BoWPK Phase 2 Activities / Wildlife DNA Forensics Laboratory Training

PHASE 2 BoWPK ACTIVITIES

Review of plans for second Phase activities have been assembled for Barcode of Wildlife Project Kenya.  In the meantime CBOL has been completely occupied with the launch of the Global Registry of Biological Repositories (now live at www.grbio.org and the new Endangered Species Viewer.  CBOL has also had numerous discussions with Google about ways to greatly increase following on the web and to promote the fund-raising efforts to purchase Forensic lab equipment for the project. 

Major concerns on course of action for Phase 2 plans have been addressed though some details and decisions will need to be added as soon as possible, particularly the selection of people to receive the different types of training. Most of questions that CBOL wanted cleared were resolved in this meeting hence the process of developing a budget proposal will start for Phase 2 activities.  
 
The review was held when the  Executive Secretary of Consortium for the Barcode of Life Project Dr. David Schindel (2nd L) joined NPC members from Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and National Museums of Kenya (NMK) on these deliberations and the way forward. In Picture from Left are Dr. Hasting Ozwara, Dr. David Schindel, Dr. Beatrice Khayota, Dr. Bernard Risky Agwanda, and Ms. Ann Mwaura.

 

WILDLIFE DNA FORENSICS LABORATORY TRAINING
 
A Wildlife DNA Forensics Laboratory training is scheduled to be held at KWS Headquarters on Monday and Tuesday 11^th and 12^th November 2013 so keep reading our blog for outcomes of the training.  

The training involves a visit to the forensic laboratory and presentations by international facilitators. With the imminent enactment of the Wildlife Bill that proposes extremely hefty penalties, it will be in our interest that this laboratory be up and running before 2014.  

The Forensic laboratory therefore must meet all the evidential standards regarding chain of custody, non-contamination of samples, quick linkages to our field officers, and form and structure of the expert’s report to be produced by the forensic analysts.  

Please have these issues in mind and others I may have left out as you inspect the lab and ensure you air them at the training to make sure that the forensic laboratory is well suited to our needs.

The training is will address issues of data sharing and synchronization between the laboratory and the database and data integrity measures in place within the laboratory.  For instance in cases where a rhino, ivory, or bushmeat arrest has been made but later proved to be something different.  The training will also deliberate on how  international experts keep their forensic data and how they manage it because evidently the laboratory will be called upon by the court to show the integrity of the results we are producing in court by providing data of cases handled by the forensic laboratory.