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Kirchengast S. Changes in weight status among "Ju/'hoansi" San hunter-gatherers between 1968/69 and 1987-The effects of nutritional transition, sex and age. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 184:e24935. [PMID: 38572687 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/23/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Changes in lifestyle and dietary habits that hunter-gatherer populations have undergone in recent decades have often led to rising obesity rates with disastrous consequences for their health. OBJECTIVES The associations between dietary habits and weight status were studied in 238 "Ju/'hoansi" San (93 women and 145 men) aged between 18 and 65 years in northern Namibia in 1987. Weight status was estimated based on the World Health Organization body mass index (BMI) categories, and dietary habits were recorded using food recall methods. Anthropometrics and weight status were compared with those of a sex- and age-matched sample of "Ju/'hoansi" San people collected by Nancy Howell in 1968/69. RESULTS Body weight had increased significantly among "Ju/'hoansi" San people from 1968/69 to 1987. The number of underweight people decreased from 1968/69 to 1987. In 1987, most participants (60.9%) were of normal weight. Overweight was found in 1.3% of the women, but not among men. No participants were obese. Less than 4% of the women and less than 2% of the men consumed exclusively traditional hunter-gatherer food. Westernized food products were significantly (p < 0.001) more common among men and younger people. Dietary patterns were significantly associated with weight status. The less traditional the diet, the higher the BMI (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION The transition to domestic agricultural and westernized foods was positively associated with increasing BMI. Overweight, however, was still an extremely rare condition in this population in 1987.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Kirchengast
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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2
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Zeitler L, Downs S, Powell B. Adapting food environment frameworks to recognize a wild-cultivated continuum. Front Nutr 2024; 11:1343021. [PMID: 38655545 PMCID: PMC11035871 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1343021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Food environments, or interfaces between consumers and their food systems, are a useful lens for assessing global dietary change. Growing inclusivity of nature-dependent societies in lower-and middle-income countries is driving recent developments in food environment frameworks. Downs et al. (2020) propose a food environment typology that includes: wild, cultivated, informal and formal market environments, where wild and cultivated are "natural food environments." Drawing from transdisciplinary perspectives, this paper argues that wild and cultivated food environments are not dichotomous, but rather exist across diverse landscapes under varying levels of human management and alteration. The adapted typology is applied to a case study of Indigenous Pgaz K'Nyau food environments in San Din Daeng village, Thailand, using the Gallup Poll's Thailand-adapted Diet Quality Questionnaire with additional food source questions. Wild-cultivated food environments, as classified by local participants, were the source of more food items than any other type of food environment (37% of reported food items). The case of Indigenous Pgaz K'Nyau food environments demonstrates the importance of understanding natural food environments along a continuum from wild to cultivated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilly Zeitler
- Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Shauna Downs
- Department of Health Behavior, Society and Policy, Newark, NJ, United States
| | - Bronwen Powell
- Department of Geography, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- African Studies Program, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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3
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Pretelli I, Crittenden AN, Dounias E, Friant S, Koster J, Kramer KL, Mangola SM, Saez AM, Lew-Levy S. Child and adolescent foraging: New directions in evolutionary research. Evol Anthropol 2024; 33:e22020. [PMID: 38214699 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
Young children and adolescents in subsistence societies forage for a wide range of resources. They often target child-specific foods, they can be very successful foragers, and they share their produce widely within and outside of their nuclear family. At the same time, while foraging, they face risky situations and are exposed to diseases that can influence their immune development. However, children's foraging has largely been explained in light of their future (adult) behavior. Here, we reinterpret findings from human behavioral ecology, evolutionary medicine and cultural evolution to center foraging children's contributions to life history evolution, community resilience and immune development. We highlight the need to foreground immediate alongside delayed benefits and costs of foraging, including inclusive fitness benefits, when discussing children's food production from an evolutionary perspective. We conclude by recommending that researchers carefully consider children's social and ecological context, develop cross-cultural perspectives, and incorporate children's foraging into Indigenous sovereignty discourse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilaria Pretelli
- Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse, Toulouse School of Economics, and University of Toulouse Capitole, Toulouse, France
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Edmond Dounias
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Sagan Friant
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jeremy Koster
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Karen L Kramer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
| | - Shani M Mangola
- The Law School of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
- Olanakwe Community Fund, Mang'ola, Tanzania
| | - Almudena Mari Saez
- TransVHIMI Unit, French National Institute for Sustainable Development, IRD, Montpellier, France
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Rampelli S, Gallois S, D’Amico F, Turroni S, Fabbrini M, Scicchitano D, Candela M, Henry A. The gut microbiome of Baka forager-horticulturalists from Cameroon is optimized for wild plant foods. iScience 2024; 27:109211. [PMID: 38433907 PMCID: PMC10904984 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The human gut microbiome is losing biodiversity, due to the "microbiome modernization process" that occurs with urbanization. To keep track of it, here we applied shotgun metagenomics to the gut microbiome of the Baka, a group of forager-horticulturalists from Cameroon, who combine hunting and gathering with growing a few crops and working for neighboring Bantu-speaking farmers. We analyzed the gut microbiome of individuals with different access to and use of wild plant and processed foods, to explore the variation of their gut microbiome along the cline from hunter-gatherer to agricultural subsistence patterns. We found that 26 species-level genome bins from our cohort were pivotal for the degradation of the wild plant food substrates. These microbes include Old Friend species and are encoded for genes that are no longer present in industrialized gut microbiome. Our results highlight the potential relevance of these genes to human biology and health, in relation to lifestyle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Rampelli
- Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Sandrine Gallois
- Department of Archaeological Sciences, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, 2311 Leiden, the Netherlands
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology, ST, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
| | - Federica D’Amico
- Microbiomics Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DiMeC), Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| | - Silvia Turroni
- Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Fabbrini
- Microbiomics Unit, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DiMeC), Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, 40138 Bologna, Italy
| | - Daniel Scicchitano
- Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Marco Candela
- Unit of Microbiome Science and Biotechnology, Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology (FaBiT), Alma Mater Studiorum – University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Amanda Henry
- Department of Archaeological Sciences, Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, 2311 Leiden, the Netherlands
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5
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Lieberman DE, Worthington S, Schell LD, Parkent CM, Devinsky O, Carmody RN. Comparing measured dietary variation within and between tropical hunter-gatherer groups to the Paleo Diet. Am J Clin Nutr 2023; 118:549-560. [PMID: 37343704 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although human diets varied considerably before the spread of agriculture, public perceptions of preagricultural diets have been strongly influenced by the Paleo Diet, which prescribes percentage calorie ranges of 19-35% protein, 22-40% carbohydrate, and 28-47% fat, and prohibits foods with added sugar, dairy, grains, most starchy tubers, and legumes. However, the empirical basis for Paleolithic nutrition remains unclear, with some of its assumptions challenged by the archaeological record and theoretical first principles. OBJECTIVES We assessed the variation in diets among tropical hunter-gatherers, including the effect of collection methods on implied macronutrient percentages. METHODS We analyzed data on animal food, plant food, and honey consumption by weight and kcal from 15 high-quality published ethnographic studies representing 11 recent tropical hunter-gatherer groups. We used Bayesian analyses to perform inference and included data collection methods and environmental variables as predictors in our models. RESULTS Our analyses reveal high levels of variation in animal versus plant foods consumed and in corresponding percentages of protein, fat, and carbohydrates. In addition, studies that weighed food items consumed in and out of camp and across seasons and years reported higher consumption of animal foods, which varied with annual mean temperature. CONCLUSIONS The ethnographic evidence from tropical foragers refutes the concept of circumscribed macronutrient ranges modeling preagricultural diets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States.
| | - Steven Worthington
- Institute for Quantitative Social Science, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Laura D Schell
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Christine M Parkent
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States; Frank H. Netter MD School of Medicine, Quinnipiac University, North Haven, CT, United States
| | - Orrin Devinsky
- Department of Neurology, Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Rachel N Carmody
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, United States.
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Konner M, Eaton SB. Hunter-gatherer diets and activity as a model for health promotion: Challenges, responses, and confirmations. Evol Anthropol 2023; 32:206-222. [PMID: 37417918 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Beginning in 1985, we and others presented estimates of hunter-gatherer (and ultimately ancestral) diet and physical activity, hoping to provide a model for health promotion. The Hunter-Gatherer Model was designed to offset the apparent mismatch between our genes and the current Western-type lifestyle, a mismatch that arguably affects prevalence of many chronic degenerative diseases. The effort has always been controversial and subject to both scientific and popular critiques. The present article (1) addresses eight such challenges, presenting for each how the model has been modified in response, or how the criticism can be rebutted; (2) reviews new epidemiological and experimental evidence (including especially randomized controlled clinical trials); and (3) shows how official recommendations put forth by governments and health authorities have converged toward the model. Such convergence suggests that evolutionary anthropology can make significant contributions to human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melvin Konner
- Department of Anthropology, Program in Anthropology and Human Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - S Boyd Eaton
- Department of Radiology, Emory University School of Medicine (Emeritus), Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Anthropology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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7
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Lam RD, Huynh LTM, Lozano Lazo DP, Gasparatos A. Diet change and sustainability in Indigenous areas: characteristics, drivers, and impacts of diet change in Gunayala, Panama. SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE 2023:1-23. [PMID: 37363303 PMCID: PMC10173224 DOI: 10.1007/s11625-023-01325-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Many Indigenous communities around the world have been experiencing rapid and profound diet changes. This case report uses a Sustainability Science lens to understand the characteristics of diet change in Indigenous Gunas communities of Panama, as well as its drivers and sustainability impacts. We use primary information collected through interviews with 30 experts and 232 household surveys in three Gunas islands characterised by different levels of development, western influence, and cultural erosion. We observe a rapid westernization of diets that has been mainly driven by closer interaction with tourists and the Panamanian society, as well as broader development processes. However, this diet change has a series of intersecting sustainability impacts related to food security, health, and socio-cultural and environmental change. It is necessary to understand the intersection of these phenomena when designing programs and interventions that seek to prevent or mitigate negative diet changes in Gunayala, and other Indigenous contexts more broadly. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11625-023-01325-0.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rodolfo Dam Lam
- Graduate Programme on Sustainability Science-Global Leadership Initiative (GPSS-GLI), University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- WorldFish, Bayan Lepas, Penang Malaysia
| | - Lam T. M. Huynh
- Graduate Programme on Sustainability Science-Global Leadership Initiative (GPSS-GLI), University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Alexandros Gasparatos
- Institute for Future Initiatives (IFI), University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan
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8
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Gomes SM, Chaves VM, de Carvalho AM, da Silva EB, de Menezes Neto EJ, de Farias Moura G, da Silva Chaves L, Alves RRN, de Albuquerque UP, de Oliveira Pereira F, Jacob MCM. Biodiversity is overlooked in the diets of different social groups in Brazil. Sci Rep 2023; 13:7509. [PMID: 37160999 PMCID: PMC10170146 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-34543-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/03/2023] [Indexed: 05/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Food biodiversity is essential for improving nutrition and reducing hunger in populations worldwide. However, in middle and low-income countries, the biodiversity of food production does not necessarily represent food consumption patterns by population. We used Brazil, one of the world's megabiodiverse countries, as a case study to investigate the following questions: what is the prevalence of consumption of biodiverse foods in Brazil, and what are the socioeconomic factors that influence their consumption throughout the country? We used data from a Brazilian representative national dietary survey to estimate the frequency of food consumption of unconventional food plants, edible mushrooms, and wild meat, in according to socioeconomic variables. Thus, we investigated the socioeconomic predictors of Unconventional Food Plants consumption using methods of Machine Learning (ML) and multiple zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) regression. We showed that biodiverse food consumption in Brazil is low, just related by 1.3% of the population, varying in according to area, ethnicity, age, food insecurity, sex, and educational level. Our findings of low utilization of biodiversity suggest an important mismatch between the rich biodiversity of the country and its representation in the human diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sávio Marcelino Gomes
- Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Paraiba, Street Tabelião Stanislau Eloy, s/n, Castelo Branco, João Pessoa, PB, 58050-585, Brazil.
