Wildlife Harvesting and Whaling

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Questions and Answers

What is the estimated biomass harvested in the Congo basin?

148,200 tonnes

5,254 kg/km squared/year

7,787,300 tonnes (correct)

40 kg/km squared/year

What is the most common species harvested in the Amazon basin?

Bearded pig

Forest elephant

Bay duiker

White lipped peccary (correct)

What is the estimated daily protein intake from bushmeat in some African countries?

26-180g/day (correct)

45g/day

52g/day

10-18g/day

What is a proposed method to make culling more acceptable?

Selling the culled animals to local communities Signup and view all the answers

What is predicted to happen to bushmeat supply by 2050 if current rates of over-harvesting continue?

Decrease by 80% Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated annual turnover of bushmeat in Cameroon?

Approximately US$100 million Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated percentage of terrestrial mammal species threatened with extinction due to bushmeat hunting?

50% Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated amount of CO2 saved per year by consuming bushmeat instead of cattle?

71 mega-tonnes Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between hunting pressure and the number of animals presented at market for sale?

Negative correlation Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential economic benefit of trading carbon credits related to bushmeat consumption?

Equivalent to 0.1 to 1.5 million US dollars a year Signup and view all the answers

What is the estimated amount of bushmeat smuggled through Charles de Gaulle airport per week?

5 tonnes per week Signup and view all the answers

What is a necessary step to reduce the negative impacts of bushmeat consumption?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What is an alternative to bushmeat that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions?

Soybeans Signup and view all the answers

What is the effect of hunting on primate-dispersed plants in Amazonian Peru?

26% decrease in richness Signup and view all the answers

What is the dietary overlap between hunters and leopards in the Congo Basin?

High overlap Signup and view all the answers

Why is bushmeat consumption good for carbon sequestration?

Because it reduces the need for cattle farming Signup and view all the answers

What is a major threat to forests, according to the text?

Logging and agriculture Signup and view all the answers

What is the consequence of enforcement of current laws and depletion of wildlife stock on anaemia in Madagascar?

30% increase in anaemia Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of sustainable harvesting?

To take as much as possible without causing decline Signup and view all the answers

What is the main reason for whaling in the past?

For blubber, spermaceti oil, bones, and baleen Signup and view all the answers

What is the ecological impact of whaling on deep-water ecosystems?

Reduction of scavenger communities Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of whale faeces in marine ecosystems?

It is a source of nutrients for phytoplankton Signup and view all the answers

What is bushmeat, and where is it commonly associated with?

Hunting for food, and commonly associated with Amazon, equatorial Africa, and parts of SE Asia Signup and view all the answers

What is not considered bushmeat?

All of the above Signup and view all the answers

What are the two basic questions to determine if bushmeat is a sustainable food?

How big is the demand, and can this demand be met by the species harvested? Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of species density and reproductive output in determining the sustainability of bushmeat?

They are important for determining the off-take relative to the species' parameters Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Harvesting and Whaling

Harvesting: extracting wildlife resources for human gain, aiming for sustainability without causing decline
Whaling: primarily for blubber, spermaceti oil, bones, and baleen, but also for meat in some cultures
Indigenous peoples allowed to hunt small numbers for cultural or scientific reasons, but "scientific whaling" is considered a smokescreen for economic activities
Ecological impacts of whaling include reduced scavenger communities in deep water and decreased whale faeces, an important source of nutrients for phytoplankton, which sequester carbon

Bushmeat

Definition: human dietary protein not derived from farmed livestock or fish, mostly associated with land-locked countries
Not used to describe hunting for food in North America, Arctic, Europe, large parts of Asia, South America, Australia, or Antarctica
Sustainability depends on demand and species reproductive output, with species density and extraction rates considered
Amazon basin: 148,200 tonnes of biomass harvested, with white-lipped peccary responsible for 25% of total
Congo basin: 7,787,300 tonnes of biomass harvested, with Bay duiker responsible for 26% of total and forest elephant responsible for 22% of total

Impacts of Bushmeat Harvesting

Lambir Hills National Park, Borneo: 20% of bird species, 22% of mammal species (including 50% of primates) extinct due to over-hunting
Global crisis: 301 terrestrial mammal species threatened with extinction due to bushmeat hunting
Negative issues: public health risks, ecosystem effects, disease transmission, and human health issues
Future predictions: bushmeat supply to decline by over 80% by 2050, only 3 countries able to supply over 50g protein/day from bushmeat

Controversies and Positives

Big controversy: imposing conservation-based restrictions on bushmeat harvesting
Biggest effects on children: anaemia associated with wildlife consumption, enforcement of laws could increase anaemia by 30%
Economic benefits: annual turnover approximately US$100 million in Cameroon, 0.17% of Gross Domestic Product
Promoting coexistence: using culled animals for local communities, 89 elephants killed in 2009-10, 41 tonnes of meat given away
Economic benefit of carbon sequestration: 71 mega-tonnes of CO2 saved per year by not using cattle as a source of protein

Conclusion

Clear evidence of over-extraction of bushmeat, associated with health and ecosystem threats
Needed solutions: reduced population growth, poverty reduction, education, effective legal enforcement, and a switch to sustainable harvesting or plant-based proteins.

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Description

This quiz explores the concept of sustainable harvesting of wildlife resources, including whaling, and its historical and cultural significance.