Do communities understand the impacts of unlawful bushmeat hunting and trade? Insights from villagers bordering Western Nyerere National Park Tanzania
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Date
2023-07-05
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier B.V.
Abstract
Assessing local people’s understanding of the consequences of unsustainable bushmeat-related
activities on conservation is an important step toward developing effective solutions to
decrease unlawful hunting activities. The current study investigated the knowledge regarding the
ecological and socioeconomic impacts of illegal bushmeat activities among villagers adjacent to
western Nyerere National Park Tanzania. The two terminologies i.e., “hunting” and “trade” were
collectively used herein as “bushmeat trade”. We collected data from 261 households and 24 key
informants using a semi-structured questionnaire and an interview guide, respectively. Results
show that 84% of local residents know that bushmeat trade directly threatens wildlife by reducing
the population of hunted species. Nearly half of the respondents also appreciate the benefits of
wildlife conservation. Regarding the trend of bushmeat trade in the study area, the majority
(80%) of the respondents stated that the activity is decreasing. Moreover, the study revealed that
the knowledge variation regarding the impacts of bushmeat trade is significantly influenced by
education level, age and proximity to the park boundaries. Interventions aimed at addressing the
illegal bushmeat trade should consider demographic factors and ensure that conservation pro-
grammes are extended to both nearby and distant villages from the park boundaries for enhanced
and impactful results.
Description
Journal of Global Ecology and Conservation 46 (2023) e02626
Keywords
Wildlife conservation, Illegal hunting, Local communities, Impacts, Knowledge variation