Bushmeat hunting in Uganda and Cameroon: An analysis of human development levels and free-living chimpanzee populations

The bushmeat trade in Africa is now regarded as the most detrimental factor facing free-living chimpanzee species. It is imperative that conservation initiatives include the identification of conditions that promote this trade. This thesis proposes that the variation in human condition in the countries of Cameroon and Uganda will have an effect on free-living chimpanzee populations. Specifically, variation in human population pressure, environmental impact, and economic and employment opportunity, when found in rural regions with fewer opportunities for development, will have a stronger negative effect on chimpanzee population densities in both Uganda and Cameroon than in urban areas with higher opportunities for development. This thesis also analyzes the hypothesis that increases in human capital (measured by Human Development Index scores) will be related to higher levels of chimpanzee densities and to the incentive to invest in long-term benefits such as conservation initiatives. In addition, this thesis proposes more reliable data collection methods in estimating free-living chimpanzee population densities and in estimating bushmeat harvests in order to aid conservation initiatives.