Husbandry and Herding: A Community-Based Approach to Addressing Illegal Wildlife Trade in Northern Botswana

Illegal bushmeat hunting is a major driver of wildlife population declines in Northern Botswana. Such declines raise concerns about the principles and integrity of the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) and regional economic stability which is heavily reliant on wildlife-based tourism. The KAZA landscape between Northern Botswana's protected areas consists of non-state land utilized communally by small agropastoralist communities. These communities are economically challenged by international beef trade policies, restricted access to grazing in nearby wildlife management areas and high conflict costs from living in close proximity to wildlife; some of the key factors identified as drivers of bushmeat hunting in the region. Here we describe how a model called Herding for Health (H4H) could address these drivers. We discuss strategies using a socio-economic centered Theory of Change (ToC) model to identify the role agropastoral communities can have in addressing illegal wildlife trade (IWT). The ToC conceptual framework was developed with input from a resource team consisting of scientific and implementation experts in H4H, wildlife conservation, illegal wildlife trade and livelihood development between September and December 2018, and with a validation workshop in March 2019 with government representatives from relevant ministries, NGO's, community-based organizations and private sector participants. We identify three pathways deriving from the ToC driven by community level actions to address IWT in the region. These include: increasing institutions for local enforcement, developing incentives for ecosystem stewardship and decreasing the costs of living alongside wildlife. The success of these pathways depends on underlying enabling actions: support for the development of institutional frameworks; building community capacity to facilitate informed best farming practices; and strengthening commitments to sustainable resource management to increase resilience to climatic and economic shocks.

Human Use-Pressure and Sustainable Wildlife Management in Burkina Faso: A Case Study of Bushmeat Hunting in Bobo-Dioulasso

Hunting is an important activity for the survival of local communities. However, unregulated hunting threatens the sustainability of wildlife and subsequently affects the same populations. This study investigated bushmeat hunting practices and their implications in wildlife sustainable management in Bobo-Dioulasso (Burkina-Faso). A total of 226 hunters were interviewed, using a random sampling technique and a semi-structured questionnaire. It revealed four groups of hunters. Group 1 (32.57% of the sample) was young and commercial hunters from Bobo ethnic group with 42.15±6.01 as average age. Hunting is their main activity and they hunt all year round in groups using direct catch and hunting dogs. Group 2 (19.76%) prefers to hunt in the daytime and their products serve for diseases treatments through traditional medicine. Group 3 (29.06%) consists of the Mossi ethnic group with an average age of 58.92±3.69. They belong to the confederation of hunters called "Dozo". They are farmers with hunting as the secondary activity. They hunt at night with headlamps. Group 4 (18.60%), mainly Mossi with an average age of 63.06±7.19, hunts occasionally and respects the accredited hunting periods. The animals at the risk and most commonly used as bushmeat are Francolin, Porcupine, Cape hare, Buffalo, Nile monitor, Python, and Parrot. The locally threatened animals are respectively Ostrich, Roan antelope, Bat, Crocodile, and Striped hyena. Other animals are endangered and becoming increasingly rare (Lion, Elephant, Hippopotamus, and Warthog). Actions need to be taken by decision-makers and involve local communities for the sustainable management of wildlife in Bobo-Dioulasso.

Dynamics and Socioeconomic Drivers of Illegal Hunting of Wildlife Animal for Consumption in Oba Hills Forest Reserve in Southwest Nigeria

This study investigated the dynamics and socioeconomic drivers of illegal hunting of wildlife animal commonly called bushmeat in Oba Hills Forest Reserve (OHFR) in Southwest Nigeria. Two hundred and thirty-four households in 8 host communities were subjected to direct household survey using a multi-stage sampling technique. The results revealed that mainly young and middle-aged men engaged in group and seasonal bushmeat hunting, mostly during the dry season. Also, the scale of daily illegal bushmeat hunting is high in the protected area. Non-selective hunting has increased over the last five years with traditional means of hunting still prominent during the hunting expedition. Thus, the socioeconomic drivers (age, ethnicity and household size) had a strong relationship with illegal bushmeat hunting, and their odds ratio ranged between 2.11 and 3.73. Failure to provide stakes for the host communities’ inhabitants and weak penal system influenced illegal bushmeat hunting in OHFR. We conclude that the aforementioned factors need to be addressed for illegal bushmeat hunting to be tackled effectively. However, in the absence of political and economic stability, controlling illegal bushmeat hunting will remain extremely difficult and the future of wildlife conservation will remain bleak. Keywords: Protected area, bushmeat hunting, conservation, seasonal employment

First insights into rodent trapping in Oku village, north-west Cameroon, based on interviews with local hunters

Mount Oku, in the Northwest Region of Cameroon, is known for its rodent diversity. It is located in an area with a high human population density (up to 400/km2), resulting in intense pressure on natural resources. Threats to biodiversity include overgrazing by cattle and goats in grassland areas and montane forests, firewood harvesting, agriculture, bee keeping, debarking of Prunus trees for medicinal uses, and bushmeat hunting. We used data from interviews with 106 local hunters to provide insights into rodent trapping in Oku village. Trapping took place primarily in closed canopy forest. The majority of hunters (88.8%) set at least 100 traps per week, with a mean of 38 rodents trapped per hunter per week. The two most captured species were the Vulnerable Hartwig's praomys Praomys hartwigi and the Endangered Mount Oku rat Lamottemys okuensis, both of which have declining populations. Rodents were harvested mainly for household consumption and/or local trade, but 65.1% of interviewees also used P. hartwigi for traditional medicine. Our findings suggest that rodent trapping in Oku village requires conservation attention, and that further quantitative studies are needed to assess its sustainability.