Hunting for Consensus: Reconciling Bushmeat Harvest, Conservation, and Development Policy in West and Central Africa

Abstract

The Bushmeat Crisis and DevelopmentBushmeat is a development issue because many types of development decisions or actions lead to crisis. The

The role of bushmeat in a West African agricultural landscape

“…Throughout sub-Saharan Africa bushmeat is a valuable natural resource, serving to increase household protein consumption and/or boost household income (Cowlishaw et al, 2005). Many of West Africa's large-bodied mammals have already declined or disappeared and the land has increasingly been converted from forest into agricultural land (Bennett et al, 2006). The time and resources that a household invests in hunting are likely to be highly dependent on the household's agricultural activities (e.g.…”

Reflexiones sobre el impacto y manejo de la caza de mamíferos silvestres en los bosques tropicales

“…Por lo tanto, sería un error asumir que la carne de caza constituye sólo un componente facultativo de escaso valor añadido para la subsistencia y economía de las familias, en cuyo caso sería razonable prohibir su recolección o sustituirla por otras alternativas (Bennett et al, 2007). De acuerdo con lo hasta aquí expuesto, la dependencia actual de las poblaciones humanas respecto a la carne de caza es un conflicto sumamente complicado de resolver.…”

Bushmeat harvest in tropical forests: Knowledge base, gaps and research priorities

“…For instance, in Sarawak, Bennett found that bushmeat was present in 29% of meals in the interior, but in 49% of meals in logging camps (Bennett et al 2007). A second important distinction is whether hunters transport game meat for sale in markets or cities, or use the meat for their families and near neighbors.…”

“…In the Brazilian Pantanal, introduced feral pigs are the primary target of hunters, and have reduced hunting of native game (Desbiez et al 2011). In Africa, some species, such as the helmeted guinea fowl and the blue duiker or cane rat, breed quickly and can sustain a relatively high hunting pressure (Bennett et al 2007). …”

“…for the hunting of apes in Africa (Miranda and Alencar 2007; Kuehl et al 2009). Where bushmeat markets are growing, rural people are exploiting their wildlife resources to subsidize the protein consumption of urban families (Bennett et al 2007). In one of the most comprehensive studies to date, using data from Cameroon, Ghana, Madagascar and Tanzania, found that in rural settings the poorest households consistently consume more bushmeat, whereas bushmeat consumption is positively related to income in urban settings.…”