Conservation strategies for understanding and combating the primate bushmeat trade on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea.

Drew T Cronin,Mary Katherine Gonder,Gail W Hearn,David Fernández,Cirilo Riaco,Jose Manuel Esara Echube,Matthew W Mitchell,Demetrio Bocuma Meñe,Maximiliano Fero Meñe,Paul R Sesink Clee

doi:10.1002/ajp.22663

Drew T Cronin, Mary Katherine Gonder + Show 8 more

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https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.22663

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Abstract

Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea is among the important places in Africa for the conservation of primates, but a cultural preference for bushmeat and a lack of effective law enforcement has encouraged commercial bushmeat hunting, threatening the survival of the remaining primate population. For over 13 years, we collected bushmeat market data in the Malabo market, recording over 35,000 primate carcasses, documenting "mardi gras" consumption patterns, seasonal carcass availability, and negative effects resulting from government intervention. We also conducted forest surveys throughout Bioko's two protected areas in order to localize and quantify primate populations and hunting pressure. Using these data, we were able to document the significant negative impact bushmeat hunting had on monkey populations, estimate which species are most vulnerable to hunting, and develop ecological niche models to approximate the distribution of each of Bioko's diurnal primate species. These results also have allowed for the identification of primate hotspots, such as the critically important southwest region of the Gran Caldera Scientific Reserve, and thus, priority areas for conservation on Bioko, leading to more comprehensive conservation recommendations. Current and future efforts now focus on bridging the gap between investigators and legislators in order to develop and effectively implement a management plan for Bioko's Gran Caldera Scientific Reserve and to develop a targeted educational campaign to reduce demand by changing consumer attitudes toward bushmeat. Using this multidisciplinary approach, informed by biological, socioeconomic, and cultural research, there may yet be a positive future for the primates of Bioko.

Highlights

A broad-based holistic understanding of the status of primates and conservation on Bioko is required in order to engage with policy makers to design and implement effective conservation priorities
Our goal is to leverage the strengths of the BBPP: (i) numerous longitudinal datasets, (ii) a successful academic partnership with UNGE, long-term history in the villages of both Ureca and Moka, (iii) and a continuous research and biomonitoring presence in the Gran Caldera Scientific Reserve (GCSR), to ‘kick start’ the movement towards government-led conservation
Pennantii), which illustrates the biological importance of the GCSR and the utility of using primates as umbrella species for conservation on Bioko

Summary

Introduction

The hunting of wildlife for human consumption is common in tropical forests throughout the world, as bushmeat plays a prominent economic and dietary role for many rural populations [Fa et al, 2002b; Milner-Gulland and Bennett, 2003; Robinson and Bennett, 2000], and has been positively linked to improved childhood nutrition and overall human health [Fa et al, 2015b; Golden et al, 2011], despite high risk and repeated incidents of zoonotic disease transmission between humans and wildlife [Leroy et al, 2004; Peeters et al, 2002; Rouquet et al, 2005].Hunting, poses a significant threat to wildlife throughout the tropics, as it has become predominantly commercially-driven and unsustainable [Bennett et al, 2002; Fa and Brown, 2009; Milner-Gulland and Bennett, 2003; Robinson and Bennett, 2000], and wildlife declines and, in some cases extirpations, have been well documented [Butynski et al, 1997; McGraw, 1998; Oates et al, 2000; Robinson and Bennett, 2000; Wilkie and Carpenter, 1999]. In the Gulf of Guinea forests of central Africa in particular, bushmeat hunting is especially extensive. This region contains some of the highest human population densities in all of Africa (e.g., > 500 people/km2) [Oates et al, 2004], and the volume of bushmeat for sale in its markets is estimated at approximately 12,000 tons per year [Fa et al, 2006]. Not all wildlife species are threatened by hunting Factors such as ecological flexibility (e.g., broad dietary breadth, ability to exploit numerous habitats), anti-predator behavior, and life history traits can influence species’ vulnerability to hunting [Linder and Oates, 2011; McGraw, 2007; Struhsaker, 1999].

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