Wild meat hunting levels and trade in a West African protected area in Togo

Abstract

We assessed numbers and biomass of species hunted and sold for wild meat in 12 park‐adjacent settlements in the Fazao Malfakassa National Park (FMNP), Togo. From hunter interviews and market carcass counts, 33 species, 28 from hunter interviews and 26 from market surveys were taken, respectively. A total of 2605 animals were recorded in the study, 18 species during the wet season (740 animals) and 26 species in the dry season (1865 animals). In markets, 754 carcasses of 19 species were traded during the wet season, and 1896 carcasses of 24 species in the dry season. Most species were relatively small‐bodied mammals (62% of total numbers of animals reported), the rest large ungulates. Species were generally of minor conservation concern (LC or NT) with only three EN and NE. From the gathered field data, we estimated that an average of 9095 ± 5613 animals per study village were hunted per year, amounting to a biomass of 198,334 ± 191,930 kg. Despite efforts to protect the wildlife within the FMNP, reported level of hunting, particularly of large ungulates within the park, the reported level of hunting is likely to have severe consequences on the long‐term viability of this important protected area.

Use and vulnerability of fauna in the northern part of the Mono Basin in Togo, West Africa

“…There is also a slightly greater diversity of ungulates and primates in the present study compared to the inventories and wildlife surveys of the FMFR. 2,19 The diversity of primates is identical to that of the Togodo Protected Areas Complex (TPAC) 39,40 and slightly less than the Mono River Transboundary Reserve in Togo (MRTR). 20 In contrast, the diversity of ungulates is a little higher than that reported at the level of the TPAC and the MRTR in Togo respectively 10 and 12 21,40 and smaller than that of.…”

“…Among natural resources found within these ecosystems, wildlife occupies a prominent place. 1,2 Today, following anthropogenic pressures induced by population growth and the increase in demand for wild meats, protected areas, biodiversity sanctuaries are proving to be the preferred refuge area for wildlife. 3 These protected areas, far from being inviolable and a haven of peace for wildlife, are also affected by anthropogenic threats, including poaching.…”

“…3 These protected areas, far from being inviolable and a haven of peace for wildlife, are also affected by anthropogenic threats, including poaching. 2 Added to poaching mainly affecting primates and mammals, deforestation, agricultural expansion, mining and wildfires contribute to the fragmentation and the reduction in the quality of wildlife habitat. [4][5][6] All these threats affect the survival and the reproduction of wildlife.…”

“…7 This science dealing with knowledge of uses, perceptions and representation of wildlife by communities occupies a prominent place in the process of sustainable wildlife management. 1,2 It helps at understanding quickly the state of wildlife populations, namely the state of conservation, exploitation, dynamics and viability of wildlife habitats based on endogenous knowledge. 8 Having at heart the protection of biodiversity in general and that of the fauna, Togo, one of the countries of West Africa, has set up 83 protected areas (PA).…”

Contemporary wild meat hunting, consumption, and trade in Africa

“…In our first section, articles on changes in the dynamics of hunting, wild meat use and trade explore new knowledge of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on local livelihoods and household wild meat use (Kamogne Tagne et al, 2022), and urban market sales of species purported to be implicated in zoonotic disease spread (Harvey-Carroll et al, 2022). Furthermore, several papers in this section of the Special Issue investigate wild meat use in under-researched regions of north and west Africa, for example assessing the offtakes and impacts of hunting in forestsavannah mosaic landscapes (Sonhaye-Ouyé et al, 2022;Djagoun et al, 2022); highlighting the influence of modern online platforms (Atoussi et al, 2022a) and corruption (Atoussi et al, 2022b) in the current trade of wildlife; and showing that despite significant social and religious change, local wildlife still represents a component of traditional remedies, fetish objects, and artist representations (Ingram et al, 2022).…”