What can stop people eating wild animals? A new study looks for answers
- Researchers say that reducing consumer demand for wildlife could cut the risk of another pandemic
- But trying to influence consumers is complex and little understood
According to the study, published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Ecology & Evolution on Monday, reducing consumer demand for wild animal products may be a more thorough way to cut consumption and the risk of a new pandemic than regulatory efforts.
But influencing behaviour in this area is complex and largely unexplored.
“[There is] limited investment in research to understand what drives individuals to consume wildlife,” said the authors, led by lead wildlife scientist at WWF-United States Robin Naidoo.
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To help fill in the gap, the researchers surveyed 5,000 people from Hong Kong, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam in March, 2020 and asked them whether they had consumed wild mammals, birds or reptiles in the previous 12 months, whether their behaviour had changed because of Covid-19, and what their behaviour was likely to be in the future.