The need
Wild meat hunting is one of the greatest threats to wildlife globally. Wild meat is also an important source of protein and income to millions of people across the world. While there have been many studies of wild meat use, there has been limited collation and meta-analysis of these studies. Designing effective polices requires robust data on wild meat use, including the use of wild meat for food and income by local communities, the trade in wild meat locally, nationally and regionally, and the impact of use on species and ecosystems. The creation of long-term global, regional and national monitoring frameworks for wild meat to inform policy and legal interventions are crucial steps in recognizing the importance of existing wild meat use and trade, and designing relevant interventions to manage it sustainably, where possible.
The Asia-Pacific region is a hotspot for zoonotic diseases due to the frequent interaction between native wildlife species, livestock and people. This risk is exacerbated by rising population pressure, habitat degradation and extensive wildlife trade (legal and illegal), including the demand for wild meat. However, unlike other regions like Central Africa or Latin America, the contribution of wild meat value chains to rural food security and household income are still poorly understood. Similarly, there is little actionable evidence on the impact of wild meat use and consumption on biodiversity loss and on the emergence and transmission of diseases.
Duration
2024 – Present
Locations
Asia-Pacific (Laos, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Vietnam)
Link
What we’re doing
The Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme is designed to reduce hunting of wildlife to sustainable levels, protecting endangered wildlife species, conserving biodiversity, maintaining the essential ecological roles of wildlife within forested and savanna ecosystems, and securing stocks and flows of provisioning ecosystem services.
The SWM Programme works in 16 countries, developing innovative, collaborative and scalable new approaches to conserve wild animals and protect ecosystems, whilst at the same time improving the livelihoods of indigenous peoples and rural communities who depend on these resources. Monitoring and Evaluation is a key part of the project, which has collected baseline information on wild meat use in each of the project sites, as well as monitoring the impacts of project interventions on people and wildlife.
In 2024, the SWM Programme started a two-year programme of work in Asia and the Pacific, focusing on understanding the key drivers of wild meat use and consumption in the region, the risks of zoonotic spillover associated with this use, and options for sustainable and safe use of wild meat. As part of this regional project, SWM partners are conducting the first comprehensive regional assessment of wild meat value chains across Asia and the Pacific.
Systematic review of the wild meat literature in the region
We are conducting a scoping review / systematic mapping exercise to identify literature on wild meat in Asia-Pacific and understand how wild meat systems in Asia-Pacific are managed, reported and monitored. We also aim to understand what interventions (activities to manage wild meat sustainably) have been implemented in Asia-Pacific countries and identify knowledge gaps at the country-level.
Regional analysis of wild meat use in the Asia-Pacific region
While conducting the scoping review, we identified studies and authors who published primary data on hunting offtakes, consumption, and market sales. Other data sources from various projects and initiatives were identified through online surveys and in close collaboration with SWM Programme partners and other key stakeholders working on these topics in the region. The wild meat use data from these sources is currently being formatted prior to entry into the WILDMEAT Use database, and will then be used in regional data analyses aimed at 1) describing the key characteristics of wild meat use in the region, including an overview of the wild species and the volumes hunted, consumed and/or traded, the main uses of wild meat and the market prices; and 2) assessing the environmental and socioeconomic predictors of market characteristics such as price and species composition.
The team
This project is a collaboration between:
- Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
- French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD)
- Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF)
- Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
Project leads:
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Supporters
This project is supported by:
