A zoo-led study of the great ape bushmeat commodity chain in Cameroon

Current levels of bushmeat hunting in west and central Africa are largely unsustainable, and will lead to the loss of an important natural resource and cause the extinction of threatened species. Worryingly, great apes are hunted for their meat despite being protected across their range. In this paper, we highlight the main actors involved in the trafficking of great ape meat around the Dja Biosphere Reserve (DBR) in Cameroon, and describe the commodity chain associated with the trade. In total, 78 hunters, porters, traders and consumers were interviewed. Hunters, all men, were primarily driven by profit, encouraged by middlemen, though some hunt for their own consumption. However, we identify that great ape hunting is undertaken by specialised hunters along a relatively short supply chain. Gorilla and chimpanzee meat is sold to restaurants and wealthy buyers via few intermediaries. The price of great ape meat varied at different stages of the chain. Middlemen obtained the greatest financial gain, whereas wholesale traders profited least. Movement of ape meat to markets was predominantly by public transport and facilitated by drivers who can pass through checkpoints unnoticed. Based on our study we recommend potential interventions, including support of law enforcement, investments in conservation and development initiatives, and monitoring and research

Building adaptive capacity to climate change in tropical coastal communities

To minimize the impacts of climate change on human wellbeing, governments, development agencies, and civil society organizations have made substantial investments in improving people's capacity to adapt to change. Yet to date, these investments have tended to focus on a very narrow understanding of adaptive capacity. Here, we propose an approach to build adaptive capacity across five domains: the assets that people can draw upon in times of need; the flexibility to change strategies; the ability to organize and act collectively; learning to recognize and respond to change; and the agency to determine whether to change or not

Oxide dispersion strengthened ferritic steels: a basic research joint program in France

International audienceAREVA, CEA, CNRS, EDF and Mecachrome are funding a joint program of basic research on Oxide Dispersion Strengthened Steels (ODISSEE), in support to the development of oxide dispersion strengthened 9-14% Cr ferritic-martensitic steels for the fuel element cladding of future Sodium-cooled fast neutron reactors. The selected objectives and the results obtained so far will be presented concerning (i) physical-chemical characterisation of the nano-clusters as a function of ball-milling process, metallurgical conditions and irradiation, (ii) meso-scale understanding of failure mechanisms under dynamic loading and creep, and, (iii) kinetic modelling of nano-clusters nucleation and alpha/alpha' unmixing. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Can marine fisheries and aquaculture meet fish demand from a growing human population in a changing climate?

Expansion in the world's human population and economic development will increase future demand for fish products. As global fisheries yield is constrained by ecosystems productivity and management effectiveness, per capita fish consumption can only be maintained or increased if aquaculture makes an increasing contribution to the volume and stability of global fish supplies. Here, we use predictions of changes in global and regional climate (according to IPCC emissions scenario A1B), marine ecosystem and fisheries production estimates from high resolution regional models, human population size estimates from United Nations prospects, fishmeal and oil price estimations, and projections of the technological development in aquaculture feed technology, to investigate the feasibility of sustaining current and increased per capita fish consumption rates in 2050. We conclude that meeting current and larger consumption rates is feasible, despite a growing population and the impacts of climate change on potential fisheries production, but only if fish resources are managed sustainably and the animal feeds industry reduces its reliance on wild fish. Ineffective fisheries management and rising fishmeal prices driven by greater demand could, however, compromise future aquaculture production and the availability of fish products