Nigeria Hosts Legal Standards Workshop.

In a few days from now, Abuja, the beautiful capital of Nigeria will host the first ever Legal Standards Workshop of the Barcode of Wild Life Project. The One-Day Workshop will hold on Wednesday 28th August, 2013 at the Newton Park Hotel, Abuja.

 The workshop is being organised by the National Biotechnology Development Agency,(NABDA) in collaboration with the  Consortium for the Barcode of Life(CBOL), an international initiative  of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C,USA. It is part of the first phase of the Barcode of Wildlife Project (BoWP) Nigeria. It aims to demonstrate the value of DNA barcoding in the investigation and prosecution of wildlife crimes.DNA barcoding is a technique that uses a short DNA sequence from the genome of an organism, living or dead, as a molecular way of identifying the species it belongs to.

 David Schindel, Executive Secretary, CBOL would be the main resource person for the workshop. However, Local resource persons would also be brought in to give insights on local history and existing or related legislation on wildlife protection and conservation in Nigeria.

Top on the Agenda are an overview of the DNA barcoding and Barcode of Wildlife Project ;l enumeration and discussion of project components involved in legal standards for admissibility; presentation of the BARCODE data standard and proposed reference sequence database; discussion of Nigerian legal standards related to reference sequence database and discussion of the action issues; Handling and processing of evidence; validation, accreditation and certification of laboratory staff  and expert witnesses, agreement on action items and other issues to be addressed as well as a closing dinner..

Participants at the workshop would include researchers, scientists, as environmental experts, security agents, law makers, lawyers ,policy makers and stakeholders in wildlife issues .

Defending the Endangered Species

Whether for economic, cultural or nutritional reasons, the activities of hunters of wild animals and traders in the so- called Bushmeat business pose a great danger to the survival and preservation of these animals, which are currently under threat of extinction.

Grasscutter domesticated in Nigeria

Animals hunted from the wild include, the gorillas,antelopes,elephants,snakes and even grasscutters.According to the Species Survival Network(SSN) of the Federal Ministry of Environment of Nigeria,there are over 200 species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Fauna and Flora native to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Restaurants and eateries in various parts of the country are the regular customers of the Bushmeat traders.
In addition to getting relevant legislation to protect these species,today's science is proffering smart solutions to the age-long problem.The DNA barcoding is a new technology that enables easy identification of biological species using a very short genetic substance from the cell from any part of the body of the animal . The identification of these biological properties makes it easy decipher the presence of species droppings or unidentifiable remains, the management of captive populations, repatriation of confiscated animals and enforcement of national and international regulations regarding the trafficking of animals and their parts.
Nigeria is a member of the Barcode of Wildlife initiative and one of the six countries benefiting from the Google-CBOL grant of the Barcode of Wildlife Project(BoWP), a multi-sectoral project, being coordinated by the National Biotechnology Development Agency

Defending the Endangered

Whether for economic, cultural or nutritional reasons, the activities of hunters of wild animals and traders in the so- called Bushmeat business pose a great danger to the survival and preservation of these animals, which are currently under threat of extinction.

Grasscutter domesticated in Nigeria

Animals hunted from the wild include, the gorillas,antelopes,elephants,snakes and even grasscutters.According to the Species Survival Network(SSN) of the Federal Ministry of Environment of Nigeria,there are over 200 species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Fauna and Flora native to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Restaurants and eateries in various parts of the country are the regular customers of the Bushmeat traders.
In addition to getting relevant legislation to protect these species,today's science is proffering smart solutions to the age-long problem.The DNA barcoding is a new technology that enables easy identification of biological species using a very short genetic substance from the cell from any part of the body of the animal . The identification of these biological properties makes it easy decipher the presence of species droppings or unidentifiable remains, the management of captive populations, repatriation of confiscated animals and enforcement of national and international regulations regarding the trafficking of animals and their parts.
Nigeria is a member of the Barcode of Wildlife initiative and one of the six countries benefiting from the Google-CBOL grant of the Barcode of Wildlife Project(BoWP), a multi-sectoral project, being coordinated by the National Biotechnology Development Agency