By
Ella Davies, BBC Nature
In
the ongoing battle to care for the planet's diverse life, conservationists go
to great lengths.
They
trek for miles through thick jungle with heavy packs of instruments to try to
learn more about species before they are lost.
But
when these species are rare, shy or difficult to access, biologists are forced
to learn from a distance.
 |
| Diana monkey |
A
fleeting glimpse on a grainy remote camera trap, a decomposed carcass or even a
dung sample can reveal detailed secrets of a species. But each of these
insights is hard won, with hours of humidity and anxiety often decided by one
lucky encounter.
Now
the scientific community is heralding essential additions to their toolkits
that require far fewer crossed fingers but a lot more DNA detective skills.
According
to a review published in the journal Molecular Ecology, gathering data on
species abundance and distribution is the number one priority for
conservationists.
The
International Union for the Conservation of Nature's infamous Red List
catalogues all species that are considered to be threatened, but around 14% of
the 5,400 terrestrial animals are listed as "Data Deficient".
To
address these deficiencies, researchers from the Robert Koch Institute in
Berlin, Germany, suggest easy-to-catch insects can inform on hidden and
vulnerable vertebrates.
Read
on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/21320626
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