-Data accumulation and analysis concerning the socio-economic consumption of bush meat in Yaoundé, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Bukavu and Bangui. Sections 7.1.2 and 8.1 detail work carried out in two of these cities. Methodology and contacts have been established for continued work in the others.
-Creation of a data bank housing information on the forest-city interface, researchers working in the same area, ongoing conservation projects. A considerable amount of literature has been accumulated by the Centre of Cultural Anthropology. See Section 8.1 and 8.2 as well as the Bibliography in Appendix 1.
-Co-ordination of pilot studies concerning use of forest products in urban areas. Studies on bush meat were carried out (Section 7.1.2) and investigations were made into fuelwood consumption (Section 7.1.1).
-Investigation of anthropological perceptions, e.g. how the forest is perceived by city dwellers. These are developed in Section 7.2.
While initial objectives and results are in fact largely harmonious, it should be added that working on the forest-city interface is not always an easy task: problems of varying severity present themselves all along the research process.
-Vital statistics and other types of data on population, economic performance, ethnic complexion in urban areas, urban anthropological perceptions, etc. is often lacking or of dubious reliability.
-Communication between network members is also a problem. As African researchers are working in difficult material conditions, they have difficulties in diffusing their findings, meeting colleagues elsewhere in Africa or Europe, having access to information, etc. These network difficulties were discussed in Section 8.2.
-The generally low purchasing power and economic tension in much of central Africa has made inquiries at markets rather difficult. Vendors are more preoccupied with plying their trades than in responding to questions. Buyers likewise, often disgruntled by high prices, are reluctant to devote their time to helping even local and experienced social science researchers. With specific reference to bush meat, vendors often refuse to share information because hunting and trade is not always legal: in Yaoundé most notably, police "crack-downs" are not infrequent. With respect to anthropological inquiries, addressing the subtle and often culturally sensitive nature of perceptions and attachments requires in-depth knowledge of the subjects under investigation and a great deal of research finesse.
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