DNA coding specialists have met to discuss the potential of creating a database of species to help fight the illegal timber trade and stop the illegal movement of other flora and fauna.
The Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) held its second international bar code conference in Taipei, Taiwan on September 18-20, with 350 scientists from 46 countries discussing the latest developments in DNA bar coding.
CBOL claims that the use of bar coding can help identify and confirm species, which can be used as a means to trace illegally traded species, including timber, and provide “tangible, specific and significant benefits to society”.
“The good science coming out of the bar coding community is helping governments to produce wise policies and well-informed regulations,” said David Schindel, the organiser of the CBOL conference.
CBOL and the Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding are set to launch the International Barcode of Life project, which will look to catalogue the world’s species and identify new variations and genus of species.
