Effect of Small‐Scale Heterogeneity of Prey and Hunter Distributions on the Sustainability of Bushmeat Hunting

Abstract

Bushmeat is the main source of protein and the most important source of income for rural people in the Congo Basin, but intensive hunting of bushmeat species is also a major concern for conservationists. Although spatial heterogeneity in hunting effort and in prey populations at the landscape level plays a key role in the sustainability of hunted populations, the role of small-scale heterogeneity within a village hunting territory in the sustainability of hunting has remained understudied. We built a spatially explicit multiagent model to capture the dynamics of a system in which hunters and preys interact within a village hunting territory. We examined the case of hunting of bay duikers (Cephalophus dorsalis) in the village of Ntsiété, northeastern Gabon. The impact of hunting on prey populations depended on the spatial heterogeneity of hunting and prey distribution at small scales within a hunting area. Within a village territory, the existence of areas hunted throughout the year, areas hunted only during certain seasons, and unhunted areas contributed to the sustainability of the system. Prey abundance and offtake per hunter were particularly sensitive to the frequency and length of hunting sessions and to the number of hunters sharing an area. Some biological parameters of the prey species, such as dispersal rate and territory size, determined their spatial distribution in a hunting area, which in turn influenced the sustainability of hunting. Detailed knowledge of species ecology and behavior, and of hunting practices are crucial to understanding the distribution of potential sinks and sources in space and time. Given the recognized failure of simple biological models to assess maximum sustainable yields, multiagent models provide an innovative path toward new approaches for the assessment of hunting sustainability, provided further research is conducted to increase knowledge of prey species' and hunter behavior.

Improving diets with wild and cultivated biodiversity from across the landscape

“…Of the papers in Table 2, the majority (~2/ 3rds) of those that included information on seasonal differences showed higher dependence on wild foods in the lean or food insecure season (Newman 1975;Dei 1989;van Liere et al 1995;de Merode et al 2004;Colfer and Soedjito 2008;Powell et al 2013b), although others suggest that seasonal variation is more dependent on availability than need (Dwyer 1985;Huss-Ashmore and Curry 1991;Dufour 1992). While in many cases wild food availability happens to correspond with the hungry season, e.g.…”

“…A greater percentage of WEP consumers had adequate intakes of nutrients than non-consumers In a number of the studies, wild foods made up a significant portion of the diet, especially for non-staple food items (Hurtado and Hill 1987;Colfer and Soedjito 2008). The contribution that wild foods made to total energy intake was reported to be low in most studies (Schlegel and Guthrie 1973;van Liere et al 1995;Termote et al 2012;Powell et al 2013b). Despite low or modest contributions to energy, wild foods accounted for a large portion of micronutrients consumed at a number of sites.…”

“…While the populations of many species decline under even moderate hunting pressure, some smaller species have been found to be more resilient (Nielsen 2006;Arnold 2008;Nasi et al 2008;van Vliet et al 2010). Work on sustainability of harvest of non-timber forest products suggests that plant species which are not harvested for their roots or bark (such as wild fruit and vegetables) may be able to sustain heavier levels of harvest (Ticktin 2004).…”

Wild Foods from Farm and Forest in the East Usambara Mountains, Tanzania

“…In many regions an important, if controversial, type of wild food from forested areas is bush meat, which can provide an excellent source of protein and micronutrients (Fa, Currie, and Meeuwig 2003;Nasi et al 2008;van Vliet et al 2010). In a paper using data from Madagascar, Golden and colleagues (2011) estimate that the loss of wild meat from the diets of children would result in a 29% increase in the number of children suffering from anemia.…”

Trends in bushmeat trade in a postconflict forest town: implications for food security

“…Indeed, bushmeat is an easily available, affordable, and nutritious wild food (van Vliet et al 2017) and can act as a safety net during periods of shortage or shock (Brown 2003, de Merode et al 2004, Schulte-Herbrüggen et al 2013) However, evidence of unsustainable hunting (Abernethy et al 2016, Fa et al 2016, Ripple et al 2016) suggests a continued reliance on bushmeat in postconflict urban areas may not be sustainable, and hence endanger long-term food security and negatively affect human health through disease spillovers (Kurpiers et al 2016), causing another burden for impoverished urban populations.…”