Conservation Genetics in Cote d'Ivoire

The first link is a really interesting article about the interplay among conservation genetics, conservation biology, poaching, and politics. The authors performed surveys of eight species of monkey in the Tai National Park (Cote d'Ivoire) in order to target locations particularly impacted by hunting. Most compelling for conservation politics is the fact that their data clearly indicated that species closest to tourist sites and research stations were least affected by hunting. The authors also discuss the impact of hunting for bushmeat on wild populations. Conservation genetics, especially DNA barcoding techniques, is a particularly useful tool for targeting hotspots for poaching. The second article listed below discusses a more explicitly genetic approach to conservation, targeting a part of the mitochondrial cytochrome b region as a species identification tag for wildlife forensics. It is an interesting method in conjunction with the discussion in the first article of how to best address primate conservation issues.

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2012.01821.x/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Kimwele%2C+C.+N.%2C+et+al.+%22DNA+species+surveillance%3A+Monitoring+bushmeat+poaching+and+trading+in+Kenya+using+partial+cytochrome+b+gene.%22+&btnG=&hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C7&as_ylo=2012