The Illegal Bushmeat Trade in Eastern Africa

1
The Illegal Bushmeat Trade in Eastern Africa
2
Bushmeat

• The bushmeat trade is the illegal overhunting of
  wildlife for meat and income.

3
Bushmeat Challenges

• Wildlife across Eastern Africa is declining
  rapidly both inside and outside protected areas.
  

4
Demand for protein and income derived from
wildlife is driven by

• rapidly increasing human populations,
• poverty,
• political instability,
• inadequate law enforcement,
• inadequate awareness or transparency

5

MENTOR (Mentoring for Environmental Training in
Outreach and Resources conservation) Fellowship
Program on illegal bushmeat exploitation in
eastern Africa www.mentorfellowshipprogram.org
6
Map of Eastern Africa
7
Bushmeat AssessmentsApril May 2008 conducted
by eight MENTOR Fellows

• Multiple methods applied
• Aim to identify and evaluate current bushmeat
  trade,
• potential solutions partners

• Kenya, Southern Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda
• National Assessments
• Site Level Assessments

8
Bushmeat in Eastern Africa

• In Kenya, bushmeat hunting is widespread
• in and around protected areas as well as on
• private land. Snare hunting is widespread.
• Wildlife policy is under review and going
• by the current debate, this is no sign that
• bushmeat management will be given the
• attention it deserves.
• In Uganda, studies have shown
• declines in wildlife populations in
• protected areas due to hunting.
• Understanding of wildlife laws
• and value require revision.

9

• In Tanzania, trophy and subsistence hunting
  is legally allowed in wildlife areas outside of
  national parks. This type of consumptive
  utilization is controlled through quotas and
  permits, however with limited capacity to manage
  illegal hunting.
• In Southern Sudan, hunting with rifles is
  widespread
• where many citizens rely on bushmeat for
  protein and income with limited capacity to
  manage over-hunting.

10
Commonalities and Differences

• Commonalities
• Inadequate awareness (diseases, wildlife laws,
  impact of bushmeat) across the region
• Inadequate enforcement of laws, capacity and
  technology
• Decreasing wildlife population
• Common drivers
• Common hunting tools
• Inadequate collaboration among stakeholders
• Differences
• Values of wildlife from legal perspectives
• Policies and laws

11
Strategies to Address the Eastern Africa Bushmeat
Trade Conceptual Model
12
Bushmeat Solutions

• Alternatives for both protein and income
• are essential to change current trends in
• illegal, over-hunting of wildlife.

13

• Enhanced awareness by individuals and
  institutions on how the illegal and unsustainable
  bushmeat trade will impact future economics and
  ecology of their livelihoods.

14

• Improved policy, legislation and regulation of
  legal wildlife use is necessary if future
  generations of citizens in Africa will be able to
  have wildlife as part of their heritage to pass
  on to the next generation.

15
Partnerships that bring together government
authority, private industry, non-profit
organization and local community ingenuity and
effort can assure the future of wildlife
populations in Africa and the many services they
provide.
16

• A change in awareness, behavior and
  responsibility must be developed among all
  sectors of society to address this important
  conservation and cultural challenge.

17
www.bushmeatnetwork.org
18
Contact
Photo credits USAID Ephraim Mwangomo Michael
Gelman Evanson Kariuki Peter Amum College of
African Wildlife Management, Mweka WWF-US Heather
Eves
19
Thanks! We look forward to your participation in
addressing bushmeat issues.