Distribution and Use of Income from Bushmeat in a Rural Village, Central Gabon

Abstract:  Bushmeat hunting is an activity integral to rural forest communities that provides a high proportion of household incomes and protein requirements. An improved understanding of the relationship between bushmeat hunting and household wealth is vital to assess the potential effects of futur...

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Main Authors: Coad, L.M., Abernethy, K.A., Balmford, A., Manica, A., Airey, L., Milner-Gulland, E.J.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Wiley 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/68600
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author Coad, L.M.
Abernethy, K.A.
Balmford, A.
Manica, A.
Airey, L.
Milner-Gulland, E.J.
author_browse Abernethy, K.A.
Airey, L.
Balmford, A.
Coad, L.M.
Manica, A.
Milner-Gulland, E.J.
author_facet Coad, L.M.
Abernethy, K.A.
Balmford, A.
Manica, A.
Airey, L.
Milner-Gulland, E.J.
author_sort Coad, L.M.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Abstract:  Bushmeat hunting is an activity integral to rural forest communities that provides a high proportion of household incomes and protein requirements. An improved understanding of the relationship between bushmeat hunting and household wealth is vital to assess the potential effects of future policy interventions to regulate an increasingly unsustainable bushmeat trade. We investigated the relationship between hunting offtake and household wealth, gender differences in spending patterns, and the use of hunting incomes in two rural forest communities, Central Gabon, from 2003 to 2005. Households in which members hunted (hunting households) were significantly wealthier than households in which no one hunted (nonhunting households), but within hunting households offtakes were not correlated with household wealth. This suggests there are access barriers to becoming a hunter and that hunting offtakes may not be the main driver of wealth accumulation. Over half of the money spent by men in the village shop was on alcohol and cigarettes, and the amount and proportion of income spent on these items increased substantially with increases in individual hunting offtake. By contrast, the majority of purchases made by women were of food, but their food purchases decreased actually and proportionally with increased household hunting offtake. This suggests that the availability of bushmeat as a food source decreases spending on food, whereas hunting income may be spent in part on items that do not contribute significantly to household food security. Conservation interventions that aim to reduce the commercial bushmeat trade need to account for likely shifts in individual spending that may ensue and the secondary effects on household economies.
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spelling CGSpace686002024-08-27T10:37:08Z Distribution and Use of Income from Bushmeat in a Rural Village, Central Gabon Coad, L.M. Abernethy, K.A. Balmford, A. Manica, A. Airey, L. Milner-Gulland, E.J. gender tenure livelihoods income bushmeat rural communities Abstract:  Bushmeat hunting is an activity integral to rural forest communities that provides a high proportion of household incomes and protein requirements. An improved understanding of the relationship between bushmeat hunting and household wealth is vital to assess the potential effects of future policy interventions to regulate an increasingly unsustainable bushmeat trade. We investigated the relationship between hunting offtake and household wealth, gender differences in spending patterns, and the use of hunting incomes in two rural forest communities, Central Gabon, from 2003 to 2005. Households in which members hunted (hunting households) were significantly wealthier than households in which no one hunted (nonhunting households), but within hunting households offtakes were not correlated with household wealth. This suggests there are access barriers to becoming a hunter and that hunting offtakes may not be the main driver of wealth accumulation. Over half of the money spent by men in the village shop was on alcohol and cigarettes, and the amount and proportion of income spent on these items increased substantially with increases in individual hunting offtake. By contrast, the majority of purchases made by women were of food, but their food purchases decreased actually and proportionally with increased household hunting offtake. This suggests that the availability of bushmeat as a food source decreases spending on food, whereas hunting income may be spent in part on items that do not contribute significantly to household food security. Conservation interventions that aim to reduce the commercial bushmeat trade need to account for likely shifts in individual spending that may ensue and the secondary effects on household economies. 2010-12 2015-10-21T08:32:39Z 2015-10-21T08:32:39Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/68600 en Limited Access Wiley Coad, L.M., Abernethy, K., Balmford, A., Manica, A., Airey, L., Milner-Gulland, E.J.. 2010. Distribution and Use of Income from Bushmeat in a Rural Village, Central Gabon Conservation Biology 24(6):1510-1518.
spellingShingle gender
tenure
livelihoods
income
bushmeat
rural communities
Coad, L.M.
Abernethy, K.A.
Balmford, A.
Manica, A.
Airey, L.
Milner-Gulland, E.J.
Distribution and Use of Income from Bushmeat in a Rural Village, Central Gabon
title Distribution and Use of Income from Bushmeat in a Rural Village, Central Gabon
title_full Distribution and Use of Income from Bushmeat in a Rural Village, Central Gabon
title_fullStr Distribution and Use of Income from Bushmeat in a Rural Village, Central Gabon
title_full_unstemmed Distribution and Use of Income from Bushmeat in a Rural Village, Central Gabon
title_short Distribution and Use of Income from Bushmeat in a Rural Village, Central Gabon
title_sort distribution and use of income from bushmeat in a rural village central gabon
topic gender
tenure
livelihoods
income
bushmeat
rural communities
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/68600
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