African buffalo are a common target for bushmeat in Tanzania. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler.
Bushmeat consumption, or “wildlife hunted for human consumption,” poses a significant threat to wildlife conservation all across the globe. But in Eastern Africa—where savannah grasslands flourish and big game roam free within ‘protected’ reserves—one may be forgiven to think that poaching does not occur here: but it does.
“It is difficult to know how to change people’s behavior without clear knowledge of the factors affecting bushmeat consumption,” write the authors of a new study in mongabay.com’s open-access Tropical Conservation Science.
In order to better understand the trade, the researchers interviewed indigenous groups (Pimbwe, Fipa and Rungwa) known for their bushmeat consumption as well as immigrant Sukuma groups “that have no strong reputation for being hunters,” the authors said. The groups were situated in villages bordering two protected areas: Katavi National Park and Rukwa Game Reserve.
Among the key questions, interviewees were asked how many animal carcasses entered their village every year and how often they consumed bushmeat during the month prior to interviewing.
Responses were cross referenced with household size, education (primary or secondary), distance of village to the nearest protected area and household wealth. Wealth was measured in 4 ways: area under cultivation (hectares), livestock ownership, poultry ownership and assets owned such as cell phone, radio, tin-roof etc.
“Unsurprisingly, we find that households nearer to protected area borders report more carcasses entering their villages regardless of ethnicity,” the authors state, adding “with respect to bushmeat consumption, the same pattern is seen for the indigenous sample.” Interestingly though, bushmeat consumption did not follow the same trends in the Sukuma sample.
Other factors for bushmeat consumption differ markedly between groups. Wealthier indigenous groups were found to consume more bushmeat.
“Pimbwe, Fipa and other indigenous populations of the Rukwa valley use their traditional sources of wealth to generate cash to purchase and consume bushmeat,” the researchers suggest.
But wealthier Sukuma groups did not consume as much bushmeat as poorer households, the study revealed.
“If this is a general result throughout the country, Tanzanian rural indigenous communities that experience economic growth may be having a negative impact on the nation’s wildlife,” the scientists speculate.
Notably, education levels were found to have no particular effect on either the perception of bushmeat availability or its consumption.
To mitigate the loss of wildlife to bushmeat consumption the authors recommend outreach programs designed to reduce bushmeat by targeting both hunters near the boundaries of protected areas and consumers located throughout the division. The scientists add that programs should focus on land-rich households and cautious consideration should be given to protein supplementation for solving the bushmeat problem.
The principal species hunted for bushmeat include impala (Aepyceros melampus), common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), warthog (Phacocherus africanus), buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus).
CITATION: Mgawe, P., Borgerhoff Mulder, M., Caro, T., Martin, A., and Kiffner, C. 2012. Factors affecting bushmeat consumption in the Katavi-Rukwa ecosystem of Tanzania. Tropical Conservation Science Vol. 5(4):446-462.
Related articles
Vanishing corridors: trying to keep big animals on the move across Tanzania
(12/10/2012) One of the biggest challenges for big African wildlife like lions, elephants, and buffalo is movement across native habitat that is increasingly being encroached on by humans. Animals find their movement restricted by roads, fences, and property boundaries which fragment the landscape. Without safe, smart, and well-maintained corridors between designated wildlife areas, animals can get cut off from resources needed for survival and from potential mates (putting genetic health at risk), even while conflicts with humans become more frequent.
Lion population falls 68 percent in 50 years
(12/04/2012) African lions, one of the most iconic species on the planet, are in rapid decline. According to a new study in Biodiversity Conservation, the African lion (Panthera leo leo) population has dropped from around 100,000 animals just fifty years ago to as few as 32,000 today. The study, which used high resolution satellite imagery to study savannah ecosystems across Africa, also found that lion habitat had plunged by 75 percent.
Tanzania weighs new soda ash plant in prime flamingo territory
(11/08/2012) In a choice between flamingoes and a soda ash plant, a new report shows that local residents near Lake Natron, Tanzania prefer flamingoes. This is good news for conservationists as the area is the most important breeding site in the world for lesser flamingos (Phoenicopterus minor). While the report shows agreement between residents and conservation groups that the project isn’t worth its cost or risk, the Tanzanian government is not giving up yet.
Authorities confiscate 600 dead elephants’ worth of ivory in Hong Kong
(10/22/2012) Hong Kong authorities have confiscated two massive shipments of elephant tusks, totaling 1,209 tusks, stemming from Kenya and Tanzania. Representing over 600 poached elephants, the shipments are estimated to be worth $3.4 million on the black market. African elephants are being decimated for their tusks in recent years with heavily-armed and well-connected poachers—backed by criminal syndicates—killing off whole herds in some cases.
Bushmeat consumption differs between communities in Tanzania
(09/17/2012) Bushmeat consumption depends on the make-up of individual communities, according to a new study in the open access journal Tropical Conservation Science. By interviewing indigenous groups and refugees living near two protected areas in western Tanzania, researchers found that consumption rates differed significantly, likely based on costliness and access.
Forest cover falls 9% in East Africa in 9 years
(07/31/2012) Forest cover in East Africa has dropped by 9.3 percent from 2001-2009, according to a new paper published in the open-access journal PLoS ONE. Looking at 12 countries in the region, the scientists found that, worryingly, forests were particularly hard hit near protected areas. Usually thought of as a region of vast savannas, such as the Serengeti, East Africa is also home to incredibly biodiverse tropical forests, including coastal forests, rich montane forests, and the eastern portion of the Congo Rainforest.
Poaching in the Serengeti linked to poverty, high legal hunting prices
(07/09/2012) In the effort to protect the Serengeti—arguably Africa’s most famous ecosystem—one of the major problems is the bushmeat trade. Population growth, little available protein, poverty, and a long-standing history of hunting has led many communities to poach wildlife within Serengeti National Park. Interviewing over a thousand community members in the western Serengeti, scientists found that community members are largely aware that wildlife hunting is illegal and that conservation of wild species is important, but hunt animals anyway partly out of necessity.