Correlates of bushmeat hunting among remote rural households in Gabon, Central Africa.

Hunted wild animals (i.e., bushmeat) are a main source of protein for many rural populations in the tropics, and the unsustainable harvest of these animals puts both human food security and ecosystem functioning at risk. To understand the correlates of bushmeat consumption, we surveyed 1219 households in 121 rural villages near three newly established national parks in Gabon. Through the surveys we gathered information on bushmeat consumption, income, and material assests. In addition, we quantified land cover in a 5-km radius around the village center and distance of the village center to the nearest park boundary. Bushmeat was not a source of income for most households, but it was the primary animal protein consumed. Ninety-seven percent of households consumed bushmeat at least once during a survey period of 12 days. Income or wealth, land cover, distance of village to the nearest park boundary, and level of education of the head of the household were among the factors that significantly related to the likelihood of consuming any of the 10 most commonly consumed species of bushmeat. Household size was the predictor most strongly associated with quantities of bushmeat consumed and was negatively related to consumption. Total bushmeat consumption per adult male equivalent increased as household wealth increased and decreased as distance of villages to park boundaries increased. Bushmeat consumption at the household level was not related to unit values (i.e., price estimates for a good that typically does not have a market value; estimates derived from willingness to sell or trade the good for items of known price) of bushmeat or the price of chicken and fish as potential substitutes. The median consumption of bushmeat at the village level, however, was negatively related to village mean unit values of bushmeat across all species. Our results suggest that a lack of alternative protein sources motivated even the wealthiest among surveyed households to consume bushmeat. Providing affordable, alternative protein sources to all households would likely reduce unsustainable levels of bushmeat consumption in rural Gabon.

Children's Integration in Communities and Segregation From People of Differing Ages.

This article reviews cultural differences in the extent of segregation of children from community life and their integration with people of differing ages, focusing especially on children's engagement with older children or similar-age children. We highlight cultural differences in children's everyday companionship with older children and with peers by discussing a study using naturalistic observations of young children's days in four cultural communities. Young children were more often involved with older children (who were often related to them) among the Efe of the Ituri Forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the Guatemalan Mayan town of San Pedro, whereas middle-class European American children from two regions in the United States were more frequently involved with children of similar ages (who were often unrelated to them). The mainstream research focus on similar-age (unrelated) peer involvements, often regarded as the "norm," needs to be broadened to consider the various patterns of children's social engagements worldwide, which often involve integration of children in broader communities, engaging with adults and children of all ages.