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Unravelling the Pangolin Bushmeat Commodity Chain and the Extent of Trade in Ghana

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Abstract

Pangolins (Pholidota: Manidae) are frequently hunted as a source of bushmeat in Ghana. However, no information exists with regards to the level of trade of pangolins outside of major bushmeat market surveys in Ghana. The aim of this study was to determine the level of trade among other stakeholders in the bushmeat commodity chain for pangolins in Ghana. Data were collected from 153 stakeholders using semi-structured interviews and direct observation between September 2013 and January 2014. A total of 341 pangolins were recorded to have been traded in this study period. The white-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tricuspis) represented 82 % and the black-bellied pangolin (Phataginus tetradactyla) 18 % of the observed pangolins traded by the stakeholders. Chopbar operators accounted for the highest retailer sales to consumers. The number of pangolins traded was negatively correlated to the distance between settlements and protected forest regions. The levels of pangolin trade were previously underestimated in Ghana as the pangolin bushmeat commodity chain does not form the supply chain to the major bushmeat markets where most surveys were undertaken. The Wildlife Conservation Act of 1971 (LI 685) that prohibits the hunting of pangolins can be regarded as ineffective and not serving as a deterrent to poaching.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the stakeholders who took part in this study. We are also grateful to Nana Kwadwo Pipim and Woffa Kwadwo for their assistance during field data collection. For financial support, we would like to thank the Rufford Small Grant Foundation (Grant Number 13600-1), the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa and the Tshwane University of Technology for funding this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental, Water and Earth Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, P/Bag X680, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Maxwell Kwame Boakye

  2. African Pangolin Working Group, P/Bag X680, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Antoinette Kotzé & Raymond Jansen

  3. National Zoological Gardens of South Africa, P.O. Box 754, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Antoinette Kotzé & Desiré Lee Dalton

  4. Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, P.O. Box 339, Bloemfontein, 9300, South Africa

    Antoinette Kotzé

  5. Department of Nature Conservation, Tshwane University of Technology, P/Bag X680, Pretoria, 0001, South Africa

    Raymond Jansen

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  1. Maxwell Kwame Boakye
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Correspondence to Maxwell Kwame Boakye.

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Boakye, M.K., Kotzé, A., Dalton, D.L. et al. Unravelling the Pangolin Bushmeat Commodity Chain and the Extent of Trade in Ghana. Hum Ecol 44, 257–264 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-016-9813-1

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