Partnerships for enhanced engagement in research (PEER) SCIENCE
Cycle 3 (2014 Deadline)

Diversification and inventory of the threatened lowland herpetofauna of Java and Sumatra

A team member takes tissue samples and preserves sample organisms.

Traders participate in a roaring amphibian trade in Turtle Bay.

The team educates local children on snake handling and the importance of biodiversity (all photos courtesy of Dr. Kurniawan).

Project Overview

Wildlife harvesting is a thriving global phenomenon that has received substantial attention from conservation biologists and policy makers. Compounded by loss of natural habitats, climate change, and disease, human over-exploitation may lead to the decline and extinction of species. The harvesting of reptiles and amphibians from the wild is an especially relevant issue to the herpetofauna of Southeast Asia. The research team will seek to establish baseline population genetic data for species of lowland reptiles and amphibians of Sumatra and Java that are prevalent in the wild animal trade. Using molecular techniques, the team expects to achieve the following goals: (1) delimit the population boundaries of species common in the animal trade; (2) determine the population of origin of animals from the wildlife trade; (3) determine the relative impact of the wildlife trade on distinct populations of reptiles and amphibians; (4) establish a new molecular laboratory at the University of Brawijaya.

This project will facilitate the genetic monitoring of samples collected from legal and illegal wildlife trade and will serve as a valuable tool for management of harvested populations. This research project will strongly compliment Dr. Eric Smith’s inventory of the highland herpetofauna of Java and Sumatra by focusing on the lowland taxa, and using his project’s biodiversity data will inform wildlife management practices and policies. Data generated by this project will help guide policies and practices that will ensure the long-term sustainability of the commercial and domestic harvest of Indonesian amphibians and reptiles. The project will provide valuable data to various stakeholders to aid in the selection and prioritization of harvestable species. This effort will include making available large DNA reference collections and large public databases comprised of allele frequencies from regularly harvested populations. The research study will greatly benefit Indonesian stakeholders, such as students, museum technicians and researchers, government officials, and local wildlife traders, all of whom will be integrated into the project. They will be trained in the field as well as museum work, computational and molecular biology, and will be encouraged to participate in local outreach programs, publications, and presentations at scientific meetings.