Hunting at the Abun Regional Marine Protected Areas: A Link Between Wildmeat and Food Security

Abstract

Native Papuans are relied on hunting for subsistence purposes and significantly contributed to traditional cultures. However, in Papua information on hunting is limited and largely restricted to anthropological setting with most observations were done on the forest sites in lowland and highland landscapes. This study focuses on the contribution of hunting on food security along the coastal forests at the Bird's Head Peninsula. Do people live near coastal sites mostly rely on marine resources as protein source? We gathered data on hunting by the majority of Karon ethnic group in the Abun district of Tambrauw Regency at the Bird's Head Peninsula of Papua, Indonesia. We used information from in-depth interviews with hunters and households meal survey at four villages of Abun: Waibem, Wau, Warmandi and Saubeba. Reasons for hunting were varies among respondents but mostly conducted for trade. Six species of mammals and three birds were commonly hunted by using six different hunting techniques. Wild pig and rusa deer were the major targets in hunting to meet the demand of meat for both trading and household consumption. Meals containing wildmeat was the most consumed meal, greater than meals containing fish, animal products and vegetables, and noodles.

Returns from Indigenous Hunting in The Lowland Coastal Forests of West Papua, Benefits Threatened Wildlife Species

“…2011), but ; et al also confirmed that the practice of hunting was primarily for trade and consumption (Pattiselanno 2006;Pattiselanno & Lubis 2014;Pattiselanno & Mambai 2015 and IDR15,000 (or US$1.13) for pork. The total hunting take was valued at IDR230,625,000 (US$17,435).…”

“…In this study, we determine the hunting returns from indigenous hunting which will allow us to calculate the harvest rate of hunted species and to predict the ongoing effect of hunting on prey species targeted by hunters. We conducted our studies in lowland coastal forests where indigenous hunting is commonly performed by local communities (Pattiselanno & Lubis 2014;Pattiselanno & Mambai 2015). This study also wishes to measure the impact of hunting on the lowland coastal forests at the Bird's Head Peninsula in West Papua.…”

The Different Pattern of Food Consumption between Local Farmers and Transmigrant Farmers in the Border Area of Papua, Indonesia

“…Usually, to obtain animal protein food source, the local farmers hunt some animals in the forest, resulting in quite high consumption of meat. [28] say that hunting is performed in order to supply a family consumption with complete meals. Deer and wild pig are killed in primary forest.…”

Forest Conservation, Rights, and Diets: Untangling the Issues

“…Hunting for bushmeat has long been a controversial issue due to concerns over the conservation impacts of wildlife depletion but bushmeat hunting is also important in helping rural households to achieve food security (Fa et al, 2009;Nyahongo et al, 2009;Rentsch and Damon, 2013;Golden et al, 2014;Cawthorn and Hoffman, 2015;Reuter et al, 2016;Nielsen et al, 2018). In the Abun region of West Papua, Indonesia, hunting has proved to be an important factor in fighting food insecurity, as wildmeat accounted for 49% of the diets of respondents (Pattiselanno and Lubis, 2014). Bushmeat hunting around the world remains an important source of protein and, more importantly micronutrients, for many rural households and can provide vulnerable populations such as children with important micronutrients (Golden et al, 2011;Van Vliet et al, 2015).…”