Wildlife trade threats: The importance of genetic data in saving an
endangered species

Date:
September 14, 2020
Source:
Pensoft Publishers
Summary:
A research team analyses the genetic diversity of the endangered
four- eyed turtle, a species that has fallen victim to the
growing wildlife trade in Vietnam. Having identified several
distinct lineages in field- collected and local trade samples,
the scientists warn that confiscated animals must not be released
back into the wild until they have their origin traced back to
the locality they have been captured.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
In Southeast Asia, wildlife trade is running rampant, and Vietnam plays
a key role in combating wildlife trafficking.


========================================================================== Since the country opened its market to China in the late 1980s, a huge
amount of wildlife and its products has been transported across the
border every year.

Species have also been exported to other Asian countries, Europe and
the USA.

Furthermore, in recent years, Vietnam has also supported the transit of pangolin scales and other wildlife products from across Asia and even
as far as Africa all the way to China and other destinations.

Additionally, in line with the expanding wealthy middle class,
consumption of wildlife and its products has risen dramatically in
Vietnam. As a consequence, the country takes on all three major roles
in the international wildlife trade: export, transit and consumption.

Freshwater turtles and tortoises make up a large part of the international trade between Vietnam and China and the domestic trade within Vietnam.

Meanwhile, due to the increasing use of social networks, wildlife trade is shifting to online-based platforms, thereby further facilitating access
to threatened species. Consequently, the Vietnamese pond turtle and the Swinhoe's softshell turtle, for example, are already on the brink of extinction. Despite the repeated recent survey efforts of conservation biologists, no viable populations of their species have been found.

One of the effective approaches to the conservation of the most endangered species is to have confiscated animals released back into the wild,
following the necessary treatment and quarantine, or transferring them
to conservation breeding programmes. However, in either of the cases,
it is necessary to know about the origin of the animals, because the
release of individuals at sites they are not naturally adapted to, or
at localities inhabited by populations of incompatible genetic makeup
can have negative effects both on the gene pool and ecosystem health.

In the present research article, published in the peer-reviewed
open-access scientific journal Nature Conservation, turtle conservationist
and molecular biologist Dr. Minh D. Le of Vietnam National University
(Hanoi) and the American Museum of Natural History (New York), in
collaboration with the Cologne Zoo (Germany) and the Asian Turtle
Program -- Indo-Myanmar Conservation (Hanoi), the Institute of Ecology
and Biological Resources (Hanoi) and Hanoi Procuratorate University
(Hanoi), studies the geographic distribution of genetic diversity of
the endangered Four-eyed turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata).

The species, whose common name relates to the four eye-resembling spots, located on the back of its head, has traditionally been neglected by
scientific and conservation efforts.

Having analysed field-collected and local trade samples along with
confiscated animals, the researchers concluded that there is a significant number of genetically distinct lineages distributed in Vietnam and China,
and that local trade samples could provide key data for resolving the
genetic patterns of the species. They remind that Four-eyed turtles are
getting more and more difficult to find in the wild.

On the other hand, the study highlights that confiscated animals are of
various origin and, therefore, must not be released arbitrarily where
they have been seized. Instead, the researchers recommend that captive programmes establish regular genetic screenings to determine the origin
of confiscated turtles, so that the risk of crossing different lineages
is eliminated. Such genetic screenings are of crucial importance to
solve the current issues with biodiversity conservation in the country
and the region.

"Like other developing countries, Vietnam does not have any specific
guidelines on how to release confiscated animals back into the wild
yet. This and other similar studies emphasise the role of the government
in the implementation of stricter laws and regulation," said Dr. Minh
D. Le, lead author of the study.

"This research once more underscores the IUCN's One Plan Approach, which
aims to develop integrative strategies to combine in situ and ex situ
measures with expert groups, for the purposes of species conservation,"
added Dr. Thomas Ziegler of the Cologne Zoo.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Pensoft_Publishers. The original
story is licensed under a Creative_Commons_License. Note: Content may
be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Minh Duc Le, Timothy E.M. McCormack, Ha Van Hoang, Ha Thuy Duong,
Truong
Quang Nguyen, Thomas Ziegler, Hanh Duc Nguyen, Hanh Thi Ngo. Threats
from wildlife trade: The importance of genetic data in safeguarding
the endangered Four-eyed Turtle (Sacalia quadriocellata). Nature
Conservation, 2020; 41: 91 DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.41.54661 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200914095852.htm

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