Widespread illegal hunting throughout Africa and a growing bushmeat trade will lead to a ‘conservation crisis’ if there isn’t significantly more effort, focus and resources invested to combat them, according to a new report from Panthera. Illegal hunting is occurring much more frequently and having a much greater effect on animal populations in the savannas of Africa than was previously thought. These findings directly challenge previously held beliefs about the illegal bushmeat trade in Africa and its effects, with new research and analysis from experts in various fields.

The bushmeat trade has been considered a significant threat to the resources of indigenous peoples and to animal populations in the forests of Central and West Africa for a longtime, but until now there hasn’t been much attention focused on the African savannas. This is partly because there is a common misconception that the illegal hunting there is only on a small-scale, and is just for subsistence.

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