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This is the eastern bank of the Luangwa River, in Zambia’s Eastern Province. Twenty years ago, one man came here looking for something most conservationists would have avoided: a landscape that had already been emptied of its wildlife, where the challenge would be to bring it back. The valley
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By Prof Brian Child Exchange and specialization as the basis of wealth Published in 1776, Adam Smith wrote The Wealth of Nations. He showed that wealth is created by converting raw materials, often drawn from the environment, into goods people want. The secret to wealth creation was the productivity of
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More Boots on the Ground, but the Bushmeat Trade Thrives By Zig Mackintosh Key Takeaways: * Enforcement alone is not stopping the bushmeat trade, despite increased patrols, arrests, and seizures. * The trade persists because it is driven by strong economic incentives that far outweigh the risks. * Corruption, weak penalties, and systemic
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Boda bodas are motorbike taxis ubiquitous across East Africa, particularly dominant in Uganda. The term originated from drivers who shouted "border, border" at potential customers along the Uganda-Kenya border during political instability in the 1970s. Originally, bicycle-based smuggling operations at border crossings transitioned to motorcycles in
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In European capitals, policymakers debate the ethics of hunting in Africa while animal rights activists condemn any form of wildlife utilization. Yet walk into any upscale restaurant in Paris, Berlin, or Vienna, and you'll find venison, wild boar, and game birds prominently featured on the menu. Visit a
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Key Takeaways: * Wildlife in the savannas of Northern Cameroon is being decimated. * The region is facing a myriad of threats from pastoralists to poachers. * Hunting concessions comprise about 70% of the massive Bénoué Complex (23,394 km² in extent). * The financial burden of protecting wildlife falls almost entirely on hunting
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Since May 2013, the Phalaborwa Natural Heritage Foundation has added 8,000 snares to their “snare poles”, which already had 2,000 snares on them. These snares were collected during patrols by the organization’s rangers and during snare sweeps conducted by volunteers on various properties around the Kruger National
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In the forests of Cameroon, a single conservation program has seized 1,392 kg of bushmeat, arrested 25 poachers, and destroyed 260 hunting camps, yet hunting pressure resumes whenever enforcement resources are withdrawn. This pattern, repeated across Africa, reveals the fundamental challenge facing wildlife conservation: economic incentives consistently outweigh protection
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In the bustling markets of Accra, a kilogram of bushmeat costs more than premium beef, yet consumers consistently choose the wild meat option. This phenomenon, repeated across urban centers throughout Africa, reveals a fundamental truth about protein consumption on the continent: cultural forces often override pure economic logic, creating consumption
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Africa's protein markets reveal a fascinating economic paradox: the cheaper product to produce isn't always the more affordable product to buy. Across the continent, bushmeat and beef engage in a complex pricing dance that defies simple economic assumptions, with supply chain efficiency emerging as the decisive
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Illegal activities that pose significant challenges in most of Africa include habitat loss through charcoal production, illicit harvesting of timber, poaching of wildlife, and overfishing of water resources. In the Lugenda Wildlife Reserve (LUWIRE) within the Niassa Special Reserve of northern Mozambique, these issues are being addressed head-on. For
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6 AM: An antelope dies in a wire snare 200 kilometers from the nearest city. 6 PM: That same antelope is served in an urban restaurant. This is the bushmeat pipeline. What began as local subsistence hunting has evolved into an industrial supply chain. Poachers sell to local traders, who