Wild animals eaten by humans are known as “wild meat”, or “bushmeat” in sub-Saharan Africa. Hunting for bushmeat is both an ancient and modern practice, but as we step into the Anthropocene, bushmeat hunting has become unsustainable in many areas, threatening biodiversity and the food, financial, and cultural security of local people. Those who most rely on bushmeat are often excluded from meaningful engagement in such interventions. In partnership with universities, government agencies, local communities, and civil society, this project uses a paraecology approach to collect a diverse and novel suite of social-ecological data to create agent-based models for bushmeat hunting management. Villages directly use this data through participatory modelling to make decisions through adaptive management.