| | - Viviany Moura Chaves
- Multicampi School of Medical Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Caicó, RN, Brazil
| | - Aline Martins de Carvalho
- Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, Av. Dr Arnaldo, 715, São Paulo, SP, 01246-904, Brazil
| | - Elenilma Barros da Silva
- Restaurante Universitário-Federal University of Para, Rua Algusto Corrêa, 01, Belém, Pará, 66075-110, Brazil
| | | | - Gabriela de Farias Moura
- LabNutrir, Nutrition Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, s/n, Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, 59078-970, Brazil
| | - Leonardo da Silva Chaves
- Escola de Educação e Humanidades, Universidade Católica de Pernambuco, Rua do Príncipe, n. 526, Boa Vista, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
- Museu de Arqueologia e Ciências Naturais da Universidade Católica de Pernambuco, Rua Oliveira Lima, 824, Boa Vista, Recife, Pernambuco, Brasil
| | | | - Ulysses Paulino de Albuquerque
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Evolução de Sistemas Socioecológicos, Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, 50670-901, Brazil
| | - Fillipe de Oliveira Pereira
- FUNGI Research Group, Academic Unit of Health, Education and Health Center, Federal University of Campina Grande, Sítio Olho D'agua da Bica, s/n, Cuité, PB, 58175-000, Brazil
| | - Michelle Cristine Medeiros Jacob
- LabNutrir, Nutrition Department, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Av. Senador Salgado Filho, s/n, Lagoa Nova, Natal, RN, 59078-970, Brazil
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Stadlmayr B, Trübswasser U, McMullin S, Karanja A, Wurzinger M, Hundscheid L, Riefler P, Lemke S, Brouwer ID, Sommer I. Factors affecting fruit and vegetable consumption and purchase behavior of adults in sub-Saharan Africa: A rapid review. Front Nutr 2023; 10:1113013. [PMID: 37113298 PMCID: PMC10126510 DOI: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1113013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, considerable dietary shifts, including an increase in the consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV) will be required. However, worldwide consumption of FV is far below international recommendations, including in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), particularly in Africa. Understanding what, where, when, and how people choose to eat requires an understanding of how individuals are influenced by factors in their social, physical, and macro-level environments. In order to develop effective interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, the factors influencing consumer behavior need to be better understood. We conducted a rapid review to assess and synthesize data on individual, social, physical, and macro-level factors that enable or constrain fruit and vegetable consumption and purchase among adults living in sub-Saharan Africa. Our conceptual framework is based on a socio-ecological model which has been adapted to settings in LMICs and Africa. We systematically searched four electronic databases including Scopus, Medline (PubMed), PsycInfo, and African Index Medicus, and screened Google Scholar for gray literature. We included a total of 52 studies and narratively summarized the existing evidence for each identified factor across the different levels. We found that most studies assessed demographic factors at the individual level including household or family income, socio-economic status and education. Furthermore we identified a variety of important factors that influence FV consumption, in the social, physical, and macro environment. These include women's empowerment and gender inequalities, the influence of neighborhood and retail food environment such as distance to market and price of FV as well as the importance of natural landscapes including forest areas for FV consumption. This review identified the need to develop and improve indicators both for exposure and outcome variables but also to diversify research approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Stadlmayr
- Institute for Development Research, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- World Agroforestry (ICRAF), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Ursula Trübswasser
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | | | | | - Maria Wurzinger
- Institute for Development Research, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Laura Hundscheid
- Institute for Development Research, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Petra Riefler
- Institute for Marketing and Innovation, Department of Economics and Social Science, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Stefanie Lemke
- Institute for Development Research, Department of Sustainable Agricultural Systems, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
- Center for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Inge D. Brouwer
- Division of Human Nutrition and Health/CGIAR Initiative Sustainable Healthy Diets (SHiFT), Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Isolde Sommer
- Department for Evidence-Based Medicine and Evaluation, University for Continuing Education, Krems, Austria
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Gaupholm J, Papadopoulos A, Asif A, Dodd W, Little M. The influence of food environments on dietary behaviour and nutrition in Southeast Asia: A systematic scoping review. Nutr Health 2022; 29:231-253. [PMID: 35850565 PMCID: PMC10114263 DOI: 10.1177/02601060221112810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background: Food environments are crucial spaces within the food system for understanding and addressing many of the shared drivers of malnutrition. In recent years, food environment research has grown rapidly, however, definitions, measures, and methods remain highly inconsistent, leading to a body of literature that is notably heterogeneous and poorly understood, particularly within regions of the Asia-Pacific. Aim: This scoping review aims to synthesize the nature, extent, and range of published literature surrounding the role of the food environment on influencing dietary behaviour and nutrition in Southeast Asia. Methods: A systematic search of 5 databases was conducted following PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews. Eligible studies included peer-reviewed research with adult participants living in Southeast Asia that examined the food environment as a determinant of dietary behaviour or nutrition. Results: A total of 45 articles were included. Overall, studies indicated that dietary behaviours in Southeast Asia were primarily driven by social, cultural, and economic factors rather than physical (e.g. geographical) features of food environments. Food price and affordability were most consistently identified as key barriers to achieving healthy diets. Conclusion: This work contributes to the establishment of more robust conceptualizations of food environments within diverse settings which may aid future policymakers and researchers identify and address the barriers or obstacles impacting nutrition and food security in their communities. Further research is needed to strengthen this knowledge, particularly research that explicitly explores the macro-level mechanisms and pathways that influence diet and nutrition outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josephine Gaupholm
- Department of Population Medicine, 3653University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew Papadopoulos
- Department of Population Medicine, 3653University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Aiza Asif
- Department of Population Medicine, 3653University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Warren Dodd
- School of Public Health Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Matthew Little
- School of Public Health and Social Policy, 574711University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
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Abstract
This paper deals with the question about how early humans managed to feed themselves, and how they preserved and stored food for times of need. It attempts to show how humans interacted with their environments and demonstrate what lessons can be learnt from the about 3.4 million years of food processing and preservation. It includes a discussion about how hominins shifted from consumption of nuts and berries toward meat and learnt to control and use fire. Cooking with fire generated more food-related energy and enabled humans to have more mobility. The main trust of the paper is on historical food preservations, organized from the perspectives of key mechanical, thermal, biological and chemical processes. Emerging food processes are also highlighted. Furthermore, how humans historically dealt with food storage and packaging and how early humans interacted with their given environments are discussed. Learnings from the history of food preservation and culinary practices of our ancestors provide us with an understanding of their culture and how they adapted and lived with their given environments to ensure adequacy of food supply. Collaboration between food scientists and anthropologists is advocated as this adds another dimension to building resilient and sustainable food systems for the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dietrich Knorr
- Food Biotechnology and Food Process Engineering, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Ahmed S, Warne T, Stewart A, Byker Shanks C, Dupuis V. Role of Wild Food Environments for Cultural Identity, Food Security, and Dietary Quality in a Rural American State. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2022.774701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Wild foods are primary components of traditional and Indigenous food systems that are valued for food security while being vulnerable to global change. This case study examines practices, experiences, and perceptions associated with wild food environments through a household survey in the rural American state of Montana. Findings highlight that wild food environments contribute to cultural identity, sense of place, food security, and dietary quality of surveyed households while being vulnerable to loss of traditional ecological knowledge as well as climate and land-use change. Of the 182 informants, 80% hunt, 83% fish, and 68% forage wild botanicals. More than half of the informants agreed that wild food procurement is part of their cultural identity (66%). Collectively, informants procure more than 172 wild food species with the most prevalent being deer, waterfowl, elk, trout, bass, a range of berries, mushrooms, and botanicals used medicinally. Participants have a multidimensional value system where wild food procurement is valued for diets, recreation, family time, spirituality, and connection to the environment. The majority of participants agreed that the consumption of wild foods contributes to the nutritional quality (87%) and diversity (82%) of their diets while lowering food costs (59%). At least half of the informants reported observing changes in climate patterns over the past decade including increased temperature (50%) and more extreme and variable weather patterns (38%) that they perceive are impacting wild food environments including shifts in wild game, fish, and edible plant populations. Based on findings, we support that wild food environments and associated bio-cultural resources are a critical place to understand, conserve, and promote for nutrition. We thus advance the concept of “conservation for nutrition”. Community engagement, education, and policy plans are called for to promote wild food environments toward supporting sustainable diets and planetary health.
