propithecus verreauxi is cause for concern and assessments of primate consumption may have been underestimated because of reluctance of interviewees to admit illegal activities.
The wildlife populations of Northern Central African Republic experienced precipitous declines during the 1970s and 1980s. While anecdotes coming out of the region indicate that the wildlife populations remain under serious threat, little is known about their status. An aerial sample count was carried out in the Northern Central African Republic at the end of the dry season in June 2005 and covered an 85,000-km 2 complex landscape containing national parks, hunting reserves and community hunting areas. Results show a dramatic decline of wildlife since the previous survey in 1985. In 20-years, large mammals' numbers decreased by 65%, probably because of poaching and diseases brought by illegal cattle transhumance. Elephant (Loxodonta africana) and Buffon kob (Kobus kob) populations showed the greatest decline (over 80% each), while buffalo (Syncerus caffer), roan antelope (Hippotragus equinus) and Giant Lord's Derby Eland (Taurotragus derbianus) populations seem stable or increasing over these last 20-years. The analysis of the wildlife population distribution by status of the different types of protected areas (national parks, hunting areas) showed that individual encounter rates of elephant and buffalo were lower in national parks than in neighbouring hunting areas, while those for roan, giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) and Buffon kob were higher in the national parks.
Unsustainable hunting of wildlife for food is often a more immediate and significant threat to the conservation of biological diversity in tropical forests than deforestation. Why people eat wildlife is debated. Some may eat bushmeat because they can afford it; others may eat it because it is familiar, traditional, confers prestige, tastes good, or adds variety. We completed a survey of 1208 rural and urban households in Gabon, Africa, in 2002–2003 to estimate the effect of wealth and prices on the consumption of wildlife and other sources of animal protein. Consumption of bushmeat, fish, chicken, and livestock increased with increasing household wealth, and as the price of these commodities rose, consumption declined. Although the prices of substitutes for bushmeat did not significantly, in statistical terms, influence bushmeat consumption, as the price of wildlife increased and its consumption fell, the consumption of fish rose, indicating that fish and bushmeat were dietary substitutes. Our results suggest that policy makers can use economic levers such as taxation or supply reduction through better law enforcement to change demand for wildlife. These measures will help to regulate unsustainable exploitation and reduce the risk of irreversible loss of large-bodied and slow-reproducing wildlife species. If policy makers focus solely on reducing the unsustainable consumption of wildlife, they may see adverse impacts on the exploitation of fish. Furthermore, policy makers must ensure that raising household wealth through development assistance does not result in undesirable impacts on the conservation status of wildlife and fish.
The fauna's overexploitation in the Congo basin in general and within logging concessions in particular case still appears as a crucial problematic. Commercial poaching threats not only mammal biodiversity but also long-term food safety of local populations. Strangely, this situation is generating a new and collective answer from stakeholders having opposite interests. Administrative authorities, international NGOs of conservation, logging companies have found in the context of wood certifi cation a common deal to begin an anti-poaching action on large landscapes. This study analyses interests of each stakeholder and discusses the place given to populations in this social blending around wildlife. © 2006, FAC UNIV SCIENCES AGRONOMIQUES GEMBLOUX. All rights reserved.
