Creating an Evidence-base for developing and evaluating interventions to reduce unsustainable bushmeat hunting in Central africa

Wildmeat hunting is one of the greatest threats to wildlife globally. However, it is also an important source of protein and income to millions of people. While there have been many studies of wildmeat use, collation and meta-analysis of these studies is limited, and there are currently no regional mechanisms or methods for tracking wildmeat use and impacts in Central Africa. This USFWS-funded project, contracted through the Central African Bushmeat Action Group, aims to inform national and regional policy in Central Africa by:
- creating a regional database of wildmeat consumption, sales and offtake, which will be made freely available through a custom built webtool
- creating indicators to track wildmeat use nationally and regionally
- creating regional protocols and toolkits for standardized methodologies to collect and use bushmeat data
- training key stakeholders in the use of the database, indicators and methodologies
- analyzing available data held in the database to understand key patterns and trends.

This is a joint project with IRET and the University of Stirling, and will run for 2 years.