Plain Language Summary: Conservation programs should address the consumption of wild meat as a component of food systems and not just as a source of proteins.

By Muriel Figuié, Luzibo Ottilia Munsaka, Vupenyu Dzingirai, Olivier Lepiller, Maxwell Phiri, and Patrice Grimaud.

Read the full paper here

Many conservation programs intend to reduce people’s consumption of wild meat near conservation areas to limit local hunting and pressure on wildlife. Because a decrease in access to wild meat consumption could negatively impact the protein intake of these people, these programs also promote animal husbandry as an alternative source of protein.
Our study examined the underlying assumptions of this strategy of “protein substitution”. We focused on the case of the BaTonga community, which lives near a conservation area in Zimbabwe. The study examined the functions of wild meat consumption as a component of the community’s food system.
Through more than 100 interviews and 5 group discussions, our research showed that for the BaTonga community, wild meat is not just a source of proteins. For BaTonga, many motivations drive their wild meat consumption, including connecting members of the community and the community with its environment.
Additionally, our findings show that promoting animal husbandry may not have a straightforward effect on the meat consumption of those in need because of the characteristics of the local food system.
These findings should encourage conservation programs to include food studies on their own rights in their agendas. These studies can help to work better with communities living nearby conservation areas in two ways: by taking into account that food systems are complex and dynamic; and by acknowledging that consumers are legitimate stakeholders of their own food systems and not just empty stomach in need for proteins.