Prices on their heads? The consequences of the international trade in African hornbills in Cameroon

Hornbills are tropical birds known for their massive bills. There are 32 Asian and 27 African species in the family Bucerotidae. Many hornbills have a casque on their upper mandible, which in some species is spectacularly colored. Many species also share a unique breeding strategy, in which nesting females incubate their eggs and raise their chicks in enclosed natural cavities in trees for up to 100 days, depending entirely on males to provide them with food.

Unfortunately, due to overhunting and habitat destruction, nearly half of all hornbill species are now listed as threatened with extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In addition, many African species still listed as “Least Concern” by the IUCN have disappeared from large areas of their historical range, such as in Nigeria and Ghana.

Today, African hornbills face a new threat: demand for their heads in international trade. Cameroonian researcher Francis Guetse brought this issue to our attention after receiving reports of hornbill hunting for foreign buyers in Mount Nlonako, Cameroon, the site of an Important Bird Area and proposed wildlife reserve. Together, we decided to investigate, considering both the online hornbill trade and interviews with hunters in Cameroon.

The wildlife trade has led to the decline and extinction of species worldwide and, unfortunately, wild birds represent a significant proportion of sales. Unsustainable hunting and trapping to supply these markets is therefore a recognised threat to many bird species, such as African vultures, Asian hornbills and parrots worldwide, but its implications for African hornbills have received little attention until now.

We surveyed online retailers to examine online sales of African hornbill products, and assessed hornbill hunting practices in western Cameroon through interviews with residents about hornbill demand, supply, and hunting pressure.

The emergence of online social media platforms has facilitated the rapid expansion of global wildlife product markets, encompassing both legal and illegal trade. Social media platforms now offer traders unprecedented opportunities to access customers, bypassing traditional intermediaries.

In our analysis of online sales, we considered factors such as number of sales, species conservation status, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) listing, and skull and body size.

We found that the online hornbill trade includes skulls and other products from five Asian species, all listed under CITES, and 20 African species, representing nearly 75% (20/27) of the species from the African continent. Nearly half (9/20) of the African hornbill species we found in the online trade were from Cameroon, of which three species – the yellow-casqued hornbill (Ceratogymna elata), the black-casqued hornbill (C. atrata) and the white-thighed hornbill (Bycanistes albotibialis) – accounted for 66% of the hornbill products online.

About 73% of Cameroonian hunters surveyed targeted hornbills, of whom 91% were motivated by the acquisition of hornbill heads for trade, and almost all reported intending to sell their products to foreign buyers. Hunters indicated that demand for hornbill heads was driven by Asian demand, with locals understanding the nationality of buyers to be Chinese, although confirmation of the identity of buyers was beyond the scope of our study.

Our survey also revealed a shift in hunting behavior in Cameroon that dates back two years, with younger hunters targeting hornbills more frequently. Although Cameroonian Decree 73/658 legally regulates the carrying of firearms and ammunition, forest law enforcement is weak and firearms are widely used by hunters in the Mount Nlonako region.

Hunters reported shooting any animals that could be sold and interviews revealed that many were aware that they were engaging in illegal activities that could result in legal consequences. Hunters also reported that hornbill populations appear to have declined over the past two years due to drastic reductions in their populations and as a result, they are venturing to other areas in search of hornbills to hunt.

African hornbills are not typically categorized as luxury commodities such as elephant ivory and are therefore subject to fewer trade regulations. Our findings highlight the urgent need to address the negative impacts of international wildlife trade and implement measures to protect African hornbill populations from the increasing threats of overexploitation.

Conservation action is particularly urgent because even when hornbill species are fully protected by law, high levels of persecution due to international trade in their casques can lead to severe population declines that could push species to the brink of extinction. While the online trade in hornbill heads has shown little variation in price between hornbill species in Cameroon, international demand could lead to overexploitation of hornbill species due to their visibility and value.

The helmeted hornbill (Buceros vigil), a species from Southeast Asia, is a striking example. Its strong bill and casque fetch prices that exceed those of ivory in terms of weight. Although it is legally protected throughout its range, intense persecution has pushed this species to the brink of extinction, and it is now critically endangered.

Bare-casqued hornbills are unique among hornbills in having solid (rather than hollow) casques, and although the hollow casques of other hornbill species are less suitable for carving, their distinctive shapes and appearance still attract buyers, putting these species at risk.

To this end, we strongly recommend that African hornbill species be listed in CITES Appendix II, as species that, although not currently threatened with extinction, could become so without trade controls, along with other species that resemble them.

Currently, many Asian hornbills are listed by CITES while African hornbills are not, which may have led to increased trade pressure on African hornbills, as we documented in our paper published in Global Ecology and ConservationWe hope that Cameroonian and international authorities will take these findings into account to support conservation awareness campaigns and law enforcement operations aimed at protecting hornbills and other remarkable African wildlife.

Future research priorities include investigating the destinations and trade routes of Cameroonian hornbills and understanding the extent of declines in local hornbill populations in response to hunting pressure. We also call for conservation interventions, including awareness campaigns and law enforcement, to be accompanied by continued efforts to monitor populations of these iconic birds.

This article is part of Science X Dialog, where researchers can present the results of their published research papers. Visit this page for information about Science X Dialog and how to participate.

Nico Arcilla and Shan Su work with the International Bird Conservation Partnership (IBCP), whose mission is to encourage and support research, advocacy, and partnerships to advance bird conservation worldwide.