Using tree DNA to catch illegal loggers: Ministry of Justice ups its tree protection

Illegal logging is a serious issue in Taiwan but conviction rates remain low. Now the Ministry of Justice’s Investigation Bureau is using the DNA of the trees themselves to catch culprits. By collecting samples of cedar trees from across the country, they can prove exactly where a piece of timber was cut down, making it hard for illegal loggers to get through loopholes.

After a long period of gathering evidence, investigators burst in on illegal logging activities and catch the perpetrators red-handed. But not every case is so smooth. If they’re not caught in the act, it’s difficult to get a successful conviction. Four years ago, the Investigation Bureau proposed a new identification platform for the Ministry of Justice. Now by comparing the DNA of timber with samples on a database, convictions are easier.

Tsai Ching-hsiang, Minister of Justice: It’s very helpful. In the past, many illegal loggers would have various stories to defend themselves if they were investigated. Since we established this DNA database, we can compare them.

The investigation and forestry bureaus have worked closely together to collect samples from forests and then analyze their DNA in the lab. From 40,000 samples, they created a database of almost 2,000 points.

Leu Weng-jong, Investigation Bureau director-general: Our forests cover such a large area, and because of the topography of the mountains, it’s hard for investigators to go up there and patrol for long periods. So that’s why we thought perhaps we would have to use these technological methods to verify our evidence.

The DNA database is like a cedar identification system. Prosecutors hope it will stop loggers from getting through loopholes and increase conviction rates. The research behind the database has also drawn interest from international academia.