Manka'a Grace Niba
The consumption of bushmeat in the Mungo division (Douala-Nkongsamba Highway) has become prevalent. Though there is evidence of high demand for bushmeat in the area, there is insufficient data on the current sustainability level of wildlife off-take for the bushmeat trade. Moreover, little efforts have been made to educate the hunters and local consumers on the Cameroon wildlife law and the dangers of bushmeat to the ecosystem and their health. These gaps possess a serious but underappreciated conservation threat to the wildlife population in the Mungo division. To bridge this research gap, this project aims to; 1) inventory all wildlife species hunted, 2) evaluate quantity hunted and market patterns, 3) identify the socioeconomic drivers to bushmeat consumption and 4) conduct awareness campaign in 8 communities.
Manka’a Grace Niba recording bushmeat data.
Hunting and bushmeat trade represent an important livelihood scheme for a significant population in rural forest areas of Africa especially around West and Central Africa (Bowen-Jones et al., 2003). Along the Douala Nkongsamba Highway, bushmeat has become a luxury commodity which moves from the rural communities to urban towns of Douala and Nkongsamba just to name a few. Though the bushmeat trade contribute to improving the livelihood standards of the rural population however, the bushmeat trade is commonly unsustainable, as reflected by declining wildlife populations and diminishing prevalence of large species in markets (Fa et al., 2000). Rates of off-take are such that widespread local extinctions of forest species are visible (Wilkie and Carpenter, 1999). Finding solutions with which to reduce unsustainable harvest is therefore important for both wildlife conservation and human needs standpoint.
As a way to be part of the solution, this project will generate two types of data sets. This includes socioeconomic and biological data. Socioeconomic data will be collected using stratified sampling technique using questionnaires and unmatched count technique. Wildlife survey will be conducted using guided recce walk method to generate biological data. The wildlife survey will help the research team draw reliable conclusion on the sustainability of the current wildlife off take in the project site.
The results obtained from this project will help the project team to propose a Sustainable Strategic Plan to the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, Cameroon through the divisional delegation of forestry and wildlife for the Mungo division.