CONSERVATION. Genetic assignment of large seizures of elephant ivory reveals Africa's major poaching hotspots.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Wasser SK
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5535781 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
CONSERVATION. Genetic assignment of large seizures of elephant ivory reveals Africa's major poaching hotspots.
Wasser S K SK Brown L L Mailand C C Mondol S S Clark W W Laurie C C Weir B S BS
Science (New York, N.Y.) 20150618 6243
Poaching of elephants is now occurring at rates that threaten African populations with extinction. Identifying the number and location of Africa's major poaching hotspots may assist efforts to end poaching and facilitate recovery of elephant populations. We genetically assign origin to 28 large ivory seizures (≥0.5 metric tons) made between 1996 and 2014, also testing assignment accuracy. Results suggest that the major poaching hotspots in Africa may be currently concentrated in as few as two ar ...[more]
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