Subsistence hunting impacts wildlife assemblages and functional ecology in tropical forests

Subsistence hunting by sedentarised Baka communities, even when spatially managed with no-take zones, significantly alters the abundance and composition of wildlife assemblages in tropical forests. While species richness remains relatively stable, the study found marked reductions in carnivores, seed dispersers, and granivores compared to non-hunted reference areas within the Dja Faunal Reserve. This suggests that spatial hunting management may not fully mitigate ecological impacts on key functional groups, raising concerns about the sustainability of Indigenous livelihoods and forest ecosystems. The research employed extensive camera trap surveys across 10 Baka hunting zones to assess species occupancy, abundance, and community dynamics.

Cain, B., Fa, J. E., Amin, R., Morrison, J., Avila Martin, E., Funk, S. M., Jones, M., Mallon, D. P., Okale, R., Ros Brull, G., & de Kort, S. R. (2025). Subsistence hunting impacts wildlife assemblages and functional ecology in tropical forests. Scientific Reports, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-87162-w