The fact that virtually all species are subjected to over hunting implies that where the populations of key species, such as the primates and duikers, which are pollinators and seed dispersal agents, are drastically reduced, they can no longer play their ecological functions of facilitating forest regeneration.
The apparent loss of the habitat of some of these species could be attributed to this tendency. It is therefore obvious that modern conservation practices, such as the existing legislation alone cannot be effective in ensuring sustainable utilization of the wildlife resources. There is therefore the need to consider a combination of both modern and traditional practices that are sensitive to biodiversity conservation, while providing adequate levels of sustainable utilization that could also enhance food security.
Most preferred Bushmeat in Ghana
It is worthy to note that of all the eleven (11) wild animals listed in terms of Bushmeat preference, during the surveys, the grasscutter (thryonomis swinderamus) was the most preferred, accounting for 65.1 percent of the total preference (fig 4). This was confirmed by the fact that it was the most sought after consumed Bushmeat in the restaurants and chop bars throughout the country. It is also the most abundant in all the markets surveyed. This conforms to the assertion by Ntiamoa Baidu (1997) that it remains the most important Bushmeat species throughout West Africa in terms of volume of trade and preference. It is also an indication of an over-dependence of consumers on a single species. Such over-dependencies probably resulting in the over exploitation of this species as some of the traders had reported that such smaller sizes are now being hunted and sold, as compared to previous years. Even though the species breeds prolifically and is reported to be a destructive farm pest, the current rate of exploitation could be more than what the reproductive capacity of the populations in the wild could sustain.
The high dependence of consumers on this single species provides justification for the promotion of the grasscutter (thryonomis swinderanus) domestication programme. This is because there is currently, adequate demand for the meat of this species and any investment is most likely to readily pay off and contribute enormously to reducing the high market demand on other wild animal species.
The preference of Grasscutter is followed by Maxwell's duiker (Cephalophus Maxwellii) (19.9 percent ) and not Royal antelope (Neotragus Pgmaeus), as was noted by Ntiamoa-Baidu (1997). This could be attributed to the fact that the hunting pressure had impacted the populations of the latter more than the former. Caspay (2001) observed that most exploited species were those considered to cause damage to agricultural areas. Incidentally, all the eleven (11) preferred species, except the Pangolin (Manis sp), were farm pests eating maize cassava, cocoyam among others. Altogether, they constituted more than 80% of all the Bushmeat sold in the markets and the restaurants. That probably justified why they were the most exploited and sought after.
Another issue worth noting is the fact that primates were not a favoured species for human consumption. This is because traditionally people do not prefer primates as a source of protein. Therefore the apparent disappearance of the primates in their natural habitats, especially the Miss Waldron's Red Colobus (Procolobus badius waldronii), could not be solely attributed to Bushmeat consumption alone, but to other causal factors such as habitat destruction and changes in ecological conditions.
Sources of Supply
The results of the survey have revealed that Bushmeat dealers in Ghana received their supplies from all the regions of Ghana.
