The President, Board of Trustees of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), Chief Philip Asiodu, has urged stakeholders in the environmental sector to improve efforts at protecting the natural world
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By Ugo Aliogo
The illegal wildlife trade is estimated to be worth between $7 billion and $23 billion annually a survey report conducted by globeScan has revealed.
The report found out that 71% of participants had consumed bushmeat at some point in their lives, and 45% had consumed it in 2020.
It further explained that COVID-19 was of concern to 27% of consumer who said they stopped buying bushmeat, in a country that was previously impacted by Ebola outbreak.
According to the survey, “While bushmeat is an important part of rural food security, rapid urbanisation has caused a soaring urban demand for bushmeat, despite widely available and affordable alternative protein sources. More than 50% who had consumed bushmeat within the last year cited taste as the main reason, while 30% said it was part of their culture, and 25% said that it is healthier and fresher than regular meat and fish.”
Wildlife consumption common in Nigeria despite COVID-19 – Report
Nike Popoola
Wildlife popularly called bush meat is still widely consumed in Nigeria’s top cities, regardless of location, age, income, or the potential links to zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19.
WildAid disclosed this in a report titled ‘Widespread bush meat consumption across Nigeria post COVID report finds, but points to paths for reduction’.
The report which was commissioned by WildAid stated that GlobeScan conducted the survey of 2,000 people in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Calabar, all major centres for the bush meat trade in Nigeria.
Faced with enormous threats including hunting for bush meat, wildlife species in Nigeria have declined dramatically over the past 50 years, it stated.