Eves said she is often asked what bushmeat consumers would eat if they could not get protein from the jungle.
"Would people starve? They are starving now, so I would have to say yes," she said. "But we either figure a way to solve that problem now, or we solve that problem in 10, 15, or 20 years when all the wildlife is gone."
The US found itself at a similar threshold when, as settlement expanded a century or more ago, many large wild animals were in danger of being wiped out. Hunting is now carefully regulated and herd sizes monitored.
Scientists working with the task force estimate as much as 1 million tonnes of wildlife are consumed annually in the central forest region of Africa and demand for wildlife meat is expected to keep growing by 2 percent to 4 percent a year.
The problem is at its worst in the Congo, where the government has passed several laws to protect wild animals, many of which are unique to the former Belgian colony, said Serge Tshamala, a spokesman at Congo's embassy in Washington.
"We have hired national guards and policemen," Tshamala said. "We are doing as much as we can to prevent this from happening."
Dire poverty complicates enforcement. Per capita annual income in Congo is around US$100.
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