Pangolins are recognised as being the world’s most trafficked mammal. As such there is dire need for urgent conservation action to protect these species. The forests of south-west Ghana, part of the Upper Guinea Biodiversity Hotspot, are home to three of Africa's four species of pangolins. Pangolins are commonly hunted and traded for their meat on local markets. More recent research also now suggest that increasingly African pangolins are being traded for supply to Asian markets where their meat and scales carry particular value. Awareness of the plight of the species has only come to the fore in recent years, and as such, there remains a dearth of information on their status, key habitats, and the bushmeat supply chain and patterns of consumption that govern their hunting and exploitation in the region. This lack of information has been identified as being of critical importance in the IUCN’s Pangolin Conservation Action Plan.

 

This project will work to address this gap, by conducting research that addresses priorities outlined in the IUCN Conservation Action Plan for Pangolin including:

1. Understanding the trade networks, consumption and price indices of pangolins
2. Identifying pangolin strongholds and suitable habitats for pangolins
3. Understanding the range, movement and distribution of pangolins
4. DNA analysis to understand genetic variation within and between groups
5. Identify the phylogenetic and spatial distribution of pangolin species

 

The findings from this project will inform the long-term strategy of that project, to inform the development of economically and ecologically robust and sustainable livelihood practice that improve food security and raise incomes while removing endangered species from the local wildlife trade.