A Nuanced Examination of Primate Capture and Consumption and Human Socio-Economic Well-Being in Kirindy Mitea National Park, Madagascar

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Lemur hunting and consumption is widespread in Madagascar. Understanding what drives this phenomenon is key to conserving lemurs and protecting human livelihoods. Current research shows poverty to be a primary driver of lemur hunting and consumption, but no study has employed a composite poverty metric that includes health, education, and living standards. Our study employs such a metric, along with income, to investigate, for the first time, poverty as a driver of lemur hunting and consumption in and around Kirindy Mitea National Park, Madagascar. We document alarming levels of poverty and lemur hunting and consumption among the study community but find no relationship between the variables. Because nearly all households in the study community were impoverished, possible explanations include the following: (1) poverty is not a driver of lemur hunting and consumption in Kirindy Mitea National Park, or (2) a relationship could not be found due to the socio-economic similarity of households in our study community. We consider both interpretations in light of the current literature and offer recommendations for future research. If human and non-human primates are to continue to co-exist in and around Kirindy Mitea National Park, immediate investment in poverty eradication is required, and conservationists should test the efficacy of livestock interventions locally. ABSTRACT: The futures of human and nonhuman primates are closely tied in protected areas. Understanding this interconnectedness is especially urgent in Madagascar, one of the world’s most impoverished biodiversity hotspots. Yet, no study has evaluated the relationship between poverty and lemur hunting and consumption using a composite poverty metric that includes health, education, and living standards. To address this gap, and to inform primate conservation practice and policy, we administered annual surveys to 81 households over six consecutive months (September 2018 to March 2019) in a village on the border of Kirindy Mitea National Park, Madagascar. We observed extreme deprivation scores across multiple dimensions of poverty and identified ninety-five percent of households as ‘impoverished’. Of these, three-quarters (77%) of households were identified as being in ‘severe poverty’. One-fifth (19%) of all households hunted lemurs and half (49%) of households consumed lemurs. While poverty eradication is an urgent need in communities around Kirindy Mitea National Park, our findings show no relationship between poverty and lemur hunting and consumption, perhaps due to the lack of variance in poverty. Our results highlight the need to investigate other contributory factors to lemur hunting and consumption locally. Because food insecurity is a known driver of lemur hunting and consumption among the study community, and because domestic meats can be preferred over protected species, we recommend testing the efficacy of livestock interventions near Kirindy Mitea National Park.