There is little doubt that industrial logging activity has exacerbated the exploitation of bushmeat in the tropics. Logging activity generates an infrastructure that opens large areas of forest for access by road and brings the logging company workforce and local people into close contact with previously remote areas. Logging activity has been poorly regulated in the tropics in general and in central Africa in particular, leading some to question whether sustainable forestry and wildlife management is a realistic aim in the region.

To date, initiatives to improve forest governance have been slow to improve the practice of forest management, and developed world consumer boycotts may been counter-productive by pushing irresponsible producers to less discerning timber markets. Market-based incentive schemes, such as third party forest certification have gained ground much more rapidly and appear to offer a robust method of delivering positive change on the ground.

Forest certification requirements include the preservation of rare habitats and threatened species, and the development of wildlife management plans, all of which are overseen by independent third party auditors with expertise in forest ecology and wildlife management. They also require that forestry companies consider the livelihoods of indigenous and other local peoples; some of whom may rely on bushmeat as a major source of protein.

However, the extent to which a market-based scheme can deliver real benefits for wildlife conservation is limited by the rigour of the certification standard itself, and the participating company’s desire to participate in the scheme. This, in turn is affected by the timber consumer’s willingness to select (and to pay for) a certified product.

ZSL presentation