Blanket bans on hunting bushmeat in Africa are “bound to fail” and could be harmful to wildlife conservation efforts, a new report says.The report from the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), based in Bogor, Indonesia, suggests instead that the bushmeat trade should be regulated, with hunting allowed for relatively common, fast-reproducing species such as duikers (a small antelope) and rodents, whereas endangered species, such as primates, should continue to be protected. “Reframing the bushmeat problem from one of international animal welfare to one of sustainable livelihoods — and part of the global food crisis — might be a good place to start,” says Frances Seymour, director general of CIFOR.

A report warns that unsustainable demand for wild meat in central Africa — estimated at one million tonnes a year — poses a threat to food security in the region. But the authors stress that banning bushmeat hunting and trade is not the solution. The report, released yesterday (16 September) by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), calls for region-specific policies to monitor and protect endangered species while allowing for sustainable hunting. According to the report, bushmeat provides up to 80 per cent of the protein and fat needed in rural diets in Central Africa. The bushmeat trade has become a significant part of the informal economy, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo. But if current levels of hunting continue, supplies will fall dramatically — causing protein shortages and the extinction of many forest mammals within 50 years, says the report.

A report released by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) said that up to one million tons of bush meat is consumed annually in Central Africa. “If current levels of hunting persist in Central Africa, bush meat protein supplies will fall dramatically,” said Robert Nasi, one of the report’s authors, “and a significant number of forest mammals will become extinct in less than 50 years”. However, the CIFOR warned that a blanket ban would have “dire consequences” for the rural poor. The report said that bush meat provides up to 80% of the protein and fat needed in rural diets and warned there was no ready substitute should bush meat be banned or supplies diminished through over-hunting.

Jagen op wild in Centraal-Afrikamoet niet worden verboden, vindt de denktank Centre for International Forestry Research (Cifor). Wel moet de jacht aan strenge regels worden gebonden. Talloze dierbeschermingsorganisaties, vooral in Europa, voeren al jaren een vaak emotionele campagne om bush meat te verbieden. Maar volgens het Cifor is vlees uit het oerwoud voor vele Afrikaanse bevolkingsgroepen de belangrijkste bron van eiwitten en vet.Bij een onbelemmerde jacht zouden echter de laagland-gorilla en olifanten van West- en Centraal-Afrika binnen veertig jaar zijn verdwenen. Vooral het afschieten uit commercieel oogpunt bedreigt diersoorten. De organisatie pleit daarom voor het jagen op beesten die zich snel reproduceren, zoals konijnen en kleine antilopensoorten. ,,Als de lokale bevolking een garantie heeft op goed landgebruik en toegang krijgt tot duurzame jachtmethoden,” aldus Cifor, ,,dan zullen zij ook investeren in gezond management.”

The trade in bushmeat in Central Africal is in danger of wiping out a significant number of animal species within 50 years, conservationists have warned. A report by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) estimates that the current harvest of bushmeat in Central Africa amounts to one million tones annually – the equivalent of almost four million cattle.

But a report published on Tuesday said such blanket bans would fail and, if enforced,deprive poor families living in forest regions of much-needed nutrition and cash earnings. The report by the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity said legalising parts of the bushmeat trade could dispel the stigma attached to it, aid regulation and help efforts to save endangered species. “Bushmeat, in particular, offers a number of benefits to forest-dwelling populations. It is an easily traded resource as it is transportable, has a high value/weight ratio and is easily preserved at low cost,” the report said.

A blanket ban on bushmeat hunting in Central Africa would endanger both humans and animals, says a new report. If current hunting levels persist, many species will be extinct in less than 50 years, says CIFOR – the Centre for International Forestry Research. But bushmeat provides up to 80% of protein and fat needed in rural diets. Giving locals the rights and incentives to hunt sustainably would protect their livelihoods and save forest mammals from extinction, claims CIFOR.

A complete ban on hunting wild animals for their meat would be a disaster for people living in Central Africa, researchers say. The practice needs to be legalised, regulated and controlled, argues a report from the Centre for International Forestry Research. Otherwise, some large wildlife species, such as elephants and gorillas, will be extinct within 50 years, it says. Bush meat is a key part of the diet for many in Central Africa. In some areas it provides 80% of the protein and fat consumed. But these nutritional benefits come at a high price.