Ban on bushmeat creates as many problems as it solves
For most of us, the gut reaction to bushmeat is revulsion. We think of the news reports about poachers and the sad piles of smoked chimps and other apes that can be found at markets. I mean, eating a gorilla is simply unimaginable! It's illegal for a reason, and it's hard to imagine an argument in favor of it.
But a new report from the Center for International Forestry Research introduces a surprising perspective on bushmeat.
First, for many rural parts of Africa, bushmeat is the primary source of protein for the human population. At a time when there is so much poverty and famine, who in good conscience can say that a local hunter can't feed his family?
And even though it's illegal, not to mention ethically and environmentally reprehensible to hunt apes, there are other animals in the jungle that are acceptable, even familiar as food. In fact, it's sustainable and beneficial to control the population of certain types of deer-like animals and rodents with hunting.
The difficulty with a nuanced law that permits hunting some animals, but not others, is in how you enforce it. Subsistence hunting can be hard to differentiate from trade hunting. Bushmeat can wind up at the market because a hunter's family needs cash to pay bills more than they need food.
Mining makes the question even more complicated because the activity disturbs the natural habitat of animals, plus it's easier for "commercial" hunters to get deeper into the jungle because of the access roads mining companies build. Of course in my opinion, the mining should just be stopped, but that's not going to happen while it's economically beneficial to someone in power.
This is a complex and emotional issue. Improving access to other sources of food would reduce the need for bushmeat, but for now this is a problem that isn't going anywhere soon.
The difficulty with a nuanced law that permits hunting some animals, but not others, is in how you enforce it. Subsistence hunting can be hard to differentiate from trade hunting. Bushmeat can wind up at the market because a hunter's family needs cash to pay bills more than they need food.
Mining makes the question even more complicated because the activity disturbs the natural habitat of animals, plus it's easier for "commercial" hunters to get deeper into the jungle because of the access roads mining companies build. Of course in my opinion, the mining should just be stopped, but that's not going to happen while it's economically beneficial to someone in power.
This is a complex and emotional issue. Improving access to other sources of food would reduce the need for bushmeat, but for now this is a problem that isn't going anywhere soon.
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