Title
Urban Bushmeat Trafficking: Trafficking From the Rural to Urban Context in the Republic of the Congo.
Author(s)
Boratto, Rachel; Escouflaire, Lucie; Gore, Meredith
Published
2017
Abstract
Illicit supply chains can change the scope, scale, and impact of illegal bushmeat poaching and trafficking. Although conservationists have focused on the topic for decades, noteworthy changes are evident, for example, widespread availability of bushmeat in some urban markets. Such changes have encouraged a call for new ways to understand and resolve risks presented by the illicit trade, both to biodiversity and human populations. The Republic of Congo (RoC) enjoys rich assemblages of biodiversity, including pangolins and elephants. Although selling bushmeat outside local communities is illegal, the sale in urban markets throughout RoC is well-known. Still, little is known about the actors, structures, and mechanisms by which illegal bushmeat moves through the supply chain from hunter to urban vendor. This study uses the interdisciplinary Conservation Criminology framework to examine the phenomenon. Our objectives were to characterize the scope and scale of the illegal bushmeat supply chain, including the structural characteristics which create conditions conducive to trafficking. In JuneDecember 2016, we conducted interviews, structured questionnaires, transportation hub observations, and market surveys, in the city of Pointe Noire and the rural Kouilou region. Urban transportation hubs, served as key points of entry, trade and sale of bushmeat trafficked into the city, with trade at each hub uniquely linked to specific geographic rural regions. The network structure was dominated by “disorganized” network characteristics. Rural transportation of bushmeat was often clandestine, but it was openly traded upon arrival in urban transportation hubs and markets. We interpret results considering the opportunities theories, and the routine activities which underlie the illicit trade. Understanding the urban supply chain structure and factors facilitating the trade provides critical information to future enforcement, prevention and risk-based communication strategies.

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PUB27053