The Management of Subsistence Harvesting: Behavioral Ecology of Hunters and Their Mammalian Prey

Abstract Wildlife populations have always been a traditional source of meat, skins, and other essential items for local people, and hunting remains an important subsistence activity in many parts of the world. Wild animals contribute a minimum of 20% of the animal protein in people’s diets in at least 62 countries (Prescott-Allen and Prescott-Allen, 1982). In the Serengeti ecosystem, in Tanzania alone, the total annual offtake of harvested ungulates exceeds 160,000 animals and benefits 1 million people (Campbell and Hofer, 1995). Subsistence harvesting can be defined as harvesting by an individual when the direct products of hunting are consumed or used by the hunters and their dependents (Caughley and Gunn, 1996). Commercial hunting (where products are sold before their benefits accrue to the hunter) is generally on a much larger scale than subsistence hunting, and its potential impact on prey populations is therefore much greater (Lavigne et al., 1996).