麻豆淫院

Advances in data availability and accessibility have resulted in a new study on wild animal hunting in African tropical forests. It suggests that the commercial trade in wild-sourced meat is increasing, and highlights the urgent need for countries to develop robust frameworks to ensure hunting and trade is sustainable in a growing commercialized sector.

The study, in Nature Sustainability by lead authors Daniel Ingram (Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, University of Kent), Katharine Abernethy (University of Stirling), J枚rn Scharlemann (formerly University of Sussex), and Lauren Coad (CIFOR-ICRAF), is the first to explore the factors that influence wild animal hunting patterns across African tropical forests鈥攊n detail, and on a regional scale.

Conducted in collaboration with many organizations, including the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale (IRET), the research made extensive use of wildmeat.org鈥攖he largest compilation of African hunting data to date鈥攖o explore the socio-cultural, economic, and landscape variables associated with wild animal hunting across 115 settlements in African tropical forests.

Through synthesis of 83 studies published between 1991 and 2020, researchers found evidence that village hunters increasingly use guns instead of traditional tools (for example spears) and traps, which makes it easier to target commercially viable species. Such an increase may have a more significant negative impact on primate populations, given their high market value.

There has been a shift from subsistence hunting to commercial hunting of wild animals, which provides meat for growing urban populations. This shift is also associated with an increase in the amount of wild animal meat taken out of the landscape per hunter per day, known as hunting "offtakes."

Hunters who took the most wildlife sold a greater proportion of their catch compared to traditional hunter-gatherers, who typically harvest wild meat for personal or community consumption. They also had better access to healthy forests, protected areas, and more remote locations that tend to have larger animal populations.

There has been an expansion in wild meat trade since 1991, with a potential decline in larger wildlife in easily accessible areas with degraded forests.

"Our study shows how important it is for countries to develop robust monitoring and management frameworks for hunters and traders," said lead author Ingram. "Without monitoring hunted species populations and the numbers of animals hunted, the sustainability of hunting systems remains unknown."

Dr. Fiona Maisels, a wildlife scientist for WCS, said, "One of WCS's scientific aims is to carry out global analyses of, and provide scientific input into, conservation priorities that engage international and national policy. Hunting of wild meat across the world remains one of the most significant challenges to many wildlife species but is a major protein source for some of the world's poorest rural communities.

"It is essential that hunting is carried out sustainably or both the wildlife and the people can suffer irreparable harm. This current study provides evidence of long-term, intertwined changes in animal communities and of hunter practices, and the drivers of trends in both."

Studies like this鈥攎ade possible through access to large, topic-curated databases鈥攕erve as a vital resource for decision-makers, conservationists, and researchers. Through improved, big-picture clarity, these stakeholders are better equipped to design and implement strategies that conserve key ecosystems.