Most protein in sub-Saharan Africa comes from animal sources, a significant proportion of this from wild species or bushmeat. Availability of protein sources to human populations in Africa has not been studied before, perhaps because most population centres are too large for data collection to be practicable. Assessment of the availability and consumption of animal protein within the city of Malabo (c. 60 000 inhabitants), Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea, included estimation of the annual animal protein supply to the city from daily counts of small livestock meats (goat, pork, lamb, duck, chicken), beef, fish and bushmeat (December 2003–March 2004) in the city's central market and other selling points, and the animal protein consumption per adult male equivalent (AME) derived from a sample of around 200 households to explore influence of household income on consumption of different protein sources. Current animal protein production (bushmeat, small livestock meats, beef and fish) in Bioko, and potential production needed to supply adequate amounts of protein to the people of Malabo in the future were calculated. Annually around 2100 t of meat/fish (460 t of animal protein) was available, of which only 7% was produced on the island. Consumption patterns indicated that larger-sized households purchased more meat, but protein intake per AME fell significantly with household size. Income was positively correlated with volume of small livestock meats consumed per household, but negatively related with bushmeat eaten. Income did not influence beef or fish consumption per household. Although the island is capable of producing more alternative meats, it cannot sustain itself on local production and will therefore continue to be dependent on importing a large proportion of meat (and protein). There is no dependency on bushmeat species, but current rates of wild species use can still have a dramatic impact on wildlife populations on the island if left unabated. Alternative ways of ensuring sufficient protein supply for the Malabo population are crucial for wildlife conservation, and curbing consumption of bushmeat species is of highest conservation priority now.
Bushmeat is a major food and economic resource in sub-Saharan Africa, and with increasing urbanization bushmeat consumption has spread from villages to cities. To facilitate long-term monitoring of the bushmeat market in Yaoundé, Cameroon, we carried out a baseline survey of the transportation routes of bushmeat into the city and of urban bushmeat sales. We inventoried all bushmeat sales points, and located 15 markets and 145 restaurants and cafeterias selling an estimated total of 1,052 bushmeat dishes per day. This trade provides an occupation for 249 people, of whom 84.3% are women. Trains from Ngaoundere in the north and minibuses from the east supply more than 70% of the sales points in the Elig-Edzoa market, located next to the railway, and the Nkoldongo bus station. From these two places bushmeat is redistributed to other commercial sites within the city. The routes into Yaoundé transport bushmeat from a vast area of the country and in particular from the savannah and central provinces, which are rich in wildlife and contain National Parks and safari hunting areas. However, overall, bushmeat consumption at commercial outlets in the city is low relative to the number of inhabitants.
The trade in wild animals for meat, or ‘bushmeat’, is perceived as one of the most important threats to wildlife in the tropics. Unsustainable bushmeat extraction also threatens the loss of livelihoods. However, the long‐term persistence of the bushmeat trade, documented in Africa over several centuries, suggests that the trade can be sustainable. In this study, we investigate sustainability in a mature bushmeat market in West Africa (Takoradi, Ghana).
Our study, conducted over January and February 2000, combined biological and socio‐economic approaches. Offtake data, including information on species identity, capture location and sales price, were collected in a market survey. Species biological data, and the historical price of bushmeat and its substitutes (fish and domestic meat), were taken from the literature. The theoretical sustainable yield for each species was estimated using standard algorithms.
We tested the hypothesis that the current trade is unsustainable with four predictions: that (1) the number of animals extracted exceeds a theoretical sustainable yield, (2) larger taxa are depleted more heavily close to the city, (3) the price of bushmeat has outstripped inflation and (4) the price of alternatives, such as domestic meat and fish, has fallen relative to the price of bushmeat. None of these predictions were supported. There was therefore no evidence of unsustainability.
Analysis of market profiles and hunter reports suggest that the present pattern of sustainability is the result of a series of non‐random extinctions from historical hunting. Vulnerable taxa (slow reproducers) have been depleted heavily in the past, so that only robust taxa (fast reproducers), such as rodents and small antelope, are now traded. These robust taxa are supplied from a predominantly agricultural landscape around the city.
Synthesis and applications. The bushmeat trade can have a severe impact on species that are vulnerable to overexploitation. However, once these species have disappeared, the remaining species may be harvested sustainably. Bushmeat management policy might therefore be improved by adopting a two‐pronged approach in which vulnerable species are protected from hunting, but robust species are allowed to supply a sustainable trade. The productivity of agricultural landscapes for many bushmeat species indicates that these areas may play an important role in supporting a sustainable bushmeat trade.