Progress Report from BoWP National Project Committee

The Barcode of Wildlife Project was initiated in South Africa in April 2013 and has since been going from strength to strength through the hard work, dedication and commitment of the participants. In April, two workshops were held - one to identify potential participants and partners and the second to establish the National Project Committee that would be the driving force behind all BoWP-SA initiatives. 

By mid-June approximately 200 priority species that would be the initial focus for DNA collection had been identified. Potential participant laboratories where DNA samples could be processed had also been surveyed. The month of June marked the first workshop for legal standards and standard operating procedures, where the main considerations and challenges for the collection and processing of samples were discussed. This workshop was hailed as a massive success by all who attended, and laid the foundation upon which the project could be built. 

Currently, the BoWP team is busy drafting standard operating procedures for sampling, processing and vouchering of DNA specimens according to the legal specifications to allow for these samples to be submitted as evidence in a court of law. This is to ensure that each voucher in the reference library will meet the judicial standards and be admissible as evidence in a South African court of law. The team is also busy identifying the needs of and designing sampling kits for plants and different animal groups.  These kits will eventually play a vital part in the process of collecting evidence. 

BoWP-SA now also faces the task of collecting the DNA samples, not only of the 200 priority species but also of the look-alike species. They are also drafting sampling plans and establishing what the requirements are for collecting permits. It is important to remember that the animals and plants to be sampled are often endangered or protected, and may not be collected without the relevant permits. 

As for the immediate future, meetings are scheduled for the first week of September to discuss the range of training needs for the project. This will include the training of participants who will be assisting with sampling, as well as laboratory technicians, inspectors and prosecutors. 

 What next?

The next steps would be to develop and finalise all the documentation around the legal standards and standard operating proceduress for the various processes and facilities involved in the project, as well as finalising the laboratories and collection institutions that will be involved in the project. Where there are still gaps in the database and reference library, look-alike species would have to be idenitified and collected. This would also be useful to see whether phylogenies exist that could support the species selected. The sources of material for the reference library would also have to be identified. And then comes the initiation of the ambitious and challenging sampling programme, all with the assistance of various partners/participants nationally.

Below is a list of partners who have indicated a willingness to participate in the project and/or contribute material, expertise or facilities:

·         Department of Environmental Affairs

·         Endangered Wildlife Trust

·         KZN Sharks Board

·         National Prosecuting Authority

·         National Zoological Gardens, Pretoria

·         South African National Biodiversity Institute

·         South African National Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity

·         University of Johannesburg, African Center for DNA Barcoding

BoWP-SA is very excited about the progress made so far, and the exciting work that lays ahead.