The Illegal Bushmeat Trade :: essays research papers

The second star- fractional of the 20th century has seen the continent of Africa in continuous turmoil. Civil wars, the acquired immune deficiency syndrome epidemic, deforestation, and desertification are just a few of the problems facing Africa. A more(prenominal) recent threat to this ancient and fragile environment has emerged and is quickly gaining metier at devouring life the bush plaza trade. Bush meat refers to the smoked carcasses of various wild, and often endangered species that are sold illegally at rural markets of undeveloped countries and plain at ethnic markets in developed nations. The meat of gorillas, chimpanzees, and elephants are considered delicacies and the demand for these endangered species is change magnitudely high. Countries at the center of this crisis are Botswana, Mozambique, Kenya, Zimbabwe, the Congo, Cameroon, Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania. Bush meat plays a crucial socio-economic exercise to many in Africa, and as such epitomizes the need to balance trade protection against such factors as poerty, health, and food security. Certain key takes are needful to understand the bush meat trade1. Bush meat is non purely a tropical forest-related phenomenon, but is Africa-wide and indeed a planetary problem.- Bush meat utilization is a significant conservation, economic, and cultural issue in non-forested areas of eastern and southern Africa- Bush meat is regarded as one of the most beneficial wildlife resources available to local communities. Demand is high and is increasing at alarming rates2. Bush meat crucial as a source of cheap protein for malnourished people throughout Africa- over 90% of rural peoples in Central Africa eat less than half of the recommended protein intake3. With growing populations, demand for bush meat will overcompensate to grow4. Poverty in the face of diminishing alternative resources, doer that traditional taboos restricting the consumption of certain animals is increasingly ignored- most as sert that since we humans are 97% related genetically to chimps and gorillas that eating them is equivalent to cannibalism5. Even though subsistence use of bush meat still predominates over most areas of eastern and southern Africa, an emerging trend of increased mercenary trade is evident- Bush meat is making its way into atomic number 63 in large quantities and is even found in ethnic markets in the UKThe core of the problem appears to be logging. Logging companies build roads to previously inaccessible areas making contact to bush meat much easier. Some companies actually hire employees to buy the meat, while others supply hunters with guns and ammunition and even transport the catch between forests and markets.