While much research has examined the intricate interactions associated with the harvesting of wild animals for human consumption, little work has been undertaken in attempting to understand the greater socio-cultural significance of such use. In addition, to properly understand such systems of interaction, an intimate knowledge is required with regard to the rationale or motivation of resource users. In present day Mali, West Africa, the population perceives and upholds wildlife as a resource not only of valuable animal protein, in a region of famine and drought, but a means of generating income. The animal parts trade is but one mechanism within the larger socio-cultural structure that exploits wildlife through a complex human-environmental system to the benefit of those who participate. Moreover, this informal, yet highly structured system serves both cultural and outsider demand through its goods and services. By using traditional ethnographic investigation techniques (participant observation and semi-structured interviews) in combination with thick narration and multidisciplinary analysis (sociocultural and biological-environmental), it is possible to construct a better understanding of the functions, processes, and motivation of those who participate. In a world where there is but only a limited supply of natural and wild resources, understanding human-environmental systems is of critical value. / Graduation date: 2003