DNA and the ivory trade: how genetics can help conserve elephants

Abstract

If the ivory trade is not to threaten the survival of the African elephant, effective methods of regulation are essential. A prerequisite for efficient control would include the ability to discriminate between tusks from legally and illegally exploited populations. The article reviews a pilot study to identify the parent population by using genetic markers obtained from DNA of tissue attached to the tusks. Analysis of mitochondrial DNA suggests that suggests that it would be possible to regulate the ivory trade using DNA markers.