The spatial distribution of illegal hunting of terrestrial mammals in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic map
Background
There is a rich body of literature addressing the topic of illegal hunting of wild terrestrial mammals. Studies on this topic have risen over the last decade as species are under increasing risk from anthropogenic threats. Sub-Saharan Africa contains the highest number of terrestrial mammals listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. However, the spatial distribution of illegal hunting incidences is not well documented. To address this knowledge gap, the systematic map presented here aims to answer three research questions: (1) What data are available on the spatial distribution of illegal hunting of terrestrial mammals in Sub-Saharan Africa in relation to environmental and anthropogenic correlates i.e. proximity to roads, water bodies, human settlement areas, different land tenure arrangements and anti-poaching ranger patrol bases? (2) Which research methodologies have primarily been used to collect quantitative data and how comparable are these data? (3) Is there a bias in the research body toward particular taxa and geographical areas?
Methods
Systematic searches were carried out across eight bibliographic databases; articles were screened against pre-defined criteria. Only wild terrestrial mammals listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) whose geographical range falls in Sub-Saharan Africa and whose threat assessment includes hunting and trapping were included. To meet our criteria, studies were required to include quantitative, spatially explicit data. In total 14,325 articles were screened at the level of title and abstract and 206 articles were screened at full text. Forty-seven of these articles met the pre-defined inclusion criteria.
Results
Spatially explicit data on illegal hunting are available for 29 species in 19 of the 46 countries that constitute Sub-Saharan Africa. Data collection methods include GPS and radio tracking, bushmeat household and market surveys, data from anti-poaching patrols, hunting follows and first-hand monitoring of poaching signs via line transects, audio and aerial surveys. Most studies have been conducted in a single protected area exploring spatial patterns in illegal hunting with respect to the surrounding land. Several spatial biases were detected.
Conclusions
There is a considerable lack of systematically collected quantitative data showing the distribution of illegal hunting incidences and few comparative studies between different tenure areas. The majority of studies have been conducted in a single protected area looking at hunting on a gradient to surrounding village land. From the studies included in the map it is evident there are spatial patterns regarding environmental and anthropogenic correlates. For example, hunting increases in proximity to transport networks (roads and railway lines), to water sources, to the border of protected areas and to village land. The influence of these spatial features could be further investigated through meta-analysis. There is a diverse range of methods in use to collect data on illicit hunting mainly drawing on pre-existing law enforcement data or researcher led surveys detecting signs of poaching. There are few longitudinal studies with most studies representing just one season of data collection and there is a geographical research bias toward Tanzania and a lack of studies in Central Africa.
Keywords
Keyw1, Keyw2
Background
Over the last two decades there has been an increase in the demand for land in Sub Saharan Africa, particularly from foreign agribusiness investment to provide food for an increasing human population. The majority of land outside of protected areas in sub-Saharan Africa is under customary tenure. Due to poor land administration in the region, communities living in undocumented land areas tend to be at greater risk of eviction from increasing liberalisation of land markets. To prevent local displacement and disturbance to investment caused by land disputes tenure clarification is growing in importance on national and international agendas. Land conversion can fragment wildlife habitat while reducing the suitable range areas of terrestrial mammal populations on the continent. Simultaneously illegal hunting is on the rise for a wide variety of taxa driven by a demand for food and income from the sale of animal products. To enable a better understanding of how land tenure arrangements impact upon spatial variations in illegal hunting, this protocol sets out the parameters for an evidence map which will collate and analyse the spatially explicit quantitative evidence that exists showing the effect of land tenure on illegal hunting of endangered terrestrial mammals in sub-Saharan Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region of focus as it contains the highest number of terrestrial mammals listed as vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Taking stock of what methods have been used to gather data and where evidence exists can guide future research in this area while informing conservation interventions.
Methods
This evidence map will compare: (1) data availability on the spatial distribution of illicit hunting of endangered terrestrial mammals across different land tenure regimes in sub-Saharan Africa; (2) research methodologies that have primarily been used to collect quantitative data on illegal hunting and comparability of existing data; (3) preferences in the research body toward particular taxa and geographical areas, (4) the evidence map will provide an analysis on the influence other environmental and anthropogenic determinants that influence the spatial distribution of illicit hunting incidences, e.g., proximity to roads, water bodies, range patrol bases etc. Eight academic databases and numerous organisation repositories will be searched for relevant studies by three authors. Double screening will be carried out on all articles to locate studies that meet the specified inclusion criteria, for inclusion studies must contain spatially explicit quantitative data on illegal hunting of endangered terrestrial mammals as defined by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Relevant information from studies will be extracted to a custom-made extraction form. The resulting map will consist of a narrative synthesis, descriptive statistics and a heat map in the form of a matrix. By providing an overview of the evidence base the resulting map can inform future meta-analyses by showing where there is sufficient comparable data while guiding conservation interventions by indicating geographical areas where species are most at risk.