DEVELOPING A FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING THE

The hunting of animals in tropical forests for food (“bushmeat hunting”) has emerged as a major conservation issue over the last few years, with concerns about the “bushmeat crisis ” focusing on the forests of West/Central Africa.1 Eating wildlife is not new, and reasons for our current preoccupation with this issue are complex.2 However it is undeniable that bushmeat species are being severely overexploited in many areas, and that vulnerable species are threatened with extinction.3,4 In other places, however, the situation seems relatively stable, with vulnerable species already extirpated, and the remaining resilient species apparently supplying markets on a relatively sustainable basis.5 In order to prioritise conservation action effectively, we need to assess the relative sustainability of bushmeat hunting in different areas. We can also use sustainability assessments as the foundation for examining options for intervention to conserve species endangered by over-exploitation. Bushmeat is a high-profile example of the issues facing conservation more widely. It involves balancing the imperatives of improving the livelihoods of desperately poor people and conservation of endangered species.6 It also highlight