2.1.2 Other wild animal products
In addition to the contribution of bushmeat to food security through direct consumption, wild animals and their products are used as condiments to make meals more palatable, thereby improving the capacity of people to eat sufficient quantities of staple foods which are often bland and monotonous. Honey, produced by honey-bees, is regarded as valuable product worldwide. It may be used as a source of food, as a sweetener, as a tonic or medicine, and also as base for producing beverages. In many African communities, e.g. among the Maasai, honey also has an important social value in that it is used in various ceremonies such as marriage and circumcision (Chihongo, 1992).
Honey is collected from the wild or produced on bee-keeping farms. It is estimated that there are approximately 2000 bee farmers in South Africa and honey production is reported at 3,200 metric tons per year (Maliehe, 1993). Bee keeping is obviously an industry with a lot of income generation potential for the rural people? particularly those living in the vicinity of protected areas where the low population pressure makes the reserves excellent for bee-keeping. Bee-keeping provides one economic justification for the sustainable management of the natural forests. Thus a number of "people and parks" projects in Africa are exploring or encouraging bee-keeping by local communities within reserves as a way of increasing benefits from the forests to the people and thereby enhance both food and income/employment based on forest industries. The honey produced may be consumed locally' transported to city markets for sale or exported.
Table 2.2 Wildlife production in three ecological zones in
Nigeria (estimated from monthly
harvest by farmers during the rainy season) (Source: Adeola
& Decker, 1987)
Species |
Carcas s wt. (kg) |
Savanna region (n = 60) |
Deciduous forest region (n = 30) |
Rain forest region (n = 30) |
|||
No. per farmer |
Kg per farmer |
No. per farmer |
Kg per farmer |
No. per farmer |
Kg per farmer |
||
Big Game (excluding elephants) | |||||||
Duikers (Cephalophus monticola, Sylvicapra. grimmia) | 6.7 | 4.03 | 27.00 | 3.56 | 23.85 | 2.84 | 19.03 |
Bushbuck Tragelaphus scriptus | 11.0 | 2.11 | 23.21 | 1.33 | 14.63 | 1.77 | 19.47 |
Water Buck Kobus ellipsiprymnus | 120.0 | 1.57 | 188.40 | 0.02 | 2.40 | 0.57 | 68.40 |
Roan Antelope Hippotragus equinus | 144.0 | 1.02 | 146.88 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 72.00 |
Kob Kobus kobus | 56.0 | 0.73 | 40.88 | 0.03 | 1.68 | 0.57 | 31.92 |
Warthog Pacochoerus aethiopicus | 45.0 | 0.63 | 28.35 | 0.68 | 30.60 | 0.08 | 3.60 |
Buffalo Syncerus caffer | 420.0 | 0.52 | 218.40 | 0.21 | 88.20 | 0.24 | 100.8 |
Baboon Papio anubis | 9.0 | 0.33 | 2.97 | 0.58 | 5.22 | 0.06 | 0.54 |
Est. monthly harvest (million kg)* | 578.1 | 120.6 | 318.4 | ||||
Elephant Loxodonta africana | 1600.0 | 0.07 | 112.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.03 | 48.00 |
Small Game | |||||||
Squirrells (Funisciucus aneuythrus, Xerus erythroups) | 0.5 | 16.85 | 8.43 | 10.69 | 5.35 | 12.98 | 6.49 |
Grasscutter Thryonomys swinderianus | 4.0 | 13.52 | 54.08 | 7.97 | 31.88 | 4.73 | 18.92 |
African giant rat | 2.0 | 11.31 | 22.62 | 8.83 | 17.66 | 8.53 | 17.06 |
Cricetomys gambainus | |||||||
Porcupine Hysterix cristata | 4.0 | 8.67 | 34.68 | 4.11 | 16.44 | 3.90 | 15.60 |
Bats Eidolon helvum | 0.3 | 2.93 | 0.88 | 10.13 | 3.04 | 5.53 | 1.66 |
Fying squirrels Anomalurus spp. | 0.5 | 1.58 | 0.79 | 1.63 | 0.82 | 1.42 | 0.71 |
Pangolin Manis gigantea | 2.0 | 0.87 | 1.74 | 0.68 | 1.36 | 0.46 | 0.92 |
Est. monthy harvest (million kg) Game Birds | 105.4 | 55.4 | 61.9. | ||||
Guinea fowl Numida meleagris | 0.4 | 27.70 | 9.69 | 17.90 | 6.26 | 7.82 | 2.74 |
Francolin Francolinus spp | 0.4 | 14.10 | 4.94 | 9.50 | 3.32 | 4.40 | 1.54 |
Est monthy harvest (million kg) | 12.5 | 6.9 | 0.43 | ||||
Reptiles/Molluscs | |||||||
Monitor lizard Varanus niloticus | - | 3.58 | - | 2.38 | - | 2.40 | |
Tortoise Kinixys belliana | 2.60 | - | 1.52 | - | 0.86 | ||
Crocodile Crocodylus niloticus | - | 1.74 | - | 0.00 | - | 0.48 | |
Python Pvthon sebae | - | 1.06 | - | 66.00 | - | 0.40 | |
Cobra & adders (Naja nigricollis Causus rhombeatus, Bitis spp) | - | 0.48 | - | 0.32 | - | 3.42 | |
Giant snail | - | 12.50 | - | 36.54 | 17.16 | ||
Archachatina marginata |
* Estimated number of farmers: Savanna region, 855,069; Deciduous forest region, 723808; Rain forest region, 1,008,208.