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  • 3 months ago
Scientists turn to eDNA to protect Rwanda’s mountain Gorillas

Rwanda is using environmental DNA technology to help detect endangered species like mountain gorillas and golden monkeys, as scientists and conservationists seek new ways to monitor biodiversity in dense forests threatened by climate change and human activity.

READ MORE : http://www.africanews.com/2026/05/27/scientists-turn-to-edna-to-protect-rwandas-mountain-gorillas

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00:00Windy, impenetrable forest home to Uganda's mountain gorillas is one of only two places on earth where these critically endangered
00:09depths survive.
00:11Scientists are now turning to eDNA, a tool more commonly used in marine conservation to help track wildlife with far
00:20less disturbance.
00:22The key component of habitat conservation is ecological monitoring.
00:27So ecological monitoring plays a key role when it comes to species detection, monitoring, impact monitoring.
00:37So we have then selected eDNA as one of the new technology to come to bring new solutions
00:44and to complement existing methods and approaches which we are using in ecological monitoring.
00:51Volcano's national parks, steep ridges and thick vegetations often hide even the largest animals.
00:58The African Wildlife Foundation and the Rwandan government are now using the environmental DNA to build a national species inventory
01:05as biodiversity comes under pressure.
01:07Traditional tools like camera traps struggle in the rugged Virunga mountains, but eDNA, genetic material shared in soil or water,
01:16is proving a game changer.
01:18With one kit, you can assess multiple species, including amphibians, including small or large mammals, including birds and many others,
01:32which cannot be detected using any other existing traditional techniques.
01:41Researchers say combining all the new methods is essential and eDNA, though limited, could also help rangers anticipate poaching risks
01:50by showing where endangered species are present.
01:53Each species of animal has a very specific DNA region that we target. And that DNA region is the one
02:02we mostly target during the polymerase chain reaction, during the amplification.
02:10As Rwanda expands its conservation efforts, eDNA is giving scientists a sharper view of wildlife recovery, a powerful new tool
02:18revealing lifelong hidden in the mists.
02:22As Rwanda continues to be used to create a sustainable Entwicklung.
02:22The rwanda asks the
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