Recipes for Survival_English_tcm46-28192

WSPA/APE ALLIANCERECIPES FOR SURVIVAL3.4.1 Importance of forest wildlifeInvertebrates, amphibians, insects, fish, reptiles, birds and mammals are all targetedby the bushmeat trade. Forest animals are ecologically fundamental, and many forestplants – some of which are economically valuable – are reliant on herbivory andpredation practices for pollination, seed dispersal and germination (Williamson, 2001;Serio-Silva & Rico-Gray, 2002; Riley, 2002).In Gabon, regeneration of tree species such as Irvingia gabonensis and Tieghemella sp. islow in areas where animals responsible for dipersing their seeds are rare (Medou, 2001).Large-bodied frugivores, the seed dispersal agents of plants with large fruits are chieftargets of bushmeat hunters. Moore (2001) showed that Inga ingoides trees in Bolivia hadsignificantly lower genetic diversity in areas where there sole seed vectors (Spidermonkeys) had been driven to extinction.150 species of fruit among the rumen contents of duikers suggests that they arecrucial for seed dispersal (Eves, Stein & BCTF, 2002). Up to 80% of all tree speciescould have their seed dispersal affected by the loss of tropical forest frugivores(Peres & van Roosmalen, 2002, cited by Apaza et al, 2002).Over-exploitation of wildlife is expected to alter forest composition, architecture andbiomass, as well as altering ecosystem dynamics, such as regrowth and successionpatterns, deposition of soil nutrients and carbon sequestration (Apaza et al, 2002).The ‘empty forest syndrome’ therefore threatens thefuture not only of species but also of the ecosystemas a whole.3.4.2 Species vulnerabilityResearch suggests that bushmeat use is positivelycorrelated with availability, the most commonly huntedspecies being those that are abundant, proximal tohuman habitation and commonly regarded as pests(Bowen-Jones & Pendry, 1999). Habitat type andlocation are also crucial factors; bushmeatconsumption is more prevalent in forest communitiesthan in any other type of habitat (see Graph 3), despiteevidence that tropical forests are relativelyunproductive compared to other habitat types (Kümpel,2005). In agricultural park-boundary areas, whereonly small game is present, the loss from cropraiding can exceed the gain from bushmeat hunting (Naughton-Treves et al, 2003).The most profitable species to hunt are large-bodied animals, weighing more than1kg (for example, apes and duikers), which provide more meat per gun cartridge thansmaller species (Kaul et al, 1994; Robinson, 1995). Concurrently, large-bodied animalsare also the most vulnerable to hunting due to their low reproductive rates (Barnes,2002). Even when the most productive species to hunt become scarce, hunting will7654321ForestMosaicSavannaMangrove035RodentsMonkeysAntelopesPangolinsWild birdsSnakesWild pigs & hippoWild catsSnailsChimpanzeesInsectsElephantsGorillasBatsTaxaWSPA/APE ALLIANCEAverage number of meals per person per month600500400300Number of species© Ian Redmond200AmphibiaAvesMammaliaReptilesInsectsAll1000Carribbean IslandsEast AsiaEuropeMesoAmericaNorth AfricaNorth AmericaNorth AsiaOceaniaSouth AmericaSouth and SE AsiaSouth and SW AsiaSub-Saharan AfricaWest/Central Asia34RegionGraph 2: Numberof species huntedfor wild meat pertaxa pergeographic regionleft Graph 3:Consumption ofbushmeat taxa byhabitat (Source:Wolfe, 2004)THE BROADER BUSHMEAT ISSUEBelow: Mbinzo(smoked caterpillars):nutritious, legalbushmeat for sale inKinshasa, DRC.