Edge effects and large mammal distributions in a national park

While protected areas are a centrepiece of conservation, populations of animals in protected areas can still be subject to considerable human influence. Conservation theory suggests that many species should live at lower densities at the periphery of protected areas compared with the core area. Similarly, but more specifically, species subject to exploitation are expected to […]

Three-gene PCR and high-resolution melting analysis for differentiating vertebrate species mitochondrial DNA for biodiversity research and complementing forensic surveillance

Reliable molecular identification of vertebrate species from morphologically unidentifiable tissue is critical for the prosecution of illegally-traded wildlife products, conservation-based biodiversity research, and identification of blood-meal hosts of hematophagous invertebrates. However, forensic identification of vertebrate tissue relies on sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) ‘barcode’ gene, which remains costly for purposes of screening […]

Quantifying giraffe poaching as population threat

While it is difficult to quantify the real effects of poaching on giraffe populations, what is clear is that the bushmeat trade is thriving globally and it is highly likely that giraffe are affected by this trade. Rowcliffe et al. (2010) estimate that 273 tonnes of bushmeat is imported into Europe alone from Africa each […]