Increase in wild animal consumption across Central Africa
Abstract
Abstract While human activities are driving widespread declines in wildlife populations 1,2 , in Central Africa, the meat of wild animals, or wild meat, represents a major component of the diets of millions of people 3 . To halt faunal degradation while ensuring sustainable use of wildlife, it is crucial to understand the scale and drivers of wild meat consumption. Here, using data from over 12,000 households from 252 locations in Central Africa, we show that wild meat is a fundamental component of the diets of rural populations, accounting for 20% of the recommended daily protein intake, compared with 13% and 6% for those living in towns and cities. We estimate that the total annual biomass of wild meat consumed in Central Africa increased from 0.73 million to 1.10 million tonnes between 2000 and 2022, with increasing demand from towns and cities. To ensure that wild meat is available to rural communities, in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals 4 and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework 5 , reducing wild meat consumption in urban metropolises is key. While our results are based on the most comprehensive dataset available, the geographical coverage is incomplete and the dataset represents a minimal fraction of the entire population of Central Africa. Targeted studies are needed to validate our model and assess critical areas of intervention.
Article Details
Authors (46)
Mattia Bessone
Daniel J. Ingram
Katharine Abernethy
Sylvanus Abua
Sophie Allebone-Webb
Daniela Antonacci
Riyong Kim
Stephanie Brittain
Daniel Cornelis
Diane Detoeuf
Charles A. Emogor
Julia E. Fa
Steffen Foerster
Davy Fonteyn
Maria Grande Vega
Chloe Hodgkinson
Amy Ickowitz
Cédric Thibaut Kamogne Tagne
Della Kemalasari
Noëlle Kümpel
Simon Lhoest
Germain Mavah
Rodrigue Guy Mouanda Niamba
Donald Midoko Iponga
Eleanor J. Milner-Gulland
Jonas Muhindo
Théodore Munyuli
Robert Nasi
Steeve Ngama
Jonas Nyumu
Justin Ombeni
John R. Poulsen
Dominic Rowland
Yahya Sampurna
François Sandrin
Malcolm Starkey
Caleb Tata
Julius C. Tieguhong
Nathalie van Vliet
Philippe Vigneron
Robin C. Whytock
Michelle Wieland
David Wilkie
Jasmin Willis
Juliet Wright
Lauren Coad