June 11, 2008 - Africa is suffering deforestation at twice the world rate and the continent's few glaciers are shrinking fast, according to a UN atlas on Tuesday.
Satellite pictures, often taken three decades apart, showed expanding cities, pollution, deforestation and climate change were damaging the African environment despite glimmers of improvement in some areas.
In 2002, the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force worked with the three regional wildlife colleges in Africa (École pour la Formation des Specialistes de la Faune de Garoua, Cameroon [EFG], College of African Wildlife Management, Mweka, Tanzania [CAWM] and Southern African Wildlife College, South Africa [SAWC]) to initiate a process for developing bushmeat education and training programs throughout sub-Saharan Africa. With the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development and WWF-US’s R.E. Train Education for Nature Program (WWF EFN) and the facilitation of African Wildlife Foundation, approximately 100 participants from approximately 30 countries participated in the three workshops held at EFG, CAWM and SAWC during 2002, contributing to the development of bushmeat curricula that will be used to train mid-career wildlife managers to better respond to the challenges of the bushmeat trade on the ground. Workshop reports (pdf documents included below) are already being used to progress to the next stage of this effort: development of a bushmeat curriculum for each college. BCTF and EFG are especially grateful to WWF EFN for providing funding for the curriculum development, implementation and evaluation phases at EFG.
Science is the basis for all BCTF actions and recommendations. Participating in the scientific process involves secondary (library) research but also contributing synthesis pieces for major journals and meetings to bring awareness to the various disciplines able to contribute research or implement solutions to the bushmeat crisis. Click on the title for a selection of publications on bushmeat by BCTF staff and/or resulting from BCTF collaboration.
Viande de Brousse et Collaboration Internationale * Economie * Santé Humaine * Le Role de L'Industrie Forestiére * Grands Singes d'Afrique * Orphelins de la Viande de Brousse et Sanctuaires de Primates * Céphalophes * Élephants D' Afrique * Hippopotames * Ronguers * Crise de la Viande de Brousse dans le sud et l'est de l'Afrique * Viande de Brousse IMAP (Fiche d'Information)
BCTF has created a comprehensive series of documents describing key aspects of the bushmeat crisis as part of our goal to raise awareness concerning this important conservation issue. Each fact sheet focuses on a particular aspect of the bushmeat trade, including information on species and stakeholders involved, key concepts, summary, background, current understanding, and solutions. All documents are in PDF format.
Reports prepared for BCTF by graduate students in the UMD Sustainable Development and Conservation Biology Problem Solvers Course of 2002.
Resources to Guide the Bushmeat Crisis Task Force’s Engagement With the CEOs Tropical Africa Working Group Keri Parker, Rina Aviram, Margot Bass, James Beck, and Peter Uimonen
Timber Certification: Prospects and Progress in Addressing Wildlife Issues in Central Africa Margot S. Bass, Rina Aviram and Keri Parker
Extracting Hope for Bushmeat: Case studies of oil, gas, mining and logging industry efforts for improved wildlife management Rina Aviram, Margot Bass and Keri Parker
Adapting Communication to a Dynamic Cultural Landscape: Recommendations for the development and implementation of a Bushmeat Crisis Task Force Public Awareness Campaign in Central Africa Jennifer Obadia, Marcela Caro, Nate Anderson, David Ruppert, Erica Wagenhals and Mindy Selman
Recommendations for the Evolution and Implementation of the Bushmeat Promise as the Centerpiece of a Bushmeat Crisis Task Force Public Awareness Campaign Jennifer Obadia, Marcela Caro, Nate Anderson, David Ruppert, Erica Wagenhals and Mindy Selman
Sustainable Use of Wildlife: The Search for Common Ground Anna Ott, Diane Pitassy, Peter Uimonen, Amy Villamanga
Playing in Counterpoint: Bushmeat Users & the Possibility of Alternatives Becky Archer, Jim Beck, Karen Douthwaite, and David Ruppert
Posted online in October 2004 as part of the "Resources & Results" information CD, this report includes details of BCTF's history, activities and accomplishments from the February 1999 meeting that founded BCTF to our July 2004 move from AZA to WCS. Includes a detailed list of meetings and workshops in which we have participated over the years, descriptions of program areas and projects within these, and BCTF's budget.
