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Wildlife harvests can advance food security and the food systems agenda

Nature Food volume 5, pages 640–641 (2024)Cite this article

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Protein content in wild-harvested meat can exceed that of domestic livestock3, is low in saturated and trans fats4, and high in bioavailable micronutrients5 important for reducing malnutrition6. Animal-based foods are the most expensive component of food budgets, representing 40% of income for a healthy diet that can be augmented through wildlife harvests. In Namibia, for example, the contribution of wildlife harvests to gross domestic product was almost one-fifth that of livestock and crop agriculture7. During 2009, 3.5% (287,000 km2) of Namibia’s land area produced 16,000–25,000 metric tons of wildlife meat8. In the United States, about 6 million white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were harvested by recreational hunters in 20209 and, assuming 23.7 kg of meat per deer, would represent about 142,000 metric tons of meat.

Benefits of wildlife harvests relative to domesticated animal foods include reduced land-use change, pollutant run-off and greenhouse gas emissions, although emissions can be similar in systems with equivalent biomass of domestic animals and wildlife10. However, primary sustainability challenges for wildlife often relate to overharvests that could adversely reduce populations. Although varied across countries, legal frameworks and policies are generally established to ensure sustainable wildlife harvests, but effectiveness varies and unsustainable harvests, particularly illegal harvests of wildlife, appear common11.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wild Foods Institute, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA

    Jerrold L. Belant, Abigail Bennett, Kenneth F. Kellner & Maria del Mar Mancha-Cisneros

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  1. Jerrold L. Belant
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  2. Abigail Bennett
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  3. Kenneth F. Kellner
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  4. Maria del Mar Mancha-Cisneros
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Correspondence to Jerrold L. Belant.

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Nature Food thanks David Edwards for their contribution to the peer review of this work.

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Belant, J.L., Bennett, A., Kellner, K.F. et al. Wildlife harvests can advance food security and the food systems agenda. Nat Food 5, 640–641 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-024-01023-9

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