Bushmeat Hunting, Wildlife Declines, and Fish Supply in West Africa
Wildlife Conservation Society · University of British Columbia · +5 more institutions
Abstract
The multibillion-dollar trade in bushmeat is among the most immediate threats to the persistence of tropical vertebrates, but our understanding of its underlying drivers and effects on human welfare is limited by a lack of empirical data. We used 30 years of data from Ghana to link mammal declines to the bushmeat trade and to spatial and temporal changes in the availability of fish. We show that years of poor fish supply coincided with increased hunting in nature reserves and sharp declines in biomass of 41 wildlife species. Local market data provide evidence of a direct link between fish supply and subsequent bushmeat demand in villages and show bushmeat's role as a dietary staple in the region. Our results…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 13.94
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 12
Authors
6- JSJustin S. BrasharesCorresponding
Wildlife Conservation Society, University of British Columbia, University of Cambridge, Ghana Wildlife Society, Conservation Leadership Programme, University of California, Berkeley
- PAPeter Arcese
Wildlife Conservation Society, University of British Columbia, University of Cambridge, Ghana Wildlife Society, Conservation Leadership Programme, University of California, Berkeley
- MSMoses Sam
Wildlife Conservation Society, University of British Columbia, University of Cambridge, Ghana Wildlife Society, Conservation Leadership Programme, University of California, Berkeley
- PCPeter Coppolillo
Wildlife Conservation Society, University of British Columbia, University of Cambridge, Ghana Wildlife Society, Conservation Leadership Programme, University of California, Berkeley
- ARA. R. E. Sinclair
Wildlife Conservation Society, University of British Columbia, University of Cambridge, Ghana Wildlife Society, Conservation Leadership Programme, University of California, Berkeley
Topics & keywords
- Bushmeat
- Wildlife
- Wildlife trade
- Geography
- Fishery
- Wildlife management
- Wildlife conservation
- Natural resource economics