The evidence for the bushmeat crisis in African savannas: A systematic quantitative literature review

Abstract

Bushmeat hunting, trade and consumption is a growing biodiversity and food security concern. Much of the collated research is currently limited to forested regions however, despite indications of the increasing threat in savannas. Savanna regions are biodiverse and often have high-value wildlife tourism industries, but also have rapidly-growing rural populations, often highly dependent on natural resources. In this systematic quantitative literature review we seek to understand the state of knowledge about bushmeat in savanna regions in Africa. We aim to identify gaps in the literature, both spatially and topically, understand what methodologies are used, what common recommendations are made and what interventions have been quantified. We identified 144 relevant studies from the literature. Although studies have increased over time and diversified thematically, there were strong biases. Most studies were conducted in Tanzania, with gaps in research in southern Africa and the Sahelian region. Additionally, only 25% of papers investigated interventions used to reduce bushmeat hunting, with traditional enforcement being the most common intervention studied (53% of intervention studies, 13% of papers). Other frequently recommended interventions such as alternative incomes received little attention (14% of intervention studies, 3.5% of papers). Further, although many studies cite common drivers of bushmeat hunting such as income or livestock, the evidence for these drivers was lacking and contradictory. We reveal that although bushmeat in savanna regions is gaining recognition, many gaps in knowledge remain. This is the first study to systematically quantify the research about bushmeat in African savannas and aims to inform future research.