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Quantifying the bat bushmeat trade in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, with suggestions for conservation action.

ABSTRACT: The intense consumption of flying foxes in North Sulawesi, Indonesia has raised hunting pressure and extirpation is expected to spread into other regions. To assess local cultural attitudes towards bats for formulating a targeted conservation campaign, we conducted a survey of consumption practices of bats in 2013 at the eight major markets near Manado. Locals eat flying foxes at least once a month, but the frequency increases tenfold around Christian holidays. Approximately 500 metric tons of bats are imported from other provinces, with South Sulawesi as the main provider at 38%. No action has been taken to conserve the bats, as continued abundance in the market masks the effects of the bushmeat trade on wild populations. We suggest: (1) engaging churches as conduits for environmental education and quota enforcement; (2) legal regulation of interprovincial trade; (3) substituting bats with a sustainable option; (4) involving local students as campaigners to ensure higher receptiveness from local communities. Grassroots conservation initiatives combined with enforcement of existing laws aim to affect change on a local level, which has been successful in other conservation programs. These efforts would not only progress bat conservation, but conservation of other rare, endemic mammals common to the bushmeat trade.

SUBMITTER: Sheherazade

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7185848 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Quantifying the bat bushmeat trade in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, with suggestions for conservation action.

Sheherazade Tsang Susan M SM

Global ecology and conservation 20150110

The intense consumption of flying foxes in North Sulawesi, Indonesia has raised hunting pressure and extirpation is expected to spread into other regions. To assess local cultural attitudes towards bats for formulating a targeted conservation campaign, we conducted a survey of consumption practices of bats in 2013 at the eight major markets near Manado. Locals eat flying foxes at least once a month, but the frequency increases tenfold around Christian holidays. Approximately 500 metric tons of b ...[more]

PMID: 32363220

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Project description:BackgroundHunters, vendors, and consumers are key actors in the wildlife trade value chain in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, and potentially face an elevated risk of exposure to zoonotic diseases. Understanding the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) associated with the risk of zoonotic disease transmission in these communities is therefore critical for developing recommendations to prevent or mitigate zoonotic outbreaks in the future.MethodsQualitative and quantitative methods were combined to understand KAP associated zoonotic diseases transmission risk in communities involved in the wildlife trade in North Sulawesi. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured ethnographic interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) while quantitative data were collected using questionnaires. We conducted 46 ethnographic interviews and 2 FGDs in 2016, and 477 questionnaire administrations in 2017-2018 in communities from five districts in North Sulawesi. We also collected biological specimens, including nasal swab, oropharyngeal swab, and blood, from 254 participants. The study sites were targeted based on known wildlife consumption and trade activities. The participants for qualitative data collection were purposively selected while participants for quantitative data collection were randomly selected. Biological samples were tested for five viral families including Coronaviridae, Filoviridae, Flaviviridae, Orthomyxoviridae and Paramyxoviridae.ResultsKnowledge regarding disease transmission from animals to humans was similar across the participants in qualitative focus groups, including knowledge of rabies and bird flu as zoonotic diseases. However, only a small fraction of the participants from the quantitative group (1%) considered that contact with wild animals could cause sickness. Our biological specimen testing identified a single individual (1/254, 0.004%) who was sampled in 2018 with serological evidence of sarbecovirus exposure. Overall, participants were aware of some level of risk in working with open wounds while slaughtering or butchering an animal (71%) but most did not know what the specific risks were. However, significant differences in the attitudes or beliefs around zoonotic disease risk and health seeking behaviors were observed across our study sites in North Sulawesi.ConclusionsOur study showed variable levels of knowledge, attitudes, and practices associated with the risk of zoonotic disease transmission among study participants. These findings can be used to develop locally responsive recommendations to mitigate zoonotic disease transmission.

Dataset Information

Quantifying the bat bushmeat trade in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, with suggestions for conservation action.

Publications

Quantifying the bat bushmeat trade in North Sulawesi, Indonesia, with suggestions for conservation action.

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