The case for bushmeat as a component of development policy: issues and challenges

This paper makes a case for bushmeat as a topic of interest to development policy Drawing on a range of secondary sources, it argues that there are two principal grounds for this view: its importance in the livelihood strategies of the poor, and its relevance to wider issues of public governance. Considered from a livelihoods perspective, the balance sheet is more positive than has often been assumed. These positive dimensions have tended to be discounted in conservation strategies. Recent research is reviewed which illustrates the importance of bushmeat to the livelihoods of the poor. This perspective is also indicated when considering issues of forest governance. Oil the one hand, instruments such as timber certification and associated codes of conduct need to take account of key livelihoods concerns. On the other, bushmeat management could support and leverage wider improvements in the quality of forest governance.