722 L. Duonamou et al.
1996. However, bushmeat trade in the three rural areas in- creased from 2001 to 2017 whether based on carcass num- bers or biomass. This finding is at odds with previous studies indicating that bushmeat demand is driven by in- creased demand from urban markets (Fa et al., 2002). T. Humle & F. St John (unpubl. data) uncovered evidence that many urban residents in Faranah preferred meat of do- mestic animals to bushmeat. However, demand from other urban centres in the forest region of Guinea and the role of intermediaries connecting villages with urban traders fur- ther afield may still be important drivers of the bushmeat trade and wider regional and transborder trade patterns; such influences need to be better understood. The absence of an increase in the bushmeat trade in Faranah since 1996 could potentially reflect a depletion of wildlife species, al- though sales in the villages increased between 2001 and 2017. This could also indicate that recent law enforcement initiatives, with road blocks at critical exit points from the Park, are successfully discouraging transport of bushmeat to the city. However, the increase in the bushmeat trade in rural areas could also be linked to an increase in the human population combined with limited access to alternative sources of protein such as beef and chicken, which are sel- dom sold in villages (T. Humle & F. St John, unpubl. data). Although we noted a decrease in carnivore and non-pest
species being hunted over time, our findings indicated a significant increase in the trading of species that forage on crops, in both rural and urban areas. Crop-damaging species are increasingly being traded in bushmeat markets across rural West Africa (e.g. in Ghana: Alexander et al., 2015). Farmers also use such bushmeat to pay off loans and/or se- cure additional income for agricultural activities, including the purchase of herbicides and fertilizers, which are now widely used locally (A. Konate, pers. obs., 2011). The major- ity of hunters in the three study villages practice farming, and social science surveys have indicated that farm pro- tection is a prime driver for hunting (L. Duonamou et al., unpubl. data). Primate species, such as baboons, green and patas monkeys, and Suidae species, are often cited as being the most common crop-foraging species in rural areas (L. Duonamou et al., unpubl. data). Our findings re- vealed a general increase in the diversity of primate species hunted, with the exception of the chimpanzee, which was only recorded once, in 2001, and a substantial intensification in the sale of green monkeys in the urban centre of Faranah. Our market surveys also indicated a marked increase in the sale of red river hogs and warthogs, especially in villages, since 2001. Even if some people in Faranah consume mon- key and wild pig meat, sale and consumption are more common and widespread in south-eastern Guinea where people are predominantly animists; Faranah and surround- ing villages have become a source of supply of these spe- cies for this region of Guinea (T. Humle, pers. obs., 2011). However, such hunting practices are evidently challenging
religious taboos against the consumption of these taxa. Tra- ditionally, a religious taboo prohibiting the consumption of Suidae species amongst Muslims in the region mainly focused on the warthog rather the red river hog. These spe- cies are, however, increasingly been killed to protect crops and, whereas in the past the meat was either donated to non-Muslims or given to dogs, farmers now gain econom- ically from their sale, providing an additional incentive for killing (L. Duonamou et al., unpubl. data). Warthog meat in particular is also now been termed the ‘meat of the youth’ in rural areas, where the younger Muslim generation is dis- creetly preparing and consuming this meat (L. Duanomou & A. Konate, pers. obs., 2017). In addition, primate meat is also often supplied to local restaurants in Faranah, where people tend not to question the type of meat that is being served and where taboos are not respected as fully as in the household (A. Konate, unpubl. data). Our findings also indicated a significant shift in the dom-
inant species for sale in 2017 compared with earlier years. Although the red-flanked and blue duikers were amongst the most traded species during 1994–2001 in both rural and urban areas, they were markedly less evident in 2011 and 2017. In addition, although the cane rat remained the most abundantly traded species in rural areas, its trade de- creased markedly in 2011 and 2017 in the urban centre of Faranah. This shift may be related to increased demand in rural areas for the greater cane rat, the meat of which is highly appreciated and readily available (A. Konate & L. Duonamou, pers. obs., 2017), and a shift in consumption of bushmeat species such as primates, warthog and red river hog, which are not traditionally consumed in villages, and hence preferentially transported to and traded in urban areas. The decline in duiker species may indicate these spe- cies have declined as a result of unsustainable hunting. In 2001 and 2017, these species were replaced by the green monkey in the urban centre and by species such as the Gambian pouched rat Cricetomys gambianus in the rural areas (Supplementary Table 3). The bushbuck was the only species whose relative abundance remained relatively consistent across years in both urban and rural settings, suggesting that the population of this species has remained stable despite hunting. Although large-bodied species such as the bushbuck
were relatively constant in their presence in the markets across years, our study revealed a significant shift in more recent years from medium-sized species towards small spe- cies (,10 kg) in both rural and urban settings. Market sur- veys in someWest African countries have similarly revealed a marked shift towards smaller species such as rodents, generally reflecting a depletion in larger mammals linked to unsustainable levels of hunting (Cowlishaw et al., 2005). Our study highlights temporal changes in bushmeat
available for sale across rural and urban settings, sheds light on the dynamics of the bushmeat trade in and around
Oryx, 2021, 55(5), 717–724 © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605319001443
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