Poaching remains a critical threat to biodiversity worldwide, driving numerous species to the brink of extinction. University of Washington’s Center for Environmental Forensic Science (CEFS) has a history of pioneering forensic techniques to tackle this crisis. Among its notable contributions are advancements in genetic forensics, which have revolutionized the field of wildlife crime investigation.
Central to CEFS’s approach is the application of genetic analysis to identify and track illicit wildlife products. By extracting DNA from confiscated specimens, researchers can determine the species, origin, and in certain cases, individual identity of the animals involved. This innovative technique has proven instrumental in linking poached products to their source populations and facilitating law enforcement efforts.
Building upon CEFS’s tradition of innovation, SSEC is developing a secure online portal which will enable national labs in Africa and SE Asia to submit genotypes acquired from seized ivory for rapid analysis. This collaborative effort brings together expertise in software engineering and wildlife forensics to create a powerful tool which allows for the uploading, analysis, and visualization of genetic data from poached specimens.
More project details can be found here
Instructions to run and contribute to the portal can be found in CONTRIBUTING.md.