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Nurhasan M, Maulana AM, Ariesta DL, Usfar AA, Napitupulu L, Rouw A, Hurulean F, Hapsari A, Heatubun CD, Ickowitz A. Toward a Sustainable Food System in West Papua, Indonesia: Exploring the Links Between Dietary Transition, Food Security, and Forests. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.789186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Natural tropical forests cover 89% of the land area of West Papua Province, Indonesia. Forests have traditionally been an important part of local food systems for Indigenous Papuans. Despite the contribution of forests to food security, West Papua has been ranked as one of the most food-insecure provinces in Indonesia, with high rates of both under-and-overnutrition. This paper aims to discuss the dietary transition taking place in West Papua and uses local perspectives to explore the link between changes in diets, food security, and forests. We used mixed methods with a triangulation design to corroborate the quantitative data that we present from two rounds of the National Socioeconomic Survey (SUSENAS) on food consumption for West Papua from 2008 and 2017, with information from four focus group discussions with institutional and local stakeholders. The quantitative analysis showed that West Papua is experiencing a dietary transition, moving away from the consumption of traditional foods, such as sago, tubers, wild meat, and fresh legumes, toward diets with more rice, chicken, tofu, and tempeh. The consumption of processed and ultra-processed food (UPF) has increased while the consumption of fresh food has decreased. The qualitative analysis confirmed these findings. The institutional stakeholders expressed a desire for Papuans to return to eating traditional diets for better food security, whereas the local stakeholders worried about their children's high consumption of UPFs. We also found a disconnect between how food security is measured by the national Food Security Index (FSI) and the point of view of the institutional stakeholders. While the FSI indicators are more infrastructure-related measures, the institutional stakeholders link food security with the availability, accessibility, stability, and sustainability of the food sources in their surrounding environment, especially the forests. The institutional stakeholders support the commitment of the provincial government to maintain at least 70% of the forest cover in West Papua, as stated in the Manokwari Declaration although they expressed the need for more clarity on how this will impact their food security. The Indonesian government and the international community should support this initiative and carry it out with substantial input from local Papuan stakeholders.
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Piqué-Fandiño L, Gallois S, Pavard S, Ramirez Rozzi FV. Reproductive seasonality in the Baka Pygmies, environmental factors and climatic changes. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264761. [PMID: 35259192 PMCID: PMC8903253 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Reproductive seasonality is a phenomenon common to human and animal populations and driven by, among others, climatic variables. Given the currently changing climate and its impacts on both the environment and human lives, the question arises of its potential effects on reproductive seasonality. Few studies have specifically explored the seasonality of reproduction among hunter-gatherers and anyone investigated how current climate change might affect this phenomenon. In this study we addressed reproductive seasonality in the Baka Pygmy living in African rain forests. Since reproductive seasonality can be linked to weather patterns, we explore this possibility. However, climatic variables driving weather patterns have changed over the years, so we assessed whether this has influenced the Baka reproductive pattern. Based on 34 years of written birth records and oral questionnaires from 13 years of systematic fieldwork, we observed a bimodal birth pattern with two birth peaks at 6-month intervals. Our results demonstrate that precipitation at conception or at birth potentially has effects, respectively negative and positive on the monthly number of births; and temperature has a role in controlling other variables that do affect the reproductive pattern. Changing weather patterns appear to be affecting the reproductive seasonality in the Baka, suggesting that attention needs to be given to the influence of global climate change on forager societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Piqué-Fandiño
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Musée de l’Homme, Paris, France
| | | | - Samuel Pavard
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Musée de l’Homme, Paris, France
| | - Fernando V. Ramirez Rozzi
- Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Musée de l’Homme, Paris, France
- EA 2496, Faculté de Chirurgie Dentaire, Université de Paris, Montrouge, France
- * E-mail:
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15
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Lansing JS, Jacobs GS, Downey SS, Norquest PK, Cox MP, Kuhn SL, Miller JH, Malik SG, Sudoyo H, Kusuma P. Deep ancestry of collapsing networks of nomadic hunter-gatherers in Borneo. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2022; 4:e9. [PMID: 37588920 PMCID: PMC10426063 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2022.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Theories of early cooperation in human society often draw from a small sample of ethnographic studies of surviving populations of hunter-gatherers, most of which are now sedentary. Borneo hunter-gatherers (Punan, Penan) have seldom figured in comparative research because of a decades-old controversy about whether they are the descendants of farmers who adopted a hunting and gathering way of life. In 2018 we began an ethnographic study of a group of still-nomadic hunter-gatherers who call themselves Punan Batu (Cave Punan). Our genetic analysis clearly indicates that they are very unlikely to be the descendants of neighbouring agriculturalists. They also preserve a song language that is unrelated to other languages of Borneo. Dispersed travelling groups of Punan Batu with fluid membership use message sticks to stay in contact, co-operate and share resources as they journey between rock shelters and forest camps. Message sticks were once widespread among nomadic Punan in Borneo, but have largely disappeared in sedentary Punan villages. Thus the small community of Punan Batu offers a rare glimpse of a hunting and gathering way of life that was once widespread in the forests of Borneo, where prosocial behaviour extended beyond the face-to-face community, facilitating successful collective adaptation to the diverse resources of Borneo's forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. Stephen Lansing
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, California, USA
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Guy S. Jacobs
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Complexity Institute, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
| | - Sean S. Downey
- Department of Anthropology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA
| | - Peter K. Norquest
- Department of Linguistics, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Murray P. Cox
- School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
- Te Pūnaha Matatini, New Zealand Centre of Research Excellence for Complex Systems, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Steven L. Kuhn
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - John H. Miller
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, California, USA
- Social and Decision Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Safarina G. Malik
- Laboratory of Genome Diversity and Diseases, Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Herawati Sudoyo
- Laboratory of Genome Diversity and Diseases, Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
| | - Pradiptajati Kusuma
- Complexity Institute, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
- Laboratory of Genome Diversity and Diseases, Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology, Jakarta, Indonesia
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16
