Guwahati, Nov 17: The Wildlife Genetics Laboratory of Aaranyak (www.aaranyak.org), North East India’s premier research-oriented biodiversity conservation organization, now supports Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department in forensic DNA investigation of wildlife crime cases in the frontier hill state.
Recently, the laboratory provided DNA analysis service in two wildlife crime cases under Pakke Wildlife Sanctuary Division and Hapoli Wildlife Division of Arunachal Pradesh.
Aaranyak’s Wildlife Genetics Laboratory, first and only one of its kind in northeast India as on date, has been providing wildlife forensic DNA analysis service to Assam Forest Department since 2014. It has provided crucial assistance in more than 80 wildlife crime cases in Assam so far.
“This is a significant step for our laboratory to be able to expand our area of operation to another state in the region. We are happy to extend our services based on requests received from Arunachal Pradesh Forest Department in this regard” says Udayan Borthakur, Senior Scientist and Head of Wildlife Genetics Division at Aaranyak.
“One of the major shortfalls in minimizing wildlife crime is the low rate of conviction in the court of law. Forensic science, including the application of DNA technology, provides the crucial evidence required to establish a crime in the court of law and thereby increase the rate of conviction” says Borthakur.
Since its inception in 2008, Wildlife Genetics Laboratory of Aaranyak has been pioneering conservation genetics studies in northeastern India. The laboratory works nationally and internationally, undertaking crucial research studies on several globally threatened species in India, Bhutan and Indonesia and contributing to conservation and protected area management.