Time of the rare: the data of all Red Book birds will be entered into the genetic bank

Russian scientists will register all the chicks of Red Book birds, and their data will be entered into a special genetic bank. The initiative will primarily affect species that are under special protection.: peregrine falcons, gyrfalcons, saker falcons, sturgeons and others. Such a repository will make information about the real population transparent and analyze the condition of the offspring of rare individuals, the scientists said. How this will help to combat the illegal trade of Red Book birds, will allow them to maintain their genetic diversity and track migration — in the Izvestia material.

Genetic Bank of Red Book birds

A genetic bank of Red Book birds will be created in Russia, and information about all newborn chicks will be entered into it. Representatives of the Unified Scientific Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources of the Russian Federation VNII Ekologiya told Izvestia about this on the eve of the Eastern Economic Forum 2025. Discussion of the initiative is one of the main topics on the agenda of the industry community of the Third International Forum "Falcon Day", which takes place within the framework of the WEF.

— We propose to introduce mandatory selection and entry into the database of genetic samples of all hatched Red Book chicks from the moment of their birth. This will ensure the traceability of the origin of individuals throughout the entire life cycle. Scientists will collect information about breeding stock in a single database, which will allow us to uniquely identify each individual and exclude the possibility of declaring wild birds as bred in captivity," Alexander Zakondyrin, director of the Unified Scientific Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federal State Budgetary Institution VNII Ekologiya, told Izvestia.

Peregrine Falcon chick

Photo: Global Look Press/Mike Jones/FLPA

The entry into the database will affect those species that are under special protection in Russia.: Peregrine falcons, saker falcons, bustards, sturgeons and others. When chicks are born in specialized nurseries, scientists will take biomaterials and, based on the results of their analysis, enter these data into a single database. Further, this information can be stored in a single interdepartmental database, which should be accessible by environmental and law enforcement agencies. Information can be stored on the basis of scientific structures of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, he explained.

— For Russia, the protection of Red Book birds is one of the priorities laid down at the level of the country's leadership, it is not just environmental protection, but the prestige of the state. Our scientists have enough competencies to create a unique and sought—after product for detailed monitoring of the Red Book bird populations," said Alexander Zakondyrin.

The genetic bank will make it possible to make transparent information about the real population of animals, analyze the condition of their offspring, and predict possible morbidity risks, agrees Vladimir Tumashov, head of the Ornithological Protection Service.

How the movements of Red Book birds are monitored

At the same time, according to Alexander Zakondyrin, in order for the genetic bank to significantly increase the transparency of the Red Book bird populations, it is necessary to extend its operation within the framework of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which unites more than 180 countries.

Photo: Global Look Press/Paul Goldstein/Keystone Press Agency

CITES operates through a system of permits and certificates issued by government agencies that regulate the movement of rare species across borders. The main purpose of the convention is to control the movement and trafficking of Red Book animals. However, there are a number of problems in its work that do not allow this mechanism to operate effectively enough, an industry source told Izvestia. In fact, the convention creates rules, but their implementation depends on the participating countries.

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— During the work on the maintenance of procedures related to the movement of representatives of the falconid family across the border of the Russian Federation, a number of systemic problems were identified: the lack of complete and reliable information about the participants in trafficking, the inability to confirm the origin of individuals and weak traceability when issuing CITES permits. These factors create conditions for illegal trafficking and substitution of individuals, which directly violates Russia's obligations under the CITES Convention," Amirkhan Amirkhanov, adviser to the head of the Federal Service for Supervision of Natural Resources (Rosprirodnadzor), explained to Izvestia.

Peregrine Falcon

Photo: Global Look Press/W. Pattyn/blickwinkel

A single genetic bank can solve these problems and increase the effectiveness of Russia's cooperation with partner countries in the conservation of Red Book species, he added.

According to Alexander Zakondyrin, cooperation between the countries and the general registration of birds in the genetic bank will strengthen real control over the state of populations within the framework of CITES. Therefore, the specialists of the Federal State Budgetary Institution VNII Ekologiya will propose such an initiative to their foreign colleagues.

Photo: Global Look Press/G. Fischer/blickwinkel

According to a source in the industry, the measure is already being discussed with representatives of the Middle East, in particular, with the UAE, where game birds are an important part of the local culture.

Cooperation on the creation of a common genetic bank may be interesting for countries such as China and Mongolia, Vladimir Tumashov believes.

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The global experience of creating genetic banks

The creation of genetic banks for rare animals is an established practice in many countries, Sergey Kharitonov, a molecular biologist and researcher at the Faculty of Soil Science at Lomonosov Moscow State University, told Izvestia. For example, in the UK and the USA, there are so—called frozen zoos, cryobanks where DNA and cells of rare species are preserved. In the United Arab Emirates, genetic banks are actively used to protect falcons, which have high cultural and economic value.

— Genetic identification is an effective tool, it is difficult to fake or circumvent it. It increases the transparency of accounting and movement of birds, as well as reduces opportunities for illegal trade. Of course, the implementation of such a project requires serious investments in laboratories, databases and training of specialists, but the long—term effect of population conservation is disproportionately more important than costs," the scientist noted.

The Saker Falcon

Photo: Global Look Press/Philip Perry/FLPA

According to him, the problem of conservation of Red Book birds is very acute today. In Russia, this applies, in particular, to the sturgeon, bustard and peregrine falcon — their numbers may be vulnerable due to poaching, habitat loss and global climate change. A whole range of measures is being taken to protect them: habitat protection and reduction of anthropogenic pressure, strict control over trade in rare species, and breeding and reintroduction programs into nature.

"Genetic banks are becoming an important addition to these approaches: they allow not only to identify birds, but also to maintain their genetic diversity and track migration, and this is the foundation for the sustainable survival of populations," said Sergey Kharitonov.

Photo: Global Look Press/Marcus Siebert/imageBROKER.com

Such a measure is necessary for commercially valuable birds: it must be implemented so that those caught in nature are not exported under the guise of individuals born in captivity and having permission for cross-border transportation, said Igor Fefelov, a leading researcher at Irkutsk State University, ornithologist.

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— The creation of such a bank and a system of access to it at customs will make it possible to identify the origin of poultry. But, as usual, everything will depend on the degree of attention to this issue, as well as on the amount of funds allocated and the effectiveness of their use. And, of course, from measures to eliminate the smuggling of animals, that is, not only illegal, but also clandestine," the expert noted.

Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev

The scientist noted one instrumental problem: how to establish the origin quickly, upon shipment. After all, it will be necessary to take a sample from the bird, immediately conduct an analysis and determine whether this individual or its parents are in this database. The decision still needs to be worked out so that the measure is effective.

The complexity lies in the fact that it is necessary to trace all reproduction: to take samples from birds living in nurseries, from chicks and parents. This data should be available for conducting experiments or observations in nature, when trapping wild birds or those that became wild after release, said ornithologist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, head of the Laboratory of Ornithology at the Department of Vertebrate Zoology at Moscow State University Irina Boehme. Taking blood samples from the chicks is not so difficult, because they still cannot resist much. But this should be done regularly, and data should be accumulated over the years so that it is available to specialists in population restoration, she added.