Hunting strategies, wild meat preferences and perceptions of wildlife conservation in Nagaland, India

Abstract Wild meat hunting is one of the primary threats to biodiversity, and it is important to understand the drivers of hunting by communities residing within biodiverse areas, the methods they employ and their preferences for particular wild meat types. We investigated these aspects of wild meat hunting amongst the Indigenous Naga tribes of the Indo–Myanmar biodiversity hotspot in Nagaland, north-east India. Local people consumed all 31 species of wild mammals detected on camera traps, but the hunters we surveyed mostly preferred large-bodied wild mammals, particularly barking deer Muntiacus muntjak and bears (Asiatic black bear Ursus thibetanus , sun bear Helarctos malayanus ). Hunting is subsistence driven following the predictions of optimal foraging theory. The traditional hunting weapons, techniques and strategies used varied according to prey, forest habitat type, community and season. The use of guns, however, is widespread and has replaced most traditional methods of hunting. Additionally, subsistence hunting is evolving into an economically driven activity because of the influence of wildlife trafficking. Discussions with local people regarding their perceptions of conservation provided insights into the dependency of these communities on biodiversity and their recognition of biodiversity losses from overhunting. Nevertheless, communities appear not to be motivated to participate in biodiversity conservation. An interdisciplinary approach to conservation, addressing education coupled with integrated policies that could sustain economic and cultural values is needed in communities such as Nagaland, where hunting remains culturally driven and primarily subsistence orientated.