Recipes for Survival_English_tcm46-28192

WSPA/APE ALLIANCERECIPES FOR SURVIVALAnd in both cases, restraining measures in response to declining stocks face:• resistance to change by those whose livelihood depends on harvesting or trade• cultural conservatism in consumption patterns despite evidence of declining stocks• difficulty in imposing top-down restraint (law enforcement)• lack of self-restraint because open access resource – the ‘tragedy of the commons’.3.1 Scale and distribution of the bushmeat crisisThere is evidence to show that the multi-million dollar bushmeat trade has nowsurpassed habitat loss as the greatest threat to tropical wildlife (Brashares et al, 2004;Bennett et al, 2002). In the Congo Basin, researchers estimate that up to five millionmetric tons of bushmeat is traded annually (Wilkie & Carpenter, 1999; Fa et al, 2002),representing the most immediate threat to the region’s wildlife over the next 5 – 25years (Wilkie & Carpenter, 1999; Robinson et al, 1999; BCTF, 2004b). By comparison,up to 0.15 million tons is traded in the Amazon Basin (Fa et al, 2002; Robinson &Redford, 1991), with an estimated market value of $190.7 million. (Peres, 2000).Annual harvest rates in Sarawak reach 23,500 tons (Bennett, 2000); elsewhere in Asia,the scale of the problem is largelyunquantified, though local extinctionshave occurred (Kümpel, 2005).The commercial trade in bushmeatoccurs across almost all of tropicalAfrica, Asia and the Neotropics(Robinson & Bennett, 2000), but it ismost critical in the densely forestedregions of Central and West Africa.Here, the magnitude of hunting is sixtimes the sustainable rate (Bennett,2002). The Congo Basin is the world’ssecond largest rainforest, stretchingacross 10 countries and housingmore than half of Africa’s animalspecies. Uncontrolled bushmeathunting in this region thereforethreatens the health of a forestecosystem of planetary importance,both in terms of biodiversity and ofglobal climate stability.Until recently, bushmeat hunting in East and Southern Africa was thought of as asubsistence-motivated activity, carried out exclusively by rural families with a history oftraditional use, but commercial trade across the region is now of serious conservationTHE BROADER BUSHMEAT ISSUEconcern (Barnett, 2000; Born Free, 2004). At least 25% of meat in Nairobi butcheriesis bushmeat, sold under the auspices of domestic meat, and a further 19% is adomestic-bushmeat mix, suggesting mixing and cross-contamination during storageor transit (Born Free, 2004).Bushmeat is also a problem on a global scale, since a proportion of it (albeit low)enters international markets. It is not difficult to find bushmeat in Paris, Brussels,London and New York (Agnagna, 2002). Between 4,000 and 29,000 tons of illegalmeat enters the UK annually from non-EU countries, with more entering undetected(Kümpel, 2005). Much of this is meat of domestic animals; the proportion ofbushmeat is not known.Evidence shows that illegal wildlife trade in the UK operates through existing organisedcrimesmuggling routes. 50% of people prosecuted for wildlife trade have had previousconvictions for drugs and firearms (Cook et al, 2002). The UK has some of thestrongest CITES legislation in the EU, fortified by COTES (Control of Trade inEndangered Species) regulations. But offenders are rarely prosecuted, because HerMajesty’s Customs and Excise (HMCE) destroy all confiscated meat on the groundsof health risks, without first identifying the species (Kümpel, 2005). The proportionof meat from endangered species in UK imports has not, therefore, been quantified.Bushmeat imported into Europe is on the increase, indicating a need for strongercontrols at airports (CITES, 2004).3.2 The socio-economic importance of bushmeat3.2.1 Social significanceThe network of people involved in the bushmeat industry includes (locally) the ruralpoor, commercial poachers, traders, vendors (including restaurateurs), loggingcompanies, vehicle drivers (who ferry meat to urban centres) and local administrations,as well as (internationally) foreign businesses that consume tropical timber, governmentand non-governmental organisations.3.2.2 Food securityThe loss of wildlife threatens the livelihoods and food security of those who mostdepend on it as a staple or supplement to their diet (ABCG, 2004). Wildlife providesprotein for many poor rural families without land or access to agricultural markets.In several tropical countries, there is no replacement for bushmeat (Kaul et al, 2004).Surveys reveal that bushmeat represents 80% of all animal-based household proteinconsumed in Central Africa, and more in some regions (Draulans & Van Krunkelsven,2002; Pfeffer, 1996). Where crop-based agriculture is practiced, bushmeat hunting ofcrop-raiding species occurs in tandem to fulfil the twin imperatives of meeting proteinneeds and defending crops to maximise agricultural output for further economic gain.23WSPA/APE ALLIANCE22Below: WestAfrican monkey,smoked, on sale inLondon. The vendorwas successfullyprosecuted.© Ian Redmond