Economic and geographic drivers of wildlife consumption in rural Africa.

摘要: The harvest of wildlife for human consumption is valued at several billion dollars annually and provides an essential source meat hundreds millions rural people living in poverty. This also considered among the greatest threats to biodiversity throughout Africa, Asia, Latin America. Economic development often proposed as first step win–win solutions poverty alleviation conservation by breaking reliance on wildlife. However, increases wealth may accelerate extend scale efficiency harvest. Our ability assess likelihood these two contrasting outcomes design approaches that simultaneously consider loss impeded a weak understanding direction shape their interaction. Here, we present results economic use surveys conducted 2,000 households from 96 settlements Ghana, Cameroon, Tanzania, Madagascar. We examine individual interactive roles wealth, relative food prices, market access, opportunity costs time spent hunting household rates consumption. Despite great differences biogeographic, social, aspects our study sites, found consistent relationship between Wealthier consume more bushmeat nearer urban areas, but opposite pattern observed isolated settlements. Wildlife increase when alternative livelihoods collapse, this safety net option only those near harvestable