Environmental Forensic Sciences Centre

Environmental Forensic Sciences Centre consists of faculty-based and external working groups specialized in researching and analysing forensic methods used in investigation of criminal activities affecting the environment. In this centre, the methods for aqcuiring forensic evidence, especially focusing on endangered species conservation, are developed, standardized and innovated. The centre combines specific expertise of emploees from fields of biology, chemistry and physics and enables forensic analyses, reviews and expert statements