Madagascar has a comprehensive set of wildlife laws that gives protection to many species, including all lemurs, and permits the managed hunting of other species. We have studied peoples' use of wild animals in Madagascar for food since 2007 and conclude that illegal hunting of protected species is rife and lemurs are often targeted.
It does appear though that the two main drivers for this illegal primate harvest are (i) peoples' poor knowledge about the law and (ii) a lack of access to cheaper domestic meats. Our ongoing project work, through a collaboration with Bangor University, seeks to deploy science to improve the conservation of hunted wild animals, by reducing the illegal harvest of protected species and promoting the sustainable and equitable use of species that can be legally hunted for food.
pdf Drivers of bushmeat consumption in eastern Madagascar (724 KB)
