DNA kit set to boost fight against wildlife crime
Known as LAB-IN-A-BOX, the kit makes rapid species identification possible for border officials within a few hours.
THE Department of Environmental Affairs has launched a DNA barcoding kit on Monday to help officials to combat wildlife crime. The kit was produced in partnership with the International Barcode of Life Project (iBOL) and University of Johannesburg (UJ).
Known as LAB-IN-A-BOX, the kit makes rapid species identification possible for border officials within a few hours.
“We know that many… species… are in serious decline – from large vertebrates to small insects, from canopy trees to tiny understory plants. By coupling the power of DNA barcoding to identify species with portability, LAB-IN-A-BOX makes it possible for anyone to identify any species anywhere,” said iBOL founder Paul Hebert.
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Much like barcodes on consumer items such as food cans at a supermarket, the DNA barcoding kit gives information such as the type of species, access to information on their biology, ecology and socio-economic significance.
Training on how to use the kit will be provided by the African Centre for DNA Barcoding (ACDB) at UJ.
Usually, a sample gets taken and sent to a laboratory to find out what animal or plant species is involved. This can take days. However, LAB-IN-A-BOX is set to change this by making it possible to rapidly analyse DNA from an animal or plant at the port of entry, with reliable results.
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The department said this make a whole new range of enforcement responses become possible. The kit will allow for the tracking of animals and is certain to improve capacity to care for endangered species.
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