Wild animals (fish and wildmeat) contribute to dietary diversity among food insecure urban teenagers - the case of Quibdo, Colombia

Many urban areas located at the forest edge maintain a high connection to the forest, either because forests provide resources and services that act as safety nets for the poor or because they represent a cultural link to traditional lifestyles. However, in conflict areas, this link to the forest may have been disrupted, either because conflict exacerbates forest degradation, or because people are alienated from their lands by the conflict and have therefore less access to forest resources, or because the frequent movement of people from towns to rural areas and backwards is limited by insecurity and poor transportation means. In this study, we assessed the nutritional status of teenagers living in Quibdo, a forest town that lies at the centre of Colombia's long history of political conflicts, and analysed the role that wild animals (wild fish and wildmeat) still play on their food security. While our analysis clearly showed that wild animals significantly contribute to dietary diversity, food and nutrition insecurity prevailed among teenagers, especially among the poorest families. Our results suggested that post-conflict policies should explicitly promote integrated approaches to reduce food insecurity and value biodiversity for its role in reducing malnutrition.