Djemiong

Hunting of wild meat in Cameroon

Christophe Le Page, François Bousquet (Cirad), Innoccent Bakam (Yaounde University)

Djemiong spatial grid This model is based on a study of blue duiker hunting in Djemiong, a forest village in eastern Cameroon. The aim of the study is to understand how the organization of the hunting activity between villagers constitutes a management system. The main species hunted is a small antelope, the blue duiker (Cephalophus monticola, Thunberg). Surveys were conducted to understand the inhabitants' hunting behaviour. Hunting takes place 6 months/year and is subject to a spatial shifting rule. Every year, each hunter changes the location of his traps. This behaviour is presented as a management rule that is implemented by the hunters.

The model is used to compare different rules for trap locations in space and time. It is based on the life history of the blue duiker and the inhabitants' hunting behaviour. The model incorporates data from a geographical information system (GIS) to create an artificial landscape that resembles the village landscape. The results highlight the importance of coordination between hunters, particularly the fact that trap networks are appropriated by family groups. The spatial location of traps seems to have a much more crucial influence on the model than the global hunting pressure and the duration of the close season.

Download the Cormas model (zip file, 13Ko).
Download a paper about the model:
- Bousquet, F., Le Page, C., Bakam, I. and Takforyan, A., 2001. A spatially explicit individual-based model of blue duikers population dynamics: multi-agent simulation of bushmeat hunting in an eastern cameroonian village. Ecological Modelling, 138(1-3): 331-346.
For more information, contact the authors.