How the urban illegal bushmeat trade can operate in Central Africa

Bushmeat, or wild-caught animals used for food, continues to be a predominant choice of protein in Central Africa. Traditional hunting for consumption at low human population densities is not considered a threat to abundant... [ view full abstract ]

Bushmeat, or wild-caught animals used for food, continues to be a predominant choice of protein in Central Africa. Traditional hunting for consumption at low human population densities is not considered a threat to abundant wildlife populations, but as urban centers continue to grow in population, the commercial trade in bushmeat to supply them is posing an ever-increasing threat. Preliminary research indicates some urban bushmeat is illegally trafficked into urban markets in a systematic way that generates criminal profits and moves through dedicated transportation hubs. This study builds upon this baseline data and explores how the illegal urban bushmeat trade operates alongside legitimate commerce. Using the "lock model" of laundering illegitimate to legitimate supply chains, we characterize the different types of lock functions of the illegal bushmeat trade with other supply chains in Point Noire, Republic of Congo. Based on mixed-method social science fieldwork conducted in 2017, we characterize the different locks between individuals, organizations, financial transactions, and jurisdictions of illegal bushmeat trade and legal commodity trade. We offer a typology of the ways in which the illegal bushmeat trade can penetrate legal supply chains (e.g., physical, geographic, market, virtual, institutional). Results are interpreted using conservation criminology (i.e., risk and decision research, conservation biology, and criminology) to identify implications for law enforcement and demand reduction strategies focused on changing human behavior.