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Heredia-R M, Torres B, Vasseur L, Puhl L, Barreto D, Díaz-Ambrona CGH. Sustainability Dimensions Assessment in Four Traditional Agricultural Systems in the Amazon. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.782633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Although traditional agriculture carried out by ethnic groups is considered for its high biodiversity and important for food security and sovereignty, few studies have investigated the potential of these systems in the interest of promoting a sustainable agricultural development policy according to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Using the FAO's Sustainability Assessment of Food and Agriculture (SAFA) methodology, this study analyzed the sustainability of four traditional agricultural systems, three indigenous (Waorani, Shuar, and Kichwa) and one migrant settler populations in the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve (YBR) and identified synergies and trade-offs among the dimensions of sustainability. The results showed different dynamics in all dimensions of sustainability-specifically, trade-offs in the dimensions of good governance with environmental integrity and social well-being, economic resilience, and social well-being. It was identified that the differences in terms of sustainability are narrowing between the indigenous Shuar people's traditional agricultural systems and those of migrant settlers, which provides policymakers with specific information to design sustainable development policies and rescue traditional agricultural systems in the Amazon region.
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17
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Gallois S, Henry AG. The Cost of Gathering Among the Baka Forager-Horticulturalists From Southeastern Cameroon. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.768003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
What present-day foragers do for their living and what they eat have long been privileged areas for exploring human behavior, global health, and human evolution. While many studies have focused on hunting and meat acquisition, less attention has been given to gathering and plant foods. Despite evidence of variation in both nutritional quality and energetic costs of gathering different plants, the overall effort spent on gathering in relation to other subsistence tasks is still under explored. In the current context of economic, climate, and social changes, many forager societies also rely on other subsistence strategies, including agriculture and wage labor. In this study, we aim to explore the place of gathering in the livelihood of a mixed economy society, the Baka forager-horticulturalists of southeastern Cameroon, by comparing the involvement and the costs of activities related to food acquisition. From a pool of 153 adult participants (97 women and 56 men), we collected 246 daily records using a GPS (Global Positioning System) tracker combined with heart rate monitor and time allocation recalls. We compared the duration, distance traveled, and the intensity of work, measured by calculating the metabolic equivalent of task (MET), of subsistence activities related to food acquisition. Results from this work show that gathering activities, performed by both women and men, are energetically costly, with higher MET values than hunting and fishing activities. Furthermore, the MET values vary depending on the targeted plant foods. We discuss these insights in the overall framework of subsistence patterns, merging them with the socio-cultural and environmental factors that might explain Baka livelihood and subsistence strategy.
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18
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Fernández-Llamazares Á, Lepofsky D, Lertzman K, Armstrong CG, Brondizio ES, Gavin MC, Lyver PO, Nicholas GP, Pascua P, Reo NJ, Reyes-García V, Turner NJ, Yletyinen J, Anderson EN, Balée W, Cariño J, David-Chavez DM, Dunn CP, Garnett SC, Greening (La'goot) S, (Niniwum Selapem) SJ, Kuhnlein H, Molnár Z, Odonne G, Retter GB, Ripple WJ, Sáfián L, Bahraman AS, Torrents-Ticó M, Vaughan MB. Scientists' Warning to Humanity on Threats to Indigenous and Local Knowledge Systems. J ETHNOBIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771-41.2.144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Dana Lepofsky
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Ken Lertzman
- School of Resource and Environmental Management, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - Michael C. Gavin
- Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
| | | | | | - Pua'ala Pascua
- Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
| | - Nicholas J. Reo
- Dartmouth College, Native American Studies and Environmental Studies programs, Hanover, NH
| | | | - Nancy J. Turner
- Emeritus, School of Environmental Studies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | | | | | - William Balée
- Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
| | | | | | | | - Stephen C. Garnett
- Research Institute for the Environment and Sustainable Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Northern Territory, Australia
| | | | | | - Harriet Kuhnlein
- Centre for Indigenous Peoples' Nutrition and Environment (CINE), McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Zsolt Molnár
- Centre for Ecological Research, Vácrátót, Hungary
| | - Guillaume Odonne
- UMR 3456 LEEISA (Laboratoire Ecologie, Evolution, Interactions des Systèmes Amazoniens), CNRS, Université de Guyane, IFREMER, Cayenne, France
| | | | - William J. Ripple
- Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
| | | | - Abolfazl Sharifian Bahraman
- Range and Watershed Management Department, Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran
| | - Miquel Torrents-Ticó
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, PO Box 65 (Viikinkaari 1), University of Helsinki, FI-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mehana Blaich Vaughan
- Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, Sea Grant College Program and Hui Āina Momona; University of Hawai‘i, Mānoa, HI
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19
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Gallois S, Heger T, Henry AG, van Andel T. The importance of choosing appropriate methods for assessing wild food plant knowledge and use: A case study among the Baka in Cameroon. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0247108. [PMID: 33600479 PMCID: PMC7891729 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In tropical rainforests, access to and availability of natural resources are vital for the dietary diversity and food security of forest-dwelling societies. In the Congo Basin, these are challenged by the increasing exploitation of forests for bushmeat, commercial hardwood, mining, and large-scale agriculture. In this context, a balanced approach is needed between the pressures from forest exploitation, non-timber forest product trade and the livelihood and dietary behavior of rural communities. While there is a general positive association between tree cover and dietary diversity, the complex biocultural interactions between tropical forest food resources and the communities they sustain are still understudied. This research focuses on the knowledge and use of wild food plants by the forest-dwelling Baka people in southeast Cameroon. By using two different sets of methods, namely ex-situ interviews and in-situ surveys, we collected ethnographic and ethnobotanical data in two Baka settlements and explored the diversity of wild edible plants known, the frequency of their consumption, and potential conflicts between local diet and commercial trade in forest resources. Within a single Baka population, we showed that the in-situ walk-in-the-woods method resulted in more detailed information on wild food plant knowledge and use frequency than the ex-situ methods of freelisting and dietary recalls. Our in-situ method yielded 91 wild edible species, much more than the ex-situ freelisting interviews (38 spp.) and dietary recalls (12 spp.). Our results suggest that studies that are based only on ex-situ interviews may underestimate the importance of wild food plants for local communities. We discuss the limitations and strengths of these different methods for investigating the diversity of wild food plant knowledge and uses. Our analysis shows that future studies on wild food plants would profit from a mixed approach that combines in-situ and ex-situ methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandrine Gallois
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Heger
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | | | - Tinde van Andel
- Biosystematics Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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20
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Hunting territories and land use overlap in sedentarised Baka Pygmy communities in southeastern Cameroon. Sci Rep 2021; 11:3503. [PMID: 33568774 PMCID: PMC7876010 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-83223-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
