GULF OF GUINEA ISLANDS' BIODIVERSITY
NETWORK
Fa, J.E.
Pp. 165-195. In: Sustainability of Hunting in Tropical Forests. Edited by John G. Robinson and Elizabeth
Bennett (1999), Columbia University Press, Columbia.
Introduction
While there have been attempts to develop indices and models to evaluate sustainability of hunting (Robinson and
Redford, 1994), practical solutions of how to achieve this are lacking. Developing these solutions will require measuring
the impact of hunting and also the needs of the consumer population, a measurement complicated by other factors such as
accelerating deforestation (see Robinson, in press). Wildlife preservation, while partly related to the management of
wildlife populations, ultimately has more to do with the management of hunters and consumers or, in other words, with the
problems of supply and demand. This is the main theme in this chapter.
Wild animals are exploited for food ("bushmeat") in many parts of the world (Prescott-Allen and Prescott-Allen, 1982).
Throughout the tropics, a large number of species are of major nutritional and cultural importance in the diet of
forest-dwelling and urban human populations. In West Africa, in particular, and most notably in the humid forest zones,
consumption of wild meats is especially intense because of the scarcity of domestic livestock, and because it is a
preferred food. Here, bushmeat represents a substantial proportion of the primary protein intake, over 60% of the dietary
protein in some ethnic groups (Chardonnet et al., 1995). The significance of bushmeat in the diet of countless numbers of
people in the region has without any doubt aggravated pressures on local faunas. Modern hunting techniques and rising human
populations can now very rapidly lead to over-exploitation, to the increasing rarity and even extinction of some species.
Generally, subsistence hunting for consumption at the village level may not pose a severe risk to prey populations where
human numbers are low and enough habitat is available. However, wildlife harvests can only be maintained if hunters know
how the different species respond to hunting pressures and which are the species vulnerable to over-exploitation (Bodmer
et al., 1993a,b). On the other hand, commercialization of game, at levels now seen in several west and central African
countries, can rapidly develop into uncontrolled exploitation by professional hunters (hunters whose primary income is
derived from the sale of wild meat) responding to the ever-increasing demands of the fast-growing towns and cities. The
contribution that this type of resource extraction makes to the GNP of some countries puts the scale of this problem into
perspective. In the Ivory Coast, for example, an estimated US$117 million is taken annually by the wild meat trade. In
Liberia, out of an annual total of US$42 million, half of this is taken by commercial wild hunters; similar figures are
available for Nigeria and Ghana (Feer, 1993). Such estimates rarely appear in the economic statistics of these countries
as bushmeat is not considered a product of economic value.
While the traditional approach for conserving wildlife has been to create reserves that provide reservoir territories for
some species and a surplus that could be hunted (Shaw, 1991), it will also be necessary to establish workable rules for the
acquisition and distribution of the benefits from wildlife at the local and national levels (see Hofer et al., 1996). In
any case, the creation and management of protected areas has all too often provoked hostile attitudes among local
communities, to the extent perhaps that it is now only realistic to perceive wildlife as having to pay its way to survive
(Eltringham, 1994). In relation to bushmeat species in west Africa, Martin (1983) claims that conservation areas have
longer-term viability if linked to multipurpose uses including game-cropping. Whichever the view held, it is only through
reducing conflicts between local communities and wildlife managers that the pace will be set for sustained benefits to be
obtained from wildlife long-term (Robinson and Redford, 1991a).
Bioko island (formerly Macias Nguema Biyogo and previously Fernando Poo), has a unique and important fauna and flora (Juste
and Fa, 1994). Bushmeat is a vital source of protein and cash for the people of Bioko. Administratively, Bioko forms part
of the insular sector of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea; the country's capital, Malabo, is located here. Equatorial
Guinea is an independent republic in West Africa, consisting of a mainland section (Rio Muni) on the western coast and the
coastal islets of Corisco, Elobey Grande, Elobey Chico as well as the islands of Bioko, and Annobón (Pagalu) in the Gulf
of Guinea. Bioko was discovered in 1471 by the Portuguese and in 1778, Portugal ceded the island to Spain and later
(1827 - 1844), Great Britain maintained a naval station here and also administered the island. In 1844 the Spanish settled
in Rio Muni and by 1904 Fernando Po and Rio Muni were organized into the Western African Territories, later known as
Spanish Guinea. On October 12, 1968, the territory became the independent republic of Equatorial Guinea, with Francisco
Macias Nguema as president. Nguema appointed himself president for life in 1972. Extreme dictatorial and repressive
policies led to the flight of an estimated 100,000 refugees to neighboring countries. In 1979, Nguema was overthrown in a
military coup, tried for treason, and executed.
Against this historical background, there have been few studies on the biodiversity of the island until a major effort,
initiated by Spanish biologists, started in 1980 (Castroviejo et al., 1986, 1994). This chapter summarizes the available
data on the use of wildlife on the island collected in collaboration with the Spanish program (Juste et al., 1995; Fa et
al., 1995) and further explores whether the present levels of unregulated hunting are likely to be sustainable in the
future. It also reviews the practicalities of controlling wildlife offtake to sustainable levels, and the development of
alternative sources of protein for local consumption.