Skip to main content
Kent Academic Repository

Changes in wild meat hunting and use by rural communities during the COVID-19 socio-economic shock

Emogor, Charles A., Coad, Lauren, Balmford, Ben, Ingram, Daniel J., Detoeuf, Diane, Fletcher, Robert J. Jnr., Imong, Inaoyom, Dunn, Andrew, Balmford, Andrew (2024) Changes in wild meat hunting and use by rural communities during the COVID-19 socio-economic shock. Conservation Letters, . Article Number e13042. E-ISSN 1755-263X. (doi:10.1111/conl.13042) (KAR id:106435)

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. 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.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1111/conl.13042
Additional information: For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a CC BY public copyright licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.
Uncontrolled keywords: Anti-poaching; Biological resource use; Cross River National Park; COVID-19 pandemic; Socio-economic shock; Sustainable use, and Wild meat hunting.
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Human and Social Sciences > School of Anthropology and Conservation > DICE (Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology)
Funders: UK Research and Innovation (https://ror.org/001aqnf71)
Depositing User: Daniel Ingram
Date Deposited: 27 Jun 2024 09:59 UTC
Last Modified: 02 Aug 2024 13:02 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/106435 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

  • Depositors only (login required):

Total unique views for this document in KAR since July 2020. For more details click on the image.