Differences between pygmy and non-pygmy hunting in Congo basin forests
Fa, Julia E. (Manchester Metropolitan University. Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology)
Olivero, Jesús (Universidad de Málaga. Departamento de Biología Animal)
Farfán Aguilar, Miguel Ángel (Universidad de Málaga. Departamento de Biología Animal)
Lewis, Jerome (University College London. Department of Anthropology)
Yasuoka, Hirokazu (Kyoto University. Center for African Area Studies)
Noss, Andrew (University of Florida. Department of Geography)
Hattori, Shiho (Tenri University. Faculty of International Studies)
Hirai, Masaaki (Japan Forest Technology Association)
Kamgaing, Towa Olivier William (Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (Cameroon))
Carpaneto, Giuseppe Maria (Università Roma Tre. Dipartimento di Scienze)
Germi, Francesco (Università Roma Tre. Dipartimento di Scienze)
Márquez, Ana Luz (Universidad de Málaga. Departamento de Biología Animal)
Duarte Duarte, Jesús (Ofitecma)
Romain, Duda (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Gallois, Sandrine (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals)
Riddell, Michael (Bioclimate, Research and Development (UK))
Nasi, R. (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (Indonesia))

Date:	2016
Abstract:	We use data on game harvest from 60 Pygmy and non-Pygmy settlements in the Congo Basin forests to examine whether hunting patterns and prey profiles differ between the two hunter groups. For each group, we calculate hunted animal numbers and biomass available per inhabitant, P, per year (harvest rates) and killed per hunter, H, per year (extraction rates). We assess the impact of hunting of both hunter groups from estimates of numbers and biomass of prey species killed per square kilometre, and by examining the proportion of hunted taxa of low, medium and high population growth rates as a measure of their vulnerability to overhunting. We then map harvested biomass (kg -1 P -1 Yr -1) of bushmeat by Pygmies and non-Pygmies throughout the Congo Basin. Hunting patterns differ between Pygmies and non-Pygmies; Pygmies take larger and different prey and non-Pygmies sell more for profit. We show that non-Pygmies have a potentially more severe impact on prey populations than Pygmies. This is because non-Pygmies hunt a wider range of species, and twice as many animals are taken per square kilometre. Moreover, in non-Pygmy settlements there was a larger proportion of game taken of low population growth rate. Our harvest map shows that the non-Pygmy population may be responsible for 27 times more animals harvested than the Pygmy population. Such differences indicate that the intense competition that may arise from the more widespread commercial hunting by non-Pygmies is a far more important constraint and source of conflict than are protected areas.
Grants:	European Commission 261971
Note:	Unidad de excelencia María de Maeztu MdM-2015-0552
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Published in:	PloS one, Vol. 11, Issue 9 (September 2016) , art. e0161703, ISSN 1932-6203

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161703
PMID: 27589384

20 p, 3.8 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals (ICTA)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles