§ Mr. GardinerTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the Phase 1 report produced for her Department by Joanna Elliot entitled "Wildlife and Poverty Study". [48146]
621W
§ Hilary BennDFID has undertaken a Wildlife and Poverty Study to identify how best to ensure that poor people's wildlife resources are used for effective poverty reduction. We are pleased with the initial Phase One report and the public interest it has attracted.
The initial report documents anecdotal evidence of poor people's dependence on bushmeat. It highlights the lack of reliable aggregate data as to the extent of this dependence, the difficulty and expense of collecting that data, given that so much of the bushmeat trade is illegal, and the lack of proven instruments to enable poor people to manage bushmeat resources sustainably.
Phase Two of the study will focus particularly on the Policy and institutional environment that will improve poor peoples' access to the benefits flowing from the sustainable management of wildlife resources.