Bushmeat hunting is a popular practice in Africa that has been perceived as the cause of the decline in the population of some wild animals. The practice is one that has been passed through generations as a traditional activity. Studies show that bushmeat hunting as an activity can cause various wildlife species to be extinct in the next few decades. In view of this, governments together with wildlife protection organizations have come together to create policies that will work towards protecting the targeted wildlife ( Effiom et al., 2013) . These policies have been structured and implemented at national and international levels. Various legal authority bodies have been charged with the responsibility of prosecuting criminal individuals found carrying out the act of illegal bushmeat hunting.
In many countries in Africa, bushmeat hunting has been termed to be an illegal economic activity. However, with the populations occupying locations near national parks and reserves, bushmeat hunting is mostly conducted as a sport, for traditional purposes as a rite of passage and for the provision of food and a livelihood. The mentality these largely conservative communities hold on to, have created a valid reason for conducting the illegal activity on a regular basis. The attitude to which bushmeat hunting is approached within some African communities depicts the traditional and cultural importance of the activity ( Rogan et al., 2017) . As such, the elimination of bushmeat hunting as a popular activity that has detrimental effects on the population of wildlife will only be possible by altering the mindset and attitudes that allude to its cultural and traditional importance.
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The successful abolition of bushmeat hunting can only be realized through interventions that aim to educate the largely involved community the importance of wildlife and biodiversity. The public should be educated on the importance of a country having wildlife that provides revenue through the attraction of tourists. The government and involved organizations ought to create campaigns that aim at creating awareness for the purposes of changing the status quo regarding the importance of bushmeat hunting as an economic activity for some communities in Africa ( Mossoun et al., 2017) . Only through creating awareness would the public comprehend the negative effects of such an activity and influence their actions in a manner that condemns the illegal activity of bushmeat hunting.
Ideally, it would also be beneficial for the government to enforce more stringent policies and laws that protect wildlife from such exploitation. The role of the government stands in ensuring that the factors leading to the lucrative economic aspect of the activity are hindered from existence. The market for bushmeat should, therefore, be illegalized and the trade prohibited in the various affected locations and nations in Africa ( Mossoun et al., 2017) . It is essential that legal force is applied to ensure that such laws and policies of protection of wildlife are implemented in an absolute manner. It would be unwise for the government and involved organizations to act only in a commentary role concerning the issue of bushmeat hunting. Solid steps towards securing the future of biodiversity by preventing all aspects leading to bushmeat hunting is an accepted activity in Africa.
The continuous undertaking of hunting practices in the African rainforest has led to the acute reduction of numbers of primates ( Humle and Alexandre, 2015) . Ideally, primates like mountain Gorillas have been hunted by communities as a rite of passage into adulthood. It has become an annual activity for young men to be initiated into adulthood by killing a male Gorilla. The killing of the male species of primates creates a significant challenge for the reproduction of more primates to increase the general population. In the same way, household attitude concerning bushmeat is one of the significant reasons that create the demand for the product. Most households in Africa take bushmeat to be a delicacy that can only be enjoyed on very special occasions. As such, the average price of bushmeat is relatively expensive compared to regular meat products consumed in urban and rural areas ( Fischer et al., 2014) . Therefore, these attitudes tend to encourage the activity and gives economic and cultural importance to it. In view of this, the government ought to ensure that all aspects of the bushmeat trade that encourage it as an act of economic and cultural importance should be eliminated. The elimination of such elements of bushmeat hunting and trade discourages the activity in a legal, economic and cultural perspective.
Conclusion
Indeed, the fundamental ideas that underlie the activity of hunting bushmeat hunting are the main reasons for its lucrative representation to the public. The successful abolishment of the trade and hunting of bushmeat can only be achieved through the elimination of the existing attitudes which are connected to the economic importance and cultural significance of the activity. It is essential for the public to be educated to ensure that new attitudes are established in ways that discourage and condemn the activity. Furthermore, the public should be made aware of the extremely adverse effects and consequences of bushmeat hunting from both the cultural and economic perspectives.
References
Effiom, E. O., Smith, H. G., Olsson, O., Nunez-Iturri, G., & Ottosson, U. (2013). Bushmeat hunting changes regeneration of African rainforests. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 280, 1759.
Fischer, A., Naiman, L. C., Lowassa, A., Randall, D., & Rentsch, D. (2014). Explanatory factors for household involvement in illegal bushmeat hunting around Serengeti, Tanzania. Journal for Nature Conservation, 22, 6, 491-496.
Humle, Tatyana, & Konate, Alexandre. (2015). Primates and Bushmeat Hunting Around the High Niger National Park, Guinea, West Africa: Drivers and Patterns of Change . (Primates and Bushmeat Hunting Around the High Niger National Park, Guinea, West Africa: Drivers and Patterns of Change).
Mossoun, A., Anoh, A. E., Nazaire, L. G., Mossoun, A., Couacy-Hymann, E., Calvignac-Spencer, S., Pauly, M. S., ... Fruth, B. (2017). Bushmeat hunting and zoonotic transmission of simian T-lymphotropic virus 1 in tropical west and central Africa. Journal of Virology, 91, 10.
Rogan, M., Lindsey, P., & McNutt, J. (2017). Illegal bushmeat hunting in the Okavango Delta, Botswana: drivers, impacts and potential solutions. AGRIS: International Information System for the Agricultural Science and Technology. Retrieved from http://agris.fao.org/agris-search/search.do?recordID=XF2017000183
