UPF leads international deployment of pioneering genetic tool to combat chimpanzee trafficking

MELIS-UPF, in collaboration with the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA) and the UN Great Ape Survival Partnership (UN-GRASP) , successfully completed the first field test of a revolutionary genetic screening tool designed to disrupt the illegal trafficking of chimpanzees. Supported by the conservation organization Revive & Restore, the pilot validation was conducted at the Mona Foundation in Girona and Tacugama Sanctuary in Sierra Leone. This cutting-edge genetic test allows the precise geographic origin of confiscated primates, providing the origin of illegal trafficking routes. This new tool will allow authorities and conservationists to target poaching hotspots and protect endangered great ape populations across Africa.

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