Livelihoods, Hunting and the Game Meat Trade in Northern Zambia

Abstract

This chapter examines the character, extent, costs and benefits of hunting and the game meat trade in villages adjacent to Zambia’s Luangwa Valley national parks. It is essential to understand the role that game meat plays in local livelihoods if new conservation initiatives there are to be effective, if locals are to secure sufficient and sustainable alternative livelihoods and if illegal hunting in the national parks is to be stemmed.1 This chapter begins by examining the practice of hunting in the area: How are hunts organized? Where do they take place? Which types of animals are pursued and how are they killed? How is meat distributed? The study then examines what happens to game meat once hunters return to their home villages. We analyse the purchase of game meat by local and outside traders and its resale in Lusaka, the Copperbelt and other urban areas. The study then explores the costs and benefits of the game meat trade for locals in both quantitative and qualitative terms. Overall, the study demonstrates that since the late 1970s an increased market demand for game meat and a lack of alternative sources of income has transformed the character of hunting. The study shows that illegal hunting and game meat sales are likely to remain a significant source of cash income for many people in the study area. Perhaps one-third of all local households gain at least some income from this trade. The chapter concludes by discussing the implications of the game meat trade for conservation initiatives and their possibilities for introducing alternative livelihood strategies to hunting.