The Helmeted Hornbill is listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as ‘Critically Endangered’ (one category away from ‘Extinction’), primarily due to the illegal wildlife trade for the bird’s casque.
This has caused the IUCN to set up a range wide, 10-year Helmeted Hornbill Working Group Action Plan and Conservation Strategy, which will feed into the species’ conservation and policy.
Objective 1.4 of the document aims to: Eliminate consumption across consumer groups by implementing targeted, evidence-based behaviour change interventions.
However, the extent and locality of current demand for the casque is unclear. Therefore, before any demand reduction/behavioural change campaign can occur, it is important to determine whether it is necessary or not. I.e., is there currently demand for these products? Who are they and where are they coming from? What are consumers’ motivation for purchasing casque products?
In this collaborative ongoing project, we aim to assess the demand and purpose & motivation of consumers of Helmeted Hornbill casques. We aim for this information to feed back into the IUCN Helmeted Hornbill Working Group action plans to identify any need for demand reduction action.
