ICCB : 27th International Congress for

Conservation Biology

4th European Congress for Conservation

Biology

August 2-6 2015, Montpellier - France

Symposium:

Bushmeat and human health: implications for

conservations policies Organisers:

Nathalie van Vliet,

vanvlietnathalie@yahoo.com,

CIFOR

Ferran Jori,

ferran.jori@cirad.fr,

CIRAD

Rationale:

Conservation policies regarding the use of wildlife have often focused on the ecological risks of

bushmeat for consumption and trade, undermining often the interconnections with the later and

human health. Indeed, It is now known that the bushmeat trade can become a highly lucrative

business ( worth tens of millions of dollars) which is widespread in tropical areas worldwide.

However, research to date has largely concentrated on aspects of sustainability and ecological

impacts on the forest ecosystem rather than on potential links between wildlife and human

health. There are several ways in which bushmeat utilisation and consumption can have an impact

on human health: Firts of all, wild meat represents a source of nutrients for many forest dwellers

and indigenous forest communities and its deprivation can translate into nutrient deficiency if

other sources of protein, fat and iron are not provided.. In addition, a similar impact can be

expected when bushmeat is used for zootherapeutic purposes. Ethnic folk medicine still makes use

of animals and products derived from animal organs with examples of current uses of animal-

derived remedies found in remote localities as well as in peri-urban and urban areas in different

parts of the world. Last, but not least, wildlife species can act as a source of many zoonotic

diseases as illustrated by the recent Ebola sanitary crisis in West Africa. In that sense, trade and

exchange dynamics within the local and global bushmeat value chain, expose humans to disease

risks that require further understanding in the context of the emergence of new zoonotic

pathogens. A focus on one or the other issue could lead to contradicting recommendations for

conservation policy makers. On one hand, the understanding of the nutritional and

zootherapetical role of bushmeat highlights the importance of exploring options for sustainable

use. On the other, the magnitude of the recent Ebola crisis, despite being transmitted between

humans, will likely have an impact on the bushmeat trade by banning and further criminalising

wildmeat exploitation or by reducing bushmeat consumption, which could have ecological and

socio-economic implications. In this context, our aim in this symposium is to provide some food

for thought for discussing different ways in which human health can be affected by wildlife

exploitation and consumption, possible impacts of those links from the nutritional, social,

epidemiological and ecological perspectives; and possible holistic aspects that should be

considered when defining integrated conservation policies to manage wildlife use for human

consumption.

Conference registration opens on the 15th of January

Link: http://www.iccb-eccb2015.org/