Bushmeat hunting found threatening mammal populations, food security

An international research team has found that the ongoing decline of more than 300 species of animals is having significant environmental impacts and posing a food security threat for millions of people in Asia, Africa and South America.

The team, led by William Ripple, professor of ecology at Oregon State University (OSU), analyzed data on the Red List of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a nongovernmental organization, to reach their findings, which were published in the recent issue of Royal Society Open Science, a professional journal.

Threatened primarily by unregulated or illegal hunting, the animals at risk range from large (grey ox, Bactrian camels, bearded and warty pigs) to small (golden-capped fruit bat, black-bearded flying fox and Bulmer's fruit bat); and more primate species - 126, including the lowland gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo and many species of lemurs and monkeys - are endangered than any other group.

Populations of other species are declining and similarly threatened. Javan and black rhinoceroses, tapirs, deer, tree kangaroos, armadillos, pangolins, rodents and large carnivores are all hunted or trapped for meat, medicine, body parts, trophies or live pets.

The researchers reviewed IUCN data on 1,169 of the world's terrestrial mammals that are listed as threatened with extinction. These animals represent 26 percent of all mammals for which data exist to determine whether or not they are endangered. Forests, grasslands and deserts in the developing world are now lacking many species of wild animals and becoming "empty landscapes," the authors wrote in their study.

"Our analysis is conservative. These 301 species are the worst cases of declining mammal populations for which hunting and trapping are clearly identified as a major threat. If data for a species were missing or inconclusive, we didn't include it," Ripple was quoted as saying in a news release from OSU. "Our goal is to raise awareness of this global crisis. Many of these animals are at the brink of extinction."

People across much of the globe depend on wild meat for part of their diets. For example, the researchers noted, "an estimated 89,000 metric tons of meat with a market value of about 200 million U.S. dollars are harvested annually in the Brazilian Amazon, and exploitation rates in the Congo basin are estimated to be five times higher." And loss of these mammals could affect the livelihoods of millions of people.

Overhunting of mammals is concentrated in countries with poorer populations, they wrote. As hunters find it harder to feed their families, it is likely they will switch to less preferred species, migrate, or suffer from malnutrition and disease.

Not all wild meat is consumed for subsistence, the researchers noted. Much of it is sold in markets and as delicacies in urban restaurants. "The illegal smuggling in wildlife and wildlife products is run by dangerous international networks and ranks among trafficking in arms, human beings and drugs in terms of profits," said Ripple.

Large carnivores and herbivores, bigger than 10 kilograms or 22 pounds, comprise a small percentage of all mammals listed but tend to be impacted more severely by overhunting, the researchers reported. By dispersing seeds and controlling smaller animals such as rodents, large animals have significant impacts on the environment.

The loss of large mammals could lead to long-lasting ecological changes, including overpopulation of prey, higher disease risks and the loss of benefits for humans, the researchers said. The researchers found that 57 species of even-toed ungulates, such as hippopotamus, wild yak, camel, marsh deer, that are larger than 10 kilograms are threatened by hunting.

They concluded that only bold changes and political will can diminish the possibility of humans consuming many of the world's wild mammals to the point of extinction. Endit