Primates and Bushmeat Hunting Around the High Niger National Park, Guinea, West Africa: Drivers and Patterns of Change

Bushmeat hunting contributes to the decline of primate species across Africa; however, few

studies have explored how such practises change over time in specific localities and how changes

in land-use patterns and economic drivers may enhance threats to primates in Muslim dominated

areas where, traditionally, primates are spared from such trade. The Haut Niger National

Park (HNNP) is one of only two national parks in the Republic of Guinea. The park is one of the

last remaining important formations of dry forest-savannah mosaics in West Africa and is a site

of high conservation priority for ungulates and the western subspecies of chimpanzee. This study

aimed to: (1) estimate the diversity and abundance of animal species sold for consumption across

several markets in and around the HNNP, (2) analyse the evolution of the bushmeat trade since

the mid-1990s, and (3) identify the players and drivers of the commercial bushmeat trade in the

area. Local market assessments were conducted across four village markets and in Faranah, one

of the closest urban areas abutting the HNNP. We successfully identified 5,807 wildlife carcasses

of 46 species and 22 families on markets surveyed over a 7 month period spanning both the dry

and wet seasons. In addition, semi-structured interviews with hunters, farmers and people involved

in the bushmeat trade helped identify more recent drivers of the bushmeat trade in the

HNNP. Our results indicated an increase in diversity of species targeted and the influence of

crop-foraging and local microcredit systems in exacerbating the presence of primate species sold

at bushmeat stalls in urban areas. Finally, whilst identifying key recommendations and gaps for

future research, this study emphasises the growing risks facing primates as targets for bushmeat

where people depend on agriculture and natural resource extraction for subsistence. This study

complied with the International Primatological Society (IPS) Guidelines for the Use of Nonhuman

Primates in Research.