Your participation is highly appreciated.

Iregi Mwenja

Dr. Sarah Burgess-Herbert overview on DNA barcoding of bushmeat:

Burgeoning international commerce is hastening the global loss of biodiversity through the spread of invasive species and through increased trafficking in plants and animals. The unlawful hunting of wild animals and sale of their parts for the commercial bushmeat trade is now recognized as a crisis. Consequences of this “bushmeat crisis” range from extirpation of populations and extinction of vulnerable taxa; to the deterioration of subsistence-based human communities; to elevated risks of disease transmission from wildlife to humans. Monitoring illegal bushmeat commerce and enforcing wildlife regulations have proven difficult, because it is often impossible to determine the species of origin of many animal products such as processed filets, hides, and bone. The identification of these products is essential in attempts to evaluate, demonstrate, and litigate illegal bushmeat commerce.

This is why the application of an emerging technology known as “DNA barcoding” to the bushmeat crisis is vital. DNA barcoding provides a method for identifying species from unrecognizable samples of blood, bone, meat, hair, feathers, or feces. This universally applicable specimen identification method will enhance the assessment and enforcement capacity of the relevant national and international laws and regulations, and will thereby contribute to the protection of exploited species.