Bushmeat from all perspectives
In the new book Bushmeat. Culture, Economy and Conservation in Central Africa, Theodore Trefon analyses the environmental, social and economic aspects of bushmeat consumption in the Congo basin.
Tradition, economy and proteins
Every year, tens of millions of wild animals are harvested in Central Africa to respond to the craving for their meat. Almost all animals, from the largest mammals to the smallest insects, are hunted, traded and consumed.
‘Culturally and economically, bushmeat is extremely important in Central Africa’, explains Theodore Trefon, researcher at the AfricaMuseum. ‘Bushmeat consumption provides vital income and nutrition for millions of people.’
Photo @ CMavah
Wildlife is under severe and increasing pressure
The growing demand for bushmeat means the wildlife of Central Africa is being decimated.
While unsustainable hunting pose clear problems for wildlife conservation, it also increases the risk of rural food insecurity and of new infectious diseases emerging - as HIV, Ebola and Covid-19 have shown.
‘But cultural attachment to bushmeat makes this crisis difficult to solve’, says Trefon. ‘My book shows that management strategies by national governments and international NGOs to mitigate unsustainable hunting are largely inefficient.’
A holistic approach
Bushmeat explores questions ranging from deforestation and conservation strategies to infectious diseases, hunting practices, consumption motivations, supply and demand dynamics, urban street food, and weak law enforcement capacity.
Theodore Trefon takes an anthropological approach to the subject.
‘In my book, I’ve tried to humanise the discourse on the 'bushmeat crisis' by looking at wildlife through local attitudes and behaviours, without taking sides or being judgemental’, says Trefon.
The book Bushmeat. Culture, Economy and Conservation in Central Africa has been published by Hurst and is part of the African Arguments series. A French translation is planned. > Order the book
In February 2020, Theodore Trefon gave a lecture entitled Bushmeat. The culture and economy of eating wild animals in Central Africa, as part of the MuseumTalks. > Watch his lecture
More science news
The strong decline of biodiversity in freshwater systems worldwide is a quiet crisis - one that few people are aware of. What happens underwater is a case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Now, in a new Nature article, some 88 scientists and IUCN collaborators from all over the world who are involved in a twenty-year IUCN effort to assess various groups of freshwater animals have reported that a quarter of the planet's freshwater fauna is threatened with extinction.
When people hear the word ‘landslide’, they often think of the sudden collapse of earth or rock from a mountain. But slow-moving landslides – which can move as little as one millimeter per year and up to a few meters per year – are also a growing threat to people who are pushed to live on steeper slopes because of urban growth and flood risk.
New research from KU Leuven and AfricaMuseum shows that climate change allows disease-carrying freshwater snails to survive in several southern European countries, driving up the risk of catching schistosomiasis, an infectious disease caused by a parasitic flatworm. Scientists want holidaymakers to be aware of the risk before taking a refreshing dip in the river or lake.