Conservation Forensics @HKU

November 12, 2020

A proposal by a legislator, law professor (Amanda Whitfort) and NGOs to tackle wildlife offences under the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance could have a big impact. Instead of targeting the human mules who smuggle the animals, the trafficking syndicates and crime bosses who employ them would come under investigation.

October 09, 2020

Pangolin scales are a prized ingredient in traditional Chinese medicine – and that has put the animal firmly on the endangered list. Isoscape tracking could help stop their slaughter at the source. Caroline Dingle, an evolutionary ecologist in HKU’s conservation forensics lab, explains that stable isotope analysis could be used to study whether animals are predominantly poached in a single country and shipped directly to Hong Kong, or whether they are hunted across the African continent and consolidated in a transit hub like Nigeria. “That information can be used to help understand where you need to send enforcement,” she says.

July 16, 2020

Law professor Amanda Whitfort has introduced ‘victim impact statements’ for trafficked species to push for tougher prosecution of wildlife crimes. Dr Caroline Dingle from the HKU Conservation Forensics Lab has also joined the project and is adding forensics expertise to the data.

July 08, 2020

It is difficult to prove a wildlife crime because smugglers, traders and producers can camouflage the origin of their cargos, disguise endangered species as legally tradeable ones, “launder” animals that require permits, and mislabel manufactured products. But Dingle and other scientists at the Conservation Forensics Laboratory have combined their individual areas of expertise to create methods and tools that can be used by the authorities to unravel this complex web.

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June 10, 2020

The research fills an important gap in highlighting that shark is a dangerous choice for human consumption, says David Baker, assistant professor at the Swire Institute of Marine Science, part of the University of Hong Kong’s School of Biological Sciences. “Irrespective of the catastrophic loss of sharks due to over-harvesting for the fin trade, shark products should be avoided out of concern for one’s personal health,” said Baker, who is not affiliated with the FIU study.

June 08, 2020

The critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla) comprises 45% of eel products available on Hong Kong supermarket shelves – despite the fact that no imports have been declared for two years – according to a recent DNA study by the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

May 18, 2020

HKU Associate Professor Tim Bonebrake and Astrid Andersson, founder of Hong Kong for Pangolins, give their inputs on how COVID19 emerged from animals and what effect this may have on wildlife trade in the future.

March 03, 2020

A study has called into question the effectiveness of measures to clamp down on the illegal wildlife trade. DNA testing of eel products available at 49 retail outlets in Hong Kong identified 45% as European eel. Of 13 brands tested, nine were found to contain the critically endangered species. They were labelled as "eel". University of Hong Kong scientists say their research, published in the journal Science Advances, raises urgent concerns about the enforcement of international Cites trade regulations. Lead researcher Dr David Baker said Cites must be supported by strong enforcement efforts of illegal smuggling.

January 29, 2020

The spread of a deadly strain of coronavirus has thrust China’s live wild animal trade into the spotlight. On January 26, China announced a ban on its wild animal trade until the crisis is over. “For any ban to be effective, it will be important to get buy-in from citizens,” adds Caroline Dingle, an evolutionary biologist in the conservation forensics lab at Hong Kong University, who studies wildlife crime. “People need to believe that consuming wild animals is bad for them personally for any ban to work long-term.”

October 30, 2019

Two Chinese nationals have been given 10-month suspended prison sentences and fined over $8,000 each for attempting to smuggle live baby eels out of France. Japanese eels used to be the main source of eels in Asia, but stocks have collapsed due to overfishing, said David Baker, a marine science expert at Hong Kong University.

March 02, 2018

Resident PhD student Alex Andersson - the founder of the conservation group Hong Kong for Pangolins - talks to HKPF about the issues surrounding the conservation and enforcement of the pangolin trade in Hong Kong - a transit state for these endangered species. Pangolins are traded for consumption and medicinal use in China and elsewhere.

January 15, 2018

Once rare in the markets and abundant in the rainforests, the tables are turning for this Asia's largest hornbill species due to increased Chinese demand in the ornamental trade. This SCMP article highlights the main issues surrounding the illegal trade and includes the genetic research being undertaken here at HKU by Dr Caroline Dingle and PhD candidate Chloe Hatten to aid conservation practices and law enforcement to protect this critically endangered species. 

October 08, 2017

It isn't only elephants that are suffering from humans' insatiable thirst for ivory. A new study notes hippopotamuses, already predicted by some to disappear within 100 years, may be dying at unexpected rates to fuel the trade of ivory ornaments made from hippo teeth.

April 19, 2017

David Robson from BBC Future interviews Dr Tim Bonebrake, Astrid Andersson and Cheng Wenda from the CCF lab on the issues of the illegal wildlife trade of the pangolin, and the billion-dollar criminal industry that threatens to push it to extinction.

March 26, 2017

Prof. Sadovy's investigations uncover illegal smuggling and lax enforcement over a CITES listed marine fish; the Napoleon Wrasse.

January 18, 2017

Annalie Chow from RTHK Radio 3 interviews Dr David Baker on the issues of the illegal wildlife trade, and how we can use conservation forensics to tackle these issues. 

January 04, 2017

Articles from Science Daily and BBC news discuss Dr Luke Gibson's recent publication in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, about how introduced populations of the Critically Endangered Yellow-Crested Cockatoo into Hong Kong from their native ranges in Indonesia may provide hope for these threatened species. 

December 07, 2016

An article from the South China Morning Post discusses reports made by WWF on the mislabelling of seafood products in supermarkets around Hong Kong. DNA analyses of these seafood products were undertaken by our Conservation Forensics lab here at HKU.

August 30, 2016

An article from The Guardian reports on research conducted by a team including Dr Gibson, on the conservation of the declining Indochinese Leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in Southeast Asia.

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March 30, 2016

An article from The Guardian reports on a study that identifies a cargo package of endangered European Eels, led by Dr Baker and the rest of the forensics lab.

March 17, 2016

An article from the South China Morning Post writes on a report from TRAFFIC and Hong Kong Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS), that discovered how the illegal trade of endangered Humphead Wrasse was common in Hong Kong markets, despite strict trade regulations.

December 11, 2015

An article from the South China Morning Post reports on a study by Dr Sadovy, which highlights the problem with Hong Kong's unsustainable seafood consumption.