Understanding Drivers Of The Trade In Wild Animal Parts
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Faunalytics
June 2016

"If anything, the perceived value of a species increases as its population declines, leading to even more aggressive exploitation." Understanding what drives hunting pressure for traditional markets is key to understanding the exploitation of different species, especially vulnerable ones.

The trade in wild animals and their body parts poses a major threat to a wide range of wild mammals. Birds, reptiles, and other species around the world are used for their feathers, hair, fur, bones, feet, and more. The use of such products in cultural or medicinal practises is controversial but is also common (in some forms) in countries including China, Brazil, and the United States. Unfortunately, the use of animals for these practices remains culturally important, but they often have little regard for the conservation status or welfare of the animals. Rare and threatened species still appear in traditional markets.

According to researchers, "if anything, the perceived value of a species increases as its population declines, leading to even more aggressive exploitation." Understanding what drives hunting pressure for traditional markets is key to understanding the exploitation of different species, especially vulnerable ones.

One of the places where hunting pressure for traditional markets is "most severe" is the continent of Africa; in particular, Nigeria hosts markets for wild birds. This study looked at the growing trade of avian body parts in Nigeria "to provide perspective on the current and potential impact of this trade on the region's avifauna." The researchers examined how often birds and bird parts were traded in the communities within and surrounding areas of wildlife protection. They interviewed various stakeholders, including hunters (they noted, "some (hunters) likely provided biased information for fear of possible future apprehension"), and also surveyed bird populations.

Less than half (42%) of the species covered by the research were known to be declining, while 18% were already listed as globally threatened. Perhaps not surprisingly, their conservation status was unknown to the study respondents. Hunters tended to be mired in various levels of poverty, leading the researchers to conclude that "conservationists therefore need to develop new strategies that reorganize the forces of traditional beliefs and the institutions that support them in conservation planning." This means "reducing the gap" between policy makers and local communities.

The researchers state emphatically that, "local people need to know that ... it is necessary to balance their demands with biodiversity conservation by putting in place measures that safeguard the persistence of targeted species."

Access entire article - An assessment of socio-economic drivers of avian body parts trade in West African rainforests


Return to Animal Rights Articles