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Poverty not taste drives the consumption of protected species in Madagascar

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Abstract

Bushmeat consumption in Madagascar is increasingly acknowledged as one of the major threats to its wild vertebrates. Nevertheless, few studies have examined the drivers of the consumption of protected versus legally huntable wild species, or examined its variance across Madagascar’s protected and unprotected areas. This research provides a novel study of the consumption of protected, unprotected, and fish/eel species between forest types (deciduous and rainforest), as well as across a gradient of protected habitat (National Park, Reserve, Unprotected). Members of 1750 households were interviewed across four regions, including two national parks, two reserves, and two unprotected forests. Household demographic, socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic variables were explored as possible predictors of bushmeat consumption. We found that poorer households reported consuming greater quantities of protected species whereas wealthier households reported consuming greater quantities of fish and eel. Households located inside Andasibe-Mantadia National Park, Madagascar’s most visited protected area, reported consuming the greatest quantities of protected species. Interviewees’ most favoured meat was from livestock, and fish. The consumption pattern of wild species reflected interviewees’ stated preference for species that are either unlisted (e.g. tilapia fish) under Malagasy species protection laws, classified as pest (e.g. bushpig) and/or game species (e.g. tenrec). Most protected species (such as lemurs and carnivorans) were interviewees’ least favoured wild meats. Given the lack of cultural affinity, and low preference for the consumption of most protected species, our results suggest that improving accessibility to domestic meat is a promising strategy for reducing the consumption of protected species.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by Megafaun, the Fossa Fund of Duisburg Zoo, and the Pollard Fund of Wadham College. A debt of gratitude is owed to the communities who graciously hosted us and participated in our research. Thank you to our hardworking field team, and the organisations that helped us, including Fanamby, Chances for Nature, and MICET. Thank you to the Madagascar National Parks and the Madagascar Government for granting the permission to conduct this research.

Funding

This study was funded by Megafaun, the Fossa Fund of Duisburg Zoo, and the Pollard Fund of Wadham College.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zoological Society of London, Outer Circle, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK

    Samuel D. Merson

  2. Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Luke J. Dollar

  3. Department of Environmental Science, Catawba College, Salisbury, NC, 28144, USA

    Luke J. Dollar

  4. Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Tubney, Oxon, OX13 5QL, UK

    Paul J. Johnson & David W. Macdonald

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  1. Samuel D. Merson
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Correspondence to Samuel D. Merson.

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Ethical clearance and research approval was Granted by The University of Oxford’s Central University Research Ethics Committee (Number: SSD/CUREC1A/14-010).

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Communicated by Angus Jackson.

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Merson, S.D., Dollar, L.J., Johnson, P.J. et al. Poverty not taste drives the consumption of protected species in Madagascar. Biodivers Conserv 28, 3669–3689 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01843-3

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