Growth and globalization of the Central African wildlife economy: Insights from a 23-year study of wild meat markets on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea

Dana Venditti Mitchell; Stephen Woloszynek; Matthew W. Mitchell; Drew T. Cronin; Zhengqiao Zhao; Gail R. Rosen; Michael P. O’Connor; Maximiliano Fero Meñe; Mary Katherine Gonder

doi:10.1371/journal.pstr.0000139

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Growth and globalization of the Central African wildlife economy: Insights from a 23-year study of wild meat markets on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea

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Growth and globalization of the Central African wildlife economy: Insights from a 23-year study of wild meat markets on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea

Dana Venditti Mitchell, Stephen Woloszynek, Matthew W. Mitchell, Drew T. Cronin, Zhengqiao Zhao, Gail R. Rosen, Michael P. O’Connor, Maximiliano Fero Meñe and Mary Katherine Gonder

PLOS sustainability and transformation, v 3(11), e0000139

20 Nov 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000139

Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel

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Abstract

The commercial trade in wild meat is booming in Central Africa. Addressing this issue is a global priority because the trade poses a major threat to biodiversity and human health. We investigated the impact of socioeconomic factors, public health emergencies, and conservation efforts on the wild meat trade using daily surveys of wild meat markets on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea (EG), from 1997 through 2021. Bioko is an ideal location for examining how external factors impact the wild meat market trade. Although small, the island has large areas of intact forest that host populations of commercially valuable wildlife; low-cost protein substitutes are available; and Malabo, the island’s only large metropolitan area and wild meat trading hub, hosts a wealthy class of urbanites. We found significant associations between global market trends and the wild meat trade, especially China’s foreign investment and oil production in the US and EG. Economic crises like EG’s 2009 economic downturn that followed a global crash in oil prices and reduced production, redirected demand towards cheaper mainland wildlife carcasses amid reduced consumer demand. Public health emergencies had the most comprehensive impact on the wild meat trade. The 2014 Ebola outbreak and the COVID-19 pandemic both induced shifts in market demand, and the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted trade routes, affecting both urban and rural markets. Internally, we observed market decentralization over the last decade and changes in wildlife supply chains during public health emergencies. Conservation policies, including anti-poaching measures and educational outreach, temporarily influenced wildlife market trends, sometimes leading to trading surges in endangered primate carcasses. Our study highlights the importance of monitoring global market trends, public health campaigns, and adapting conservation strategies to disrupt wildlife supply chains and curb consumer demand for wild meat.

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Title: Growth and globalization of the Central African wildlife economy: Insights from a 23-year study of wild meat markets on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea
Creators: Dana Venditti Mitchell - Drexel University
Stephen Woloszynek - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Matthew W. Mitchell - Coriell Institute For Medical Research
Drew T. Cronin - North Carolina Zoo Society
Zhengqiao Zhao - Drexel University
Gail R. Rosen - Drexel University
Michael P. O’Connor - Drexel University
Maximiliano Fero Meñe
Mary Katherine Gonder - Drexel University
Contributors: Adeyemi Oladapo Aremu (Editor)
Publication Details: PLOS sustainability and transformation, v 3(11), e0000139
Publisher: PLOS
Number of pages: 34
Grant note: US Fish and Wildlife Service: F13AP00506, F17AP00425, F19AP00513 ExxonMobil FoundationConservation InternationalLos Angeles ZooMargot Marsh Biodiversity FoundationNational Geographic Conservation TrustPhoebe Haas Charitable Trust BSally Hunter Challenge Fund
This research was supported by grants to MKG from the US Fish and Wildlife Service (F13AP00506, F17AP00425, and F19AP00513), the ExxonMobil Foundation, Conservation International, the Los Angeles Zoo, Margot Marsh Biodiversity Foundation, the National Geographic Conservation Trust, the Phoebe Haas Charitable Trust B, and the Sally Hunter Challenge Fund. The sponsors had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Resource Type: Journal article
Language: English
Academic Unit: Biodiversity, Earth, and Environmental Science (BEES); Biology; Electrical and Computer Engineering
Web of Science ID: WOS:001416454300001
Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105001980377
Other Identifier: 991021964610004721