Potential for spatial management of hunted mammal populations in tropical forests

Abstract Unsustainable hunting in tropical forests threatens biodiversity and rural livelihoods, yet managing these harvests in remote forests with low scientific capacity and funding is challenging. In response, some conservationists propose managing harvests through spatial management, a system of establishing no‐take zones where hunting is not allowed. Spatial management was commonly used in customary management and is increasingly used for fisheries management today, but is not yet widely implemented in tropical forests. Through this review, we trace the development of spatial management and examine its proposed benefits in tropical forests. We find that while spatial management offers promise for managing the complex, multispecies harvests common in tropical forests, designing no‐take zones will require more investment in ecological research and monitoring. Given these challenges, a reasonable first goal of no‐take zones is to protect resident wildlife populations, not enhance harvests through dispersal. A greater understanding of socioeconomic impacts will also be required to ensure successful implementation. Past work in marine fisheries offers valuable insights for management in tropical forests, and greater integration between the bodies of literature should be pursued.