A significant number of Baka Pygmies in Cameroon have been sedentarised in roadside villages, in contrast to their nomadic hunter-gatherer existence of the past. Although this change in lifestyle has had important consequences on health, most Baka villages still supplement their diets from forest products, especially wild meat. We used a combination of participatory methods and monitoring of individual hunters to map hunting territories in 10 Baka villages in southeastern Cameroon. From these, we determined whether wild meat extraction levels per village were related to the size of hunting territories, measured habitat use by hunters and finally defined the overlap between hunting territories and extractive industries in the region. Mapped village hunting areas averaged 205.2 ± 108.7 km2 (range 76.8–352.0 km2); all villages used a total of 2052 km2. From 295 tracks of 51 hunters, we showed that hunters travelled an average of 16.5 ± 13.5 km (range 0.9–89.8 km) from each village. Home ranges, derived from kernel utilization distributions, were correlated with village offtake levels, but hunter offtake and distance travelled were not significantly related, suggesting that enough prey was available even close to the villages. Hunters in all village areas exhibited a clear bias towards certain habitats, as indicated by positive Ivlev’s index of selectivity values. We also showed that all village hunting territories and hunter home ranges fall within mining and logging concessions. Our results are important for local understanding of forest land uses and to reconcile these with the other land uses in the region to better inform decisions concerning land use policy and planning.
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21
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Kenny TA, Little M, Lemieux T, Griffin PJ, Wesche SD, Ota Y, Batal M, Chan HM, Lemire M. The Retail Food Sector and Indigenous Peoples in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Scoping Review. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17238818. [PMID: 33261090 PMCID: PMC7730644 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17238818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Indigenous Peoples in high-income countries experience higher burdens of food insecurity, obesity, and diet-related health conditions compared to national averages. The objective of this systematic scoping review is to synthesize information from the published literature on the methods/approaches, findings, and scope for research and interventions on the retail food sector servicing Indigenous Peoples in high-income countries. A structured literature search in two major international databases yielded 139 relevant peer-reviewed articles from nine countries. Most research was conducted in Oceania and North America, and in rural and remote regions. Several convergent issues were identified across global regions including limited grocery store availability/access, heightened exposure to unhealthy food environments, inadequate market food supplies (i.e., high prices, limited availability, and poor quality), and common underlying structural factors including socio-economic inequality and colonialism. A list of actions that can modify the nature and structure of retailing systems to enhance the availability, accessibility, and quality of healthful foods is identified. While continuing to (re)align research with community priorities, international collaboration may foster enhanced opportunities to strengthen the evidence base for policy and practice and contribute to the amelioration of diet quality and health at the population level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiff-Annie Kenny
- Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada;
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Axe santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé, Quebec, QC G1E 6W2, Canada
- Correspondence: or
| | - Matthew Little
- School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada;
| | - Tad Lemieux
- Department of English Language and Literature, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada;
| | - P. Joshua Griffin
- School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; (P.J.G.); (Y.O.)
- Department of American Indian Studies, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sonia D. Wesche
- Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, Faculty of Arts, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada;
| | - Yoshitaka Ota
- School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; (P.J.G.); (Y.O.)
- Nippon Foundation Ocean Nexus Center, EarthLab, University of Washington; Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Malek Batal
- Département de nutrition, Faculté de médecine, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada;
- Centre de recherche en santé publique (CReSP), Montreal, Quebec, QC H3N 1X9, Canada
| | - Hing Man Chan
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 9A7, Canada;
| | - Melanie Lemire
- Département de médecine sociale et préventive, Faculté de médecine, Université Laval, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada;
- Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Université Laval, Axe santé des populations et pratiques optimales en santé, Quebec, QC G1E 6W2, Canada
- Institut de biologie intégrative et des systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval, Quebec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
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Billong Fils PE, Afiong Nana N, Betti JL, Farick Njimbam O, Tientcheu Womeni S, Ávila Martin E, Ros Brull G, Okale R, Fa JE, Funk SM. Ethnobotanical survey of wild edible plants used by Baka people in southeastern Cameroon. JOURNAL OF ETHNOBIOLOGY AND ETHNOMEDICINE 2020; 16:64. [PMID: 33092623 PMCID: PMC7579891 DOI: 10.1186/s13002-020-00413-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Forest inhabitants worldwide, and indigenous people especially, have depended for generations on plants and animals harvested in these ecosystems. A number of Baka hunter-gatherer populations in south-eastern Cameroon became sedentarised in the 1950s, but still rely on hunting and gathering to meet their basic needs. The use of wild edible plants (WEP) by these communities remains largely undocumented. In this study, we record the diversity of WEP used by Baka people in dense rainforests in the Mintom region. The area still contains relatively undisturbed forest expanses, just south of the Dja Biosphere Reserve, one of the most important protected areas in the Congo Basin. METHODS We conducted two ethnobotanical surveys in 2019 in four villages on the Mintom road. In the first survey, we interviewed a total of 73 individuals to determine WEP usage. In our second survey, we specifically quantified WEP harvested and consumed daily in a number of households over a 2-week period during the major rainy season, when use of forest products is highest. Specimens of all recorded plants were collected and identified at the National Herbarium of Cameroon. RESULTS We documented 88 plant species and 119 unique species/plant organ/recipes in 1519 different citations. A total of 61 genera and 43 families were noted. Excluding 14 unidentified wild yam species, 17 WEP species had not been reported in previous ethnobotanical surveys of the Baka. Our results showed that cultivated starchy plant foods make up a significant proportion of our study population's daily nutritional intake. CONCLUSIONS A high diversity of WEP is consumed by the studied Baka communities. The study area is likely to be significant in terms of WEP diversity since 18 out of the 30 "key" non-timber forest products, NTFP, in Cameroon were mentioned. Documentation of the use of WEP by indigenous communities is vital to ensure the continuity of traditional knowledge and future food security.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascal Eric Billong Fils
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Douala, BP, 24 157, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Natacha Afiong Nana
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Douala, BP, 24 157, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Jean Lagarde Betti
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Douala, BP, 24 157, Douala, Cameroon
| | - Oumar Farick Njimbam
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Douala, BP, 24 157, Douala, Cameroon
| | | | | | | | - Robert Okale
- Zerca y Lejos ONGD, c/Sambara 128, 28027, Madrid, Spain
| | - Julia E Fa
- Department of Natural Sciences, School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), CIFOR Headquarters, Bogor, 16115, Indonesia
| | - Stephan M Funk
- Nature Heritage, St. Lawrence, Jersey, Channel Islands, UK.
