Bushmeat alternatives in Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa with an approximate population of only half a million. The central African nation is made up of two parts: the continental region (Río Muni) and four islands (including Annobón and Bioko). The country holds incredible biodiversity with many globally important species including forest elephant, western lowland gorilla, central chimpanzee, black colobus, leopard, mandrill, red river hog, dwarf crocodile and African goliath frog.

The country is also rich in another type of natural resource. The discovery of vast off-shore oil fields has resulted in a dramatic economic boom in recent years and substantial socio-economic benefits, such as higher incomes and a government programme of infrastructure improvement. However, the country now faces a great challenge to ensure that development is sustainable and does not have an adverse impact on the natural resources upon which the country and its rural population are still highly dependent. In particular, bushmeat hunting, driven by high urban demand, is becoming increasingly unsustainable, threatening the country’s wildlife and undermining the food security of the rural poor.

ZSL, through its Institute of Zoology and in conjunction with Imperial College London, has been researching the causes and effects of the bushmeat trade in Río Muni since 2002, collecting data on all aspects of the system, including markets, consumers, households, hunters and wildlife populations. ZSL research has led to a number of recommendations for managing the bushmeat trade in Equatorial Guinea including: improved marketing and sourcing of alternative proteins, livestock production, fresh fish production, generation of alternative incomes, community forest management, protected area management and regulation of the trade.

ZSL started a new project in 2009, working with local communities and in-country partners across Río Muni to evaluate, test and assist in the implementation of the most feasible and acceptable management options. The project will communicate the strengths and weaknesses of each approach to key policy makers and donors, endeavouring to mobilise support for larger initiatives which ensure the sustainable management of the bushmeat trade.

Project funders & collaborators

We are very grateful for current and past funding for our project from US Fish and Wildlife Service, Rufford Foundation, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund, Hess-EG, Conservation International through the USAID-funded Central African Regional Program for the Environment (CARPE), ECOFAC and the UK's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

ZSL is collaborating in Equatorial Guinea with the following organisations and initiatives: INDEFOR-AP (Instituto del Desarrollo Forestaly Gestión de las Áreas Protegidas), ANDEGE (Amigos de la Natureleza y Desarrollo de Guinea Ecuatorial), Conservation International, Imperial College London, University College London, CARPE and PACEBCo.