Bushmeat trade in Central Africa severely underestimated, increases as forest cover declines

From Treehugger:

New analysis of the bushmeat trade in central Africa by TRAFFIC shows that the scale of trade has been severely underestimated and is actually increasing as forest cover declines. By studying statistical data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the wildlife trade monitoring organization found that in some places the amount of game taken from forests is double that which is ecologically sustainable: That’s in Cameroon, where the estimated sustainable hunt for bushmeat is estimated at 150kg per square kilometer. In Gabon and the Republic of Congo, the bushmeat take is equal to that limit. While in the Democratic Republic of Congo, bushmeat yields increased from 78,000 tons in 1990 to 90,000 tons in 2005. And this is all while overall area in the region covered by rainforest has declined. …

Bushmeat Trade in Central Africa Severely Underestimated – Increases as Forest Cover Declines