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23
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Avila Martin E, Ros Brull G, Funk SM, Luiselli L, Okale R, Fa JE. Wild meat hunting and use by sedentarised Baka Pygmies in southeastern Cameroon. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9906. [PMID: 32995086 PMCID: PMC7502248 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
As a result of sedentarisation many Baka Pygmies have changed their mobility patterns away from nomadic lifestyles to living in roadside villages. These settled groups are increasingly dependent on cultivated foods but still rely on forest resources. The level of dependence on hunting of wild animals for food and cash, as well as the hunting profiles of sedentarised Pygmy groups is little known. In this study we describe the use of wild meat in 10 Baka villages along the Djoum-Mintom road in southeastern Cameroon. From data collected from 1,946 hunting trips by 121 hunters, we show that most trips are of around 13 hours and a median of eight hours. A mean ± SD of 1.15 ± 1.11 animal carcasses are taken in a single trip; there was a positive correlation between duration of trips and carcasses. A total of 2,245 carcasses of 49 species of 24 animal families were taken in the study; species diversity was similar in all villages except one. Most hunted animals were mammals, with ungulates contributing the highest proportion. By species, just over half of the animal biomass extracted by all hunters in the studied villages was provided by four mammal species. Most animals were trapped (65.77% ± 16.63), followed by shot with guns (22.56% ± 17.72), other methods (8.69% ± 6.96) and with dogs (2.96% ± 4.49). A mean of 7,569.7 ± 6,103.4 kg yr−1 (2,080.8–19,351.4) were extracted per village, giving 75,697 kg yr−1 in total, which is equivalent to 123 UK dairy cattle. In all villages, 48.07% ± 17.58 of animals hunted were consumed by the hunter and his family, around 32.73% ± 12.55, were sold, followed by a lower percentage of carcasses partially sold and consumed (19.21% ± 17.02). Between 60% and 80% of carcasses belonged to the “least concern” category, followed by “near threatened”, “vulnerable” and, rarely “endangered”. The only endangered species hunted was the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes). We suggest that hunting is a critical activity that provides a vital source of food for our study communities. Measured wild meat extraction levels are likely to be sustainable if hunter densities do not increase.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Luca Luiselli
- Institute for Development, Ecology, Conservation and Cooperation, Rome, Italy.,Department of Applied and Environmental Biology, Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
| | | | - John E Fa
- Department of Natural Sciences, School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom.,CIFOR Headquarters, Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia
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Reyes-García V, Díaz-Reviriego I, Duda R, Fernández-Llamazares Á, Gallois S. "Hunting Otherwise" : Women's Hunting in Two Contemporary Forager-Horticulturalist Societies. HUMAN NATURE-AN INTERDISCIPLINARY BIOSOCIAL PERSPECTIVE 2020; 31:203-221. [PMID: 32915412 DOI: 10.1007/s12110-020-09375-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Although subsistence hunting is cross-culturally an activity led and practiced mostly by men, a rich body of literature shows that in many small-scale societies women also engage in hunting in varied and often inconspicuous ways. Using data collected among two contemporary forager-horticulturalist societies facing rapid change (the Tsimane' of Bolivia and the Baka of Cameroon), we compare the technological and social characteristics of hunting trips led by women and men and analyze the specific socioeconomic characteristics that facilitate or constrain women's engagement in hunting. Results from interviews on daily activities with 121 Tsimane' (63 women and 58 men) and 159 Baka (83 women and 76 men) show that Tsimane' and Baka women participate in subsistence hunting, albeit using different techniques and in different social contexts than men. We also found differences in the individual and household socioeconomic profiles of Tsimane' and Baka women who hunt and those who do not hunt. Moreover, the characteristics that differentiate hunter and non-hunter women vary from one society to the other, suggesting that gender roles in relation to hunting are fluid and likely to change, not only across societies, but also as societies change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Reyes-García
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain. .,Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellatera, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Isabel Díaz-Reviriego
- Institute of Ecology, Faculty of Sustainability, Leuphana University of Lüneburg, Lüneburg, Germany
| | - Romain Duda
- Unité Anthropologie et Ecologie de l'Emergence des Maladies, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Global Change and Conservation (GCC), Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme (OEB), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, FI-00014, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sandrine Gallois
- Faculty of Archaeology, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Donders I, Barriocanal C. The Influence of Markets on the Nutrition Transition of Hunter-Gatherers: Lessons from the Western Amazon. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2020; 17:ijerph17176307. [PMID: 32872589 PMCID: PMC7504055 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17176307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2020] [Revised: 08/24/2020] [Accepted: 08/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
For many centuries, hunter-gatherer societies relied on subsistence practices and traditional diets. However, forces of globalization have increased market involvement, thereby fueling the nutrition transition of hunter-gatherer societies. We review the academic literature on market involvement of hunter-gatherer societies in the Western Amazon and its consequences on diet, health and well-being. First, we elaborate on four main determinants of market involvement (accessibility, monetary income, wild meat trade and social capital), showing how each determinant draws individuals toward or away from markets. Thereafter, we discuss how these determinants alter diet, health and well-being. Our results add to the understanding of the complex relations between market involvement, dietary change, health and well-being of indigenous societies. Furthermore, they bring to light that additional research is needed on the topic to support decision-makers and help preserve indigenous values.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Donders
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Building Z, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain;
- Correspondence:
| | - Carles Barriocanal
- Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Building Z, Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain;
- Department of Geography, University of Barcelona (UB), Montalegre 6, 08001 Barcelona, Spain
