Bushmeat Crisis, Forestry Reforms and Contemporary Hunting Among Central African Forest Hunters

Abstract

Several million tons of wild animals are hunted and their meat is consumed as an important source of food in central African forest countries. Hundreds or even thousands of tons of bushmeat are also smuggled into Europe, a situation that has recently posed health problems. There is a strong preference for bushmeat among the central African people, who distinguish “hunger for meat” from hunger for starchy food. Furthermore, bushmeat is not only a source of protein, but also valued as the source of “wild power” that can not be obtained from fish or domesticated animals. Improved access to remote forests through logging roads and the development of a consumer economy have resulted in a rising demand for bushmeat, both among African town dwellers and abroad. The excessive hunting pressure resulting from the increasing demands is, however, imposing serious impacts both on animal resources and the forest ecosystem and on local people’s livelihoods. This chapter describes the current situation of bushmeat hunting and consumption, and the background leading to the increasing demand for bushmeat. Taking Cameroon as an example, we also discuss the ecological problems brought about by overhunting, and address the issue of adverse impacts imposed by the recent national forestry reforms and of hunting regulations. The final section of the chapter describes an ongoing project aiming to reconcile forest conservation and poverty alleviation through the sustainable use of forest resources.