226 H. N. K. Sackey et al.
trade in these protected species indicates that wildlife laws are not being effectively enforced. Furthermore, although many of the species we recorded
in trade are categorized as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, several have declining population trends, including the unscheduled but heavily traded edible bullfrog (Table 1). From a conservation perspective, the implications are that these wildlife populations could experience significant de- clines in the future if management actions are not adopted to monitor and improve the sustainability of the trade in these species. In addition, one of the species we recorded in trade, the Senegal flapshell turtle, is categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List but is not scheduled by Ghana’sWildlife Conservation Regulation. Interventionmea- sures should focus on more appropriate ways to protect such ecologically important species, such as scheduling under the Wildlife Conservation Regulation to ensure that legal pro- tections under national legislation align with international standards and classifications. Our data also suggest that protected areas could come
under increasing pressure. Given that ungulates are fetching high prices in established trade networks to the south, num- bers of ungulates in the broader landscape appear to have been depleted and there is evidence that hunters could be accessing national parks. We recommend investment in the effective management of these protected areas and in- creased enforcement of wildlife laws both in the north and across the country. We also recommend further research on the exploitation
of frogs, which could help tailor management interventions for sustainable harvests. It would be useful to explore the potential for captive breeding of frogs to provide affordable protein. Furthermore, our findings suggest that providing alternative livelihood sources and income-generating activities during the dry season could reduce bushmeat harvesting.
Conclusion
The market data presented here provide the first detailed overview of the commercial bushmeat trade in northern Ghana. The results are relevant for conservationists and re- searchers seeking to promote sustainable trade. The dom- inance of amphibians emphasizes the importance of this affordable local protein source for both traders and consu- mers in an economically deprived region. The low numbers of ungulates at the markets are surprising given the expected ecological characteristics of savannah systems. However, notwithstanding their low numbers, ungulates continue to represent the bulk of the traded biomass, suggesting that even at low numbers the trade in ungulates makes a signifi- cant contribution to the local economy. Although caution must be exercised when using market data to assess the condition and status of fauna in the
catchments supplying these markets, there is evidence that the local landscape may be depleted of large mammals, and there are some indications that neighbouring protected areas and reserves are sources of the bushmeat available in these markets. Seasonal variations in the quantities of bushmeat traded demonstrate that trade peaked outside the farming season, indicating that bushmeat hunting and trading are parts of a diversified livelihood strategy. Our analysis could help inform conservation planning
and the design of measures for the management of bush- meat hunting and trading in northern Ghana, and provide evidence to estimate the levels of extraction of certain species and of the effects that overexploitation has had on wildlife populations in the region. Any management inter- vention measures should consider the role of bushmeat in people’s livelihoods, as the challenge for successful wild- life conservation involves balancing wildlife conservation objectives with people’s socio-economic needs.
Acknowledgements HNKS acknowledges funding from the University of Ghana–Building a New Generation of Academics in Africa Project, the support of an AfOx Fellowship from the University of Oxford (grant number AfiOx-173), and an ACCAI Partnership Fellowship, and thanks Timothy Kuiper of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, University of Oxford, for statistical support.
Author contributions Study design: all authors; data collection: HNKS; data analysis, writing: all authors.
Conflicts of interest None.
Ethical standards This study was approved by the Ethics Committee for the College of Basic and Applied Sciences of the University of Ghana (ECBAS 040/18-19) and abided by the Oryx guidelines on ethical standards.
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Oryx, 2023, 57(2), 216–227 © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605322000096
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