BUSHMEAT IN EAST AFRICA
The actions of many people across Eastern Africa are having an enormous impact on wildlife populations and the services they provide.Recent studies by BEAN core team members have determined that across Southern Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya there is widespread, growing illegal trade in wildlife for meat and money.This over-hunting is causing a reduction in numbers and diversity of wildlife.Although leading wildlife authorities work hard in hard in their efforts to address illegal hunting, the capacity to address this problem is limited due to many factors, such as lack of sufficent earmarked funding and staff, barriers within government, enormity of the bushmeat challenge, and lack of coordination of wildlife partners to address the issue together.Many citizens are not aware that there is a bushmeat problem thus as of yet haven't modified their behaviors to contribute to wildlife conservation.
To help address these various levels of challenges, BEAN was developed by East African practitioners and contributing bushmeat experts, and activities have been classified in the following sectors About BEAN
- Law Enforcement
- Awareness
- Information Management
- Alternative Income
- Alternative Protein Source
- Partnerships
WHAT CAN BE DONE
Alternatives for both protein and income are essential to change current trends in illegal, over-hunting of wildlife.Improved policy, legislation and regulation of legal wildlife use is necessary if future generations of citizens in Africa will be able to have wildlife as part of their heritage to pass on to the next generation. Individuals and institutions must become aware of the importance of this illegal, unsustainable trade and how it will impact future economics and ecology of their livelihoods.
Partnerships that bring together government authority, private industry, non-profit organization and local community ingenuity and effort can assure the future of wildlife populations in Africa and the many services they provide. A change in both awareness and responsibility must be developed among all sectors of society to address this important conservation and cultural challenge.