Changes in Wild Meat Hunting and Use by Rural Communities During the COVID-19 Socio-economic Shock
Emogor, CA; Coad, L; Balmford, B; et al.Ingram, DJ; Detoeuf, D; Fletcher, RJ; Imong, I; Dunn, A; Balmford, A
Date: 2024
Article
Journal
Conservation Letters
Publisher
Wiley
Abstract
There is limited quantitative evidence of the effects of socio-economic shocks on biological
resource use. Focusing on wild meat hunting, a substantial livelihood and food source in
tropical regions, we evaluated the impacts of the shock from Nigeria’s COVID-19 lockdown
on species exploitation around a global biodiversity hotspot. ...
There is limited quantitative evidence of the effects of socio-economic shocks on biological
resource use. Focusing on wild meat hunting, a substantial livelihood and food source in
tropical regions, we evaluated the impacts of the shock from Nigeria’s COVID-19 lockdown
on species exploitation around a global biodiversity hotspot. Using a three-year quantitative
dataset collected during and after the lockdown (covering 1,008 hunter-months) and matching
by time of year, we found that successful hunting trip rates were more frequent during
lockdown, with a corresponding increase in the monthly number, mass, and value of animals
caught. Moreover, hunters consumed a larger proportion of wild meat and sold less during
lockdown compared to non-lockdown periods. These results suggest that local communities
relied on wild meat to supplement reduced food and income during lockdown, buffering
COVID-19’s socio-economic shock. Our findings also indicate that wild species may be
especially vulnerable to increased hunting pressure during such shocks.
Economics
Faculty of Environment, Science and Economy
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