A study found that 301 species of mammals are at risk of going extinct from illegal hunting. But in many areas, overhunting bush meat doesn't just hurt the environment: It hurts the humans who rely on it, too. For a large number of people, particularly in rural central Africa, bush meat can be the primary protein source. Robert Nasi, who is deputy director of research at the Center for International Forestry research says that their methods might be less damaging than the methods of professionals who hunt so they can sell large quantities of bush meat at markets. John Fa said that these professional hunters are "wildlife strip-mining. But there's no easy way to stop one type of hunting while protecting the other. Local laws aimed at curbing bush meat harvesting have little impact, in part because they're rarely enforced. Fa hopes that governments will instead target the urban bush meat markets and develop initiatives to reduce bush meat consumption.
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