February 2005 'POSTnote' by the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST), a non-partisan arm of the UK Parliament. This POSTnote summarizes the causes and effects of the bushmeat trade, discusses if and how it could be regulated, and evaluates different policy options available to government.
The Forests of the Congo Basin: A Preliminary Assessment/ Les Forets du Bassin du Congo: Evaluation Preliminaire" (2005) and Forests of the Congo Basin: State of the Forest (2006) are available in English and French. These reports provides a natural history of the Congo Basin, along with current threats to wildlife and forests, and opportunities to conserve and sustainably manage the forest ecosystem. Of particular interest are 1-page highlights of work and challenges in the 11 priority landscapes of the Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP). Poaching/ Bushmeat trade was labeled a severe threat in all six CBFP countries, expected to cause irreversible damage in the next 10 years without immediate intervention.
Within the context of the Central African World Heritage Forest Initiative (CAWHFI), the Association Technique Internationale des Bois Tropicaux (ATIBT) has developed several manuals for forest management regarding social and wildlife aspects of practical forest management plans for tropical forests in Africa. The authors surveyed innovative projects inside and outside logging concessions to identify best practices for wildlife management in forest concessions.
A West Africa Bushmeat Conference was held in Accra, Ghana from 22-24 February 2005, organized by FAO, the Ghana Wildlife Society, Conservation International-Ghana, and WWF International. As a result of the conference, a West Africa Bushmeat Network (WABN) was formed. Their website includes numerous documents of interest, including the proceedings of the conference and an action plan for future efforts (both to be posted soon).
The authors examine connections between projects aimed at conserving biodiversity and alleviating poverty, including the conceptual background and an analysis of field projects with these dual goals. Project sub-categories include community-based wildlife management, extractive reserves and ecotourism.
The results of the June 2004 IFAW forum in Limerick, Ireland which brought together experts from around the world who shared perspectives on wildlife conservation and the pursuit of ecological sustainability have been published in a complete volume. The papers cover general issues such as The Global Context, Modern Examples of ‘Sustainable Use’, Factors at Play, and The Way Forward: Putting Theory into Practice. In this expertly edited volume, the complexities and challenges of achieving ecological sustainability are elaborated from a variety of perspectives in disciplines. Together the chapters form an important contribution to the continuing dialogue and debate concerning the question of ecological sustainability in the modern world.
Statements regarding the taste preferences of bushmeat consumers are common in many publications and discussions regarding the bushmeat trade in Central Africa. This paper presents results from five two-choice taste tests conducted in Gabon. The paper is available online (for purchase) or from David Wilkie, the corresponding author.
UMD Masters student Lynsey White interned for BCTF in the summer of 2005 and produced her scholarly thesis on potential partnerships between conservation and development efforts to address the bushmeat crisis. White examines the overlap between goals these agendas and identifies opportunities for collaboration, including: human health impacts, decline in ecosystem functioning and services, and lost wildlife productivity. The author provides recommendations for conservation and development collaboration to address the bushmeat crisis.
The Ape Alliance, funded by WSPA, completed a review of bushmeat related activities worldwide. The final report (5MB) is now on-line. BCTF is acknowledged in the paper for its assistance in providing online and additional resources.
This paper examines the viability and conservation role of wildlife farming in tropical forest countries. Farming of wildlife species for their meat is often suggested as a way to provide protein and income to people that are engaged in the illegal, commercial bushmeat trade. The authors analyze biological, economic, law enforcement, invasive species, and socio-cultural considerations that factor into their conclusions regarding the viability of wildlife farming.
BCTF represents the interests of a diverse membership, with animal welfare groups well represented since inception. Today, The Fund for Animals, Humane Society–U.S. (HSUS), and IFAW are all active Supporting Members of the BCTF. Each of these organizations supports a number of projects that fight the commercial bushmeat trade, promote alternatives, or protect the welfare of individual animals.
