Bioko Island Endangered Primates

Research Project: Primates
Bioko Island is the home to several endangered primates, due to the illegal hunting and the selling of bushmeat (Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program). Bioko Island is part of the African country of Equatorial Guinea (Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program). The island is located 20 miles off the coast of Cameroon, and it is primarily intact forest areas with a few small villages, furthermore, the capital of Bioko alone, contains a population of nearly 100,000 residents (Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program). Despite their intact forest areas, several primate species are endangered, and other animal species are becoming vulnerable to becoming endangered. This is due to the illegal hunting of wildlife—bushmeat. The

Bushmeat is priced higher since it is scarce (Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program). Whereas fish, chicken, or beef are abundant in the villages and are the primary source of protein for the locals (Cronin). Therefore, bushmeat, it is a luxury meal that only the wealthy or those with a high social status consume—primate meat is the most luxurious of them all (Cronin). The price of bushmeat is high due to its scarcity, which makes it highly profitable for hunters (Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program). Despite the higher price, the demand has increased due to the off-shore oil extractions. Some of the workers now have a higher income to spend on luxury items such as bushmeat (Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program). Which results in economic growth by increasing the Island’s GDP (Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program). Yet, the oil extractions does not provide enough jobs, so some of the locals have turned to hunting for its high profits. Moreover, According to the JGI institute, “a hunter can earn approximately $300-$1000 annually—significantly more than the average household income in any

“Many conservation organizations work in Africa to preserve ape populations. The goal can be achieved only by providing incentives to protect the animals and other forest resources” (Stanford 182).
TO EXPLAIN THE CAPTURING OF PRIMATES: “On weekends, wealthy politicians and businessmen brought wives and children to have lunch, fish in the small river that ran through the center of the vast, manicured hotel grounds, and laugh at the monkeys” –Luna Park Hotel, visitor attraction in Obala, they had captured monkeys in cages.
I guess in conclusion the problem is that the hunting brings more profit to the locals, so they do not understand the damage they are doing to the environment.
Works Cited
Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program. “Bioko Bushmeat Project”. Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program. BBPP, 2015. Web. 30 Oct. 2015.
---. “Opportunities Lost: The Rapidly Deteriorating Conservation Status of the Monkeys of Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. Bioko Biodiversity Protection Program. BBPP, 2010. Web. 30 Oct.