Press release, 23 January 2003

EP Committee on Petitions Will Draft a Report on Illegal Bushmeat Trade in Central Africa
The Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament has finally addressed a petition of some two million signatures, organized by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) and supported by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). Acknowledging the importance of the problem of the illegal bushmeat trade, the Committee decided to submit an official report to the Parliament, which will be debated in plenary session. In the petition, some two million European citizens expressed their concerns about the illegal hunting and trade in great apes, elephants and other threatened wildlife for human consumption. The two organisations call on the European Union to support efforts to stamp out this unsustainable trade, which is detrimental to the well-being of those who rely on bushmeat for livelihood.
At the hearing of the Committee on Petitions, UK MEP Ms. Jean Lambert (The Greens) asked the Committee Chairman to thoroughly investigate the issue by drafting an official report. Dr. Bryan Carroll, Chairman of the EAZA Bushmeat Steering Committee, said, "that the way forward in ensuring that the Bushmeat Crisis is addressed is for the Commission and the Parliament to adopt a position statement which would serve as a framework for future EU action". The objective is that endangered species, such as elephant and gorilla, are fully protected while food supply for local communities is maintained.

The European Union is one of the key players in the field of nature conservation in Central Africa. However, the two organizations argue that the conservation programs financed by the European Union in the region are neither important enough nor sufficiently effective. There is no specific budget line for bushmeat or great apes comparable to the US-initiated fund for Great Apes. EAZA and IFAW also say there are a number of EU interventions that have a negative impact on bushmeat poaching and trade such as the large-scale financial support to road building and the activities of the European logging companies.

The logging industry is at the root of the problem as the companies open up the forest for hunting and bring along hundreds of workers who depend on bushmeat for their nutritional needs, leading to an steep increase in commercial hunting. In addition, the majority of logging companies in Central Africa are operating illegally while the EU hardly addresses this issue at all.

The bushmeat trade is currently estimated to be over five million tons per annum in the Congo Basin alone. This rate of exploitation of bushmeat is leading to the Empty Forest Syndrome leaving forests with no large animals left.

The trade in bushmeat does not just jeopardize wildlife populations. It poses a real threat to human health, both in Africa and in Europe. Increasing levels of contact with wildlife result in an increased risk of animal-derived diseases - for example HIV, Monkey Pox (similar to Small Pox) and Ebola.

IFAW's Senior Policy Adviser in the EU Office, Mr. Hemmo Muntingh said, "The bushmeat trade lies at the heart of the development issue. Research by IFAW experts has clearly shown the link which exists between resolving the bushmeat problem and poverty alleviation."

End

Notes to editors:

In Africa, the forest and shrub land is often referred to as the 'bush', thus the wildlife taken from it is locally called bushmeat, and has long been a part of the staple diet of forest dwelling people. The term bushmeat applies to all wildlife species taken from the forest, including primates, elephants and other animals.