Hunting & Wildlife Trade in Africa

Overview
WCS’s Hunting & Wildlife Trade Program was established in response to an overwhelming threat to wildlife in tropical forests today: unsustainable hunting and trade in wild animals and their parts. WCS actively addresses the critical issue of hunting and wildlife trade in Africa with a broad portfolio of projects. Many of these projects are based in central Africa where hunting and wildlife trade pose serious threats to biodiversity. Driving factors of the wildlife trade include a rapidly growing human population, the opening of previously isolated tracts of forest through road- and railway-building, and expansion and development of new markets especially in cities and in logging camps, so that rising prices are stimulating trade from dwindling resources.

The commercialization of wildlife trade, together with the spread of the timber industry and mining settlements within formerly pristine forests, have resulted in vast and unsustainable hunting and contributed to what is often called the “bushmeat crisis.” According to scientific estimates, 28 million bay duikers, 16 million blue duikers, 7.5 million red colobus monkeys, 1.8 million red river hogs, 34,000 leopards, 15,000 chimps and 6,250 gorillas are killed annually for food.

The Human Aspect
Throughout tropical Africa, people have used wildlife for food, traditional medicine, and ritual purposes for possibly 100,000 years. Today, many rural peoples’ livelihoods still depend on the extraction of wildlife resources. However, Africa’s human population has grown in the last 100 years by about 800%, increasing the demand for bushmeat in urban areas. This demand is intensified by the expansion of road networks and railways that facilitate trade, bringing forests “closer” to urban areas. This has led to unsustainable commercial hunting rates, which jeopardize the traditional lifestyles, health, and cultural well-being of rural peoples who depend on these wildlife resources for their survival.

WCS Activities
WCS has many successful projects in Africa that address the issue of hunting and wildlife trade either directly or indirectly. Our approach is to use science (“what is happening and why?”), and to work closely with partners in applying practical solutions on the ground. This in-depth knowledge is used to propose solutions that address the symptoms and the underlying causes of the intense increase in hunting and wildlife trade while also supporting the livelihoods of rural communities.

WCS is working with…

• Local communities in Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon and Zambia. In Gabon, WCS conducts one of the biggest studies on bushmeat ever undertaken in Africa. Hunting patterns, destinations of hunted animals, and the dependence on hunted wildlife for subsistence and cash are part of this and other studies across the continent. Based on these research findings, WCS develops methods to reduce hunting of all species to sustainable levels. Through zoning of the habitat into hunting and no-hunting zones, long-term education, and co-management, WCS seeks to help overcome the problems posed by the bushmeat crisis. In Zambia, WCS has developed a strategy that aims to reduce hunting and wildlife trade by promoting alternative income strategies and sustainable agriculture. Supporting programs that improve food security of local communities is an important part of our strategy.

• Timber companies to reduce logging-associated hunting and wildlife trade in Congo and Gabon. WCS’s work with logging companies and the government in concessions around Nouabalé Ndoki National Park in Congo, for instance, has set conservation standards for tackling the bushmeat crisis. Through the implementation of a program comprising zoning, anti-poaching patrols, bans on hunting protected and endangered species, controlling of roads and vehicles used for transporting game meat, and widespread information dissemination, WCS has established significant systems of wildlife management and mechanisms to control hunting on forestry concession lands.

• Governments to build strong partnerships and to provide scientific data as the basis for political and legal decision-making to curb the negative impacts of hunting and wildlife trade on wildlife populations and rural peoples.

Go to our Publications page to download WCS's new Central Africa Bushmeat Policy.