Abstract
AbstractThere is an unprecedented demand for bushmeat in large cities in sub-Saharan Africa, and this is a major threat to many species. We conducted 2,040 interviews in six cities in four West African countries, in forest and savannah settings. We analysed age- and sex-related differences in the frequency of bushmeat consumption. Overall, we found similar patterns in all cities: 62.2% of men and 72.1% of women said they would never eat bushmeat, whereas 12.8% of men and 8.8% of women said they liked bushmeat and ate it regularly. Younger generations of both sexes tended not to eat bushmeat, regardless of their city of origin. This study of the effects of age, gender and geographical location on bushmeat consumption in African cities provides insights regarding which population groups to target in campaigns to change behaviours.
Highlights
There is an unprecedented demand for bushmeat in large cities in sub-Saharan Africa, and this is a major threat to many species
The urban population in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to double to c. . billion by as a result of rural to urban immigration, and . % of that increase will occur in West African cities (World Bank, )
We informed all interviewees that our study was not linked to any government department, we acknowledge that some level of misrepresentation may have occurred because of fear of repercussions, as the bushmeat trade is illegal in some areas (e.g. Burkina Faso; Hema et al, )
Summary
There is an unprecedented demand for bushmeat in large cities in sub-Saharan Africa, and this is a major threat to many species. During – we conducted face-to-face interviews, using a standardized questionnaire, with , people in Nigeria (Port Harcourt, n = and Calabar, n = ), Togo (Lomé, n = ), Burkina Faso (Ouagadougou, n = ), Côte d’Ivoire (Abidjan, n = ) and Niger (Niamey, n = ) Interviewees who answered that they consumed bushmeat only occasionally were asked whether they chose the type of animal, or whether their choice was based on which species were available, or on the price compared to domestic meat.
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