An estimated 150 million people in the global south rely on wild meat as a key source of nutrition, especially the lowest-income households that have limited access to affordable alternatives1. The value of wildlife therefore extends beyond conservation concerns: it is fundamental for food security, health and well-being. In the Amazon rainforest, dependence on wild meat is widespread and the resource has economic value, including in the case of subsistence use. Until now, most of the data gathered about wild meat in Amazonia (a region comprising portions of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela) have come from case studies and a handful of large surveys2,3. Writing in Nature, Antunes et al.4 now offer the most comprehensive picture of this hidden economy so far.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-03454-1
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Competing Interests The authors declare no competing interests.
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