Wildmeat or Bushmeat? Subsistence Hunting and Commercial Harvesting in Papua (West New Guinea), Indonesia

Abstract

It is well known that wild game provides a significant proportion of the dietary protein of the indigenous people of the eastern half of New Guinea (PNG), but almost nothing is known of its importance in the western half (the Indonesian province of Papua or Irian Jaya). We quantified hunting effort, harvest rates and wild meat consumption and sale in the Jayapura region of north-east Papua through interviews with 147 hunters from 21 villages and meal surveys in 93 households. Ten species of mammals, seven species of birds and at least two species of reptiles were harvested in our study area, but the introduced wild pig and rusa deer were the major target species. Hunting in our study area has shifted from a purely subsistence activity towards a more commercial form at least partly due to the emergence of markets created by Indonesian transmigrants. Although the hunting of non-indigenous and certain native species might be sustainable, the maintenance of populations of large threatened species will require sensitive management.

Aspects of the ecology of the kalubu bandicoot (Echymipera kalubu) and observations on Raffray’s bandicoot (Peroryctes raffrayanus), Eastern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea

“…No other density estimates from tracking studies are available for peroryctids in New Guinea; however, allometric relationships between body size and population density for frugivorous/ omnivorous marsupial mammals estimate a population density for bandicoots of~57 animals km -2 (Cuthbert 2010). The relatively high population density of the kalubu bandicoot and high rates of reproduction of bandicoot species (Cuthbert 2010) suggests that the species should be able to withstand relatively high levels of hunting pressure and its continued presence in areas with high hunting pressure indicates that this is the case (Hide et al 1984;Pangau-Adam et al 2012). Less is known of the potential population density of Raffray's bandicoot and its capacity to withstand hunting.…”

“…The exceptions to this are the Papuan bandicoot (Microperoryctes papuensis) and the giant bandicoot (Peroryctes broadbenti), which range in mass from 180 g to >4 kg, respectively (Aplin and Woolley 1993;Aplin et al 2010). As well as being widely distributed across most habitats in New Guinea, from subalpine grassland, rainforest and lowland savannah (Flannery 1995), bandicoots are also one of the most commonly hunted and favoured game species in the region (van Deusen and Keith 1966;Pangau-Adam et al 2012), forming as much as 50% of captures in several hunting studies (Hide et al 1984;Morren 1986) and comprising, on average, 26% of captures from a review of nine hunting studies in Papua New Guinea (Cuthbert 2010).…”

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

“…In addition to pigs and deer, 26 individuals of native species with a total of 99 kg dressed weight were harvested but they were consumed locally, not sold. In West Papua, although the hunting target varies from one site to another, wild pig and deer are the most commonly hunted species in all study sites, because they are widely distributed (Pattiselanno 2006;2012). Likewise, in Jayapura region of north-east Papua the main hunting targets were the introduced wild pig and rusa deer, apparently because, each individual has significant amount of dressed carcass that benefit hunters (PangauAdam .…”

“…2004;et al Mack & West 2005). In Indonesian New Guinea (Papua and West Papua Provinces), various species are hunted such as, d e e r , a n d w i l d p i g ( P a t t i s e l a n n o 2 0 0 3 ) , cuscus- (Pattiselanno & Koibur 2008); Phalangeridae cassowary, bandicoots, flying foxes and tree kangaroos (Pangau-Adam . 2012).…”

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

“…However some small species that endemic to Papua are also hunted but not as much as deer and wild pig. Similarly, in North-eastern Papua, both deer and wild pig are the most frequently killed animals by hunters for both subsistence and commercial purposes (Pangau-Adam et al 2012). Luskin et al (2014) also discovered that wild pig and deer are mostly hunted for personal consumption as well as for sale at the oil palm plantation-dominated landscapes of Sumatra.…”