Bushmeat hunting by communities adjacent to the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania: the importance of livestock ownership and alternative sources of protein and income

Abstract

Illegal hunting of resident and migratory herbivores is widespread in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. To devise effective strategies to reduce levels of hunting, information is required on why people are involved in illegal hunting and the role of bushmeat in the local economy. Participation in hunting may be influenced by measures of relative wealth, including livestock ownership, means of generating cash income and access to alternative sources of meat. Data came from 300 individuals responding to a questionnaire in 10 villages, from responses by 359 people in 24 group discussions in another 12 villages, and from 552 people arrested and interviewed in the National Park. A smaller proportion of individual respondents (32%) than group respondents (57%) volunteered that they participated in illegal hunting. Most individual and group respondents were subsistence farmers who considered bushmeat to be a source of protein and a means of generating cash income. Three-quarters of those arrested participated in hunting primarily to generate cash income and a quarter claimed that they only hunted to obtain food. Participation in illegal hunting decreased as wealth in terms of the number of sheep and goats owned increased. People with access to alternative means of generating income or acquiring protein were also less likely to be involved in illegal hunting. Arrested respondents were typically young adult males with low incomes and few or no livestock. Illegal hunting was not reduced by participation in community-based conservation pro-grammes. Results suggested that between 52 000 and 60 000 people participated in illegal hunting within protected areas, and that many young men (approximately 5200) derived their primary source of income from hunting.

Evaluating the protection of wildlife in parks: the case of African buffalo in Serengeti

“…The east of the national park boundary is settled by Maasai pastoralists who rarely hunt for wild meat and their lifestyles tend to be consistent with conservation of wildlife (Polansky et al 2008). In contrast, human settlements to the west of the park boundary do consume game meat regularly (Holmern et al 2006;Loibooki et al 2002;Nyahongo et al 2005). …”

“…Park rangers who actively search for snares and signs of illegal hunting have identified buffalo carcasses in the field (Hilborn personal observation) and buffalo meat appears in villagers bushmeat diets (Ndibalema and Songorwa 2007). Illegal hunting remains a large threat to conservation efforts in the Serengeti (Holmern et al 2007;Kaltenborn et al 2005;Loibooki et al 2002) and, therefore, we determined whether illegal hunting was a contributing factor to the spatial differences in buffalo recovery.…”

Emerging issues and challenges in conservation of biodiversity in the rangelands of Tanzania

“…For example, because of poverty, peasants barely can afford to purchase and use agricultural inputs to increase crop production on their lands. Food insecurity and income poverty resulting from this scenario may lead to conversion of more wildlife habitats into croplands as well as killing of wild animals for protein (Hackel 1999, Loibooki et al 2002, Kideghesho et al 2005, Wittemyer et al 2008. Household poverty also limits access and usage of electricity as a source of energy.…”

“…The demands were associated with wildlife and habitat destruction including land for settlements, cultivation and livestock grazing; plants for fuel wood, building poles, and timber; and water points for livestock and domestic use. Essentially, demographic growth is the prime cause of wildlife poaching and habitat loss (Campbell et al 2001, Loibooki et al 2002, Kideghesho et al 2005.…”

“…b) Increased hunting for home or market consumption Poaching statistics in Serengeti and Tarangire illustrate the relationship between human population growth and its pressure on the wild resources (Campbell et al 2001, Loibooki et al 2002, Rija 2009). …”