Output 1: Community rights and governance

After an in-depth review of 165 legal texts, a country legal profile was published and validated by the government in December 2021. The Ministry of Water and Forests (MINEF, Ministère des eaux et forêts) established a working group on Sustainable Wildlife Management with technical support from the Programme. The working group has developed five draft regulatory texts that aim to improve hunting laws. Additionally, a forestry code on hunting and a decree on the classification of wild animal species were drafted based on the legal and biological analyses carried out by the SWM Programme.

Output 2: Adaptive wildlife management

Ten partner communities actively participated in training sessions focused on sustainable hunting management and the establishment of hunting associations. Training was provided to 3 075 people to manage the associations and six community association centres were built. Five communities developed hunting management plans, which have been submitted for official validation.

Output 3: Healthy and sustainable supply chains and consumption

Studies on protein consumption were completed using quantitative and socio-anthropological approaches. The studies revealed that urban consumers opt for lower-quality frozen meats because of their availability and affordability, while rural consumers in remote areas prefer wild meat that they or their families have hunted. 

Output 4: Zoonotic risk prevention and management

The SWM Programme team conducted risk assessments of the transmission of zoonotic pathogens in the wild meat value chain. This included the identification of viruses, parasites, and bacteria typically found in consumed game and risky practices. This was undertaken by, respectively, IRET and a doctoral student from CIRMF. A community-based integrated surveillance system of emerging zoonotic risks in the wild meat value chain was designed with all stakeholders. With the support of the team, CIRMF provided training to members of five pilot village clusters (172 individuals) and administrative authorities involved in the "One Health" approach (29 individuals) for its implementation.