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Gergel SE, Powell B, Baudron F, Wood SLR, Rhemtulla JM, Kennedy G, Rasmussen LV, Ickowitz A, Fagan ME, Smithwick EAH, Ranieri J, Wood SA, Groot JCJ, Sunderland TCH. Conceptual Links between Landscape Diversity and Diet Diversity: A Roadmap for Transdisciplinary Research. Bioscience 2020; 70:563-575. [PMID: 32665737 PMCID: PMC7340543 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biaa048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Malnutrition linked to poor quality diets affects at least 2 billion people. Forests, as well as agricultural systems linked to trees, are key sources of dietary diversity in rural settings. In the present article, we develop conceptual links between diet diversity and forested landscape mosaics within the rural tropics. First, we summarize the state of knowledge regarding diets obtained from forests, trees, and agroforests. We then hypothesize how disturbed secondary forests, edge habitats, forest access, and landscape diversity can function in bolstering dietary diversity. Taken together, these ideas help us build a framework illuminating four pathways (direct, agroecological, energy, and market pathways) connecting forested landscapes to diet diversity. Finally, we offer recommendations to fill remaining knowledge gaps related to diet and forest cover monitoring. We argue that better evaluation of the role of land cover complexity will help avoid overly simplistic views of food security and, instead, uncover nutritional synergies with forest conservation and restoration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Gergel
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Bronwen Powell
- Department of Geography and BP is also affiliated with the Departments of African Studies and Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | - FrÉdÉric Baudron
- International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center CIMMYT-Southern Africa Regional Office, Harare, Zimbabwe
| | | | - Jeanine M Rhemtulla
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | | | - Laura V Rasmussen
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Amy Ickowitz
- Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Matthew E Fagan
- Department of Geography and Environmental Systems, University of Maryland—Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Erica A H Smithwick
- Department of Geography and BP is also affiliated with the Departments of African Studies and Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
| | | | - Stephen A Wood
- Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, and with the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Jeroen C J Groot
- Department of Farming Systems Ecology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Terry C H Sunderland
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia
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Downs SM, Ahmed S, Fanzo J, Herforth A. Food Environment Typology: Advancing an Expanded Definition, Framework, and Methodological Approach for Improved Characterization of Wild, Cultivated, and Built Food Environments toward Sustainable Diets. Foods 2020; 9:E532. [PMID: 32331424 PMCID: PMC7230632 DOI: 10.3390/foods9040532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 144] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The food environment is a critical place in the food system to implement interventions to support sustainable diets and address the global syndemic of obesity, undernutrition, and climate change, because it contains the total scope of options within which consumers make decisions about which foods to acquire and consume. In this paper, we build on existing definitions of the food environment, and provide an expanded definition that includes the parameter of sustainability properties of foods and beverages, in order to integrate linkages between food environments and sustainable diets. We further provide a graphical representation of the food environment using a socio-ecological framework. Next, we provide a typology with descriptions of the different types of food environments that consumers have access to in low-, middle-, and high-income countries including wild, cultivated, and built food environments. We characterize the availability, affordability, convenience, promotion and quality (previously termed desirability), and sustainability properties of food and beverages for each food environment type. Lastly, we identify a methodological approach with potential objective and subjective tools and metrics for measuring the different properties of various types of food environments. The definition, framework, typology, and methodological toolbox presented here are intended to facilitate scholars and practitioners to identify entry points in the food environment for implementing and evaluating interventions that support sustainable diets for enhancing human and planetary health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shauna M. Downs
- Department of Urban-Global Public Health, School of Public Health, Rutgers University, Newark, NJ 07102, USA;
| | - Selena Ahmed
- Sustainable Food Systems Program, Department of Health and Human Development, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717, USA
| | - Jessica Fanzo
- Berman Institute of Bioethics, Nitze School of Advanced International Studies and Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Washington, DC 21205, USA;
| | - Anna Herforth
- Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard, University Boston, MA 02125, USA;
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Quantifying the Use of Forest Ecosystem Services by Local Populations in Southeastern Cameroon. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12062505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
In order to improve sustainability and design adequate management strategies in threatened tropical forests, integrated assessments of the use of ecosystem services are needed, combining biophysical, social, and economic approaches. In particular, no integrated ecosystem services (ES) assessment has been conducted in Central Africa, where rural communities deeply depend on forests in a high-poverty context. Here, we aimed to quantify the use of ES provided by tropical forests to local populations in the Dja area (Cameroon), identify its determinants and evaluate its sustainability. We conducted various interviews and field surveys with 133 households in three villages, focusing on three provisioning services (bushmeat, firewood, and timber), and five cultural services (cultural heritage, inspiration, spiritual experience, recreation, and education). Local populations consumed a mean of 56 kg of bushmeat/person/year (hunting zones covering on average 213 km2), 1.17 m3 of firewood/person/year (collection zones covering on average 4 km2), and 0.03 m3 of timber/person/year. Between 25% and 86% of respondents considered cultural services as important. The use of ES was mainly influenced by population size, deforestation rate, and forest allocations, whereas the influence of socio-demographic characteristics of households remained limited to slight differences between Baka and Bantu people. We conclude that the consumption of firewood and timber is sustainable, whereas high hunting pressure has resulted in severe defaunation in the area due to the large decline in the abundance and biomass of forest mammals hunted for bushmeat by local populations.
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Friant S, Ayambem WA, Alobi AO, Ifebueme NM, Otukpa OM, Ogar DA, Alawa CBI, Goldberg TL, Jacka JK, Rothman JM. Life on the Rainforest Edge: Food Security in the Agricultural-Forest Frontier of Cross River State, Nigeria. FRONTIERS IN SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2019.00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Reyes-García V, Fernández-Llamazares Á. Sing to Learn: The Role of Songs in the Transmission of Indigenous Knowledge among the Tsimane' of Bolivian Amazonia. J ETHNOBIOL 2019. [DOI: 10.2993/0278-0771-39.3.460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Álvaro Fernández-Llamazares
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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