IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
| Robinson, J.G.; Bennett, E.L. | |
| Will alleviating poverty solve the bushmeat crisis? | |
| 2002 Oryx (36): 332-332 | |
There is a broad consensus among the scientific and conservation communities that the 'bushmeat crisis' in tropical forests is not hyperbole. The annual harvest of wild species for their meat is vast: estimates are 23,500 tonnes in Sarawak, 67,000-164,000 tonnes in the Brazilian Amazon, and 1-5 million tonnes in Central Africa. Hunting rates exceed sustainable levels across large swathes of the tropics, and as a consequence populations of hundreds of species are going locally extinct. In addition, people whose lives depend on wildlife are losing a significant natural resource. Across the humid tropics millions of people depend on meat from wildlife for both food and income. For many of the poorest rural people bushmeat is not a luxury or something that they only turn to in times of hardship. It is a vital source of animal protein, and a commodity that can be sold. The twin imperatives of addressing people's needs and aspirations on the one hand, and conserving the world's species on the other, has suggested to many a 'silver bullet': solve the bushmeat crisis by alleviating poverty in tropical countries. |
|
 |
PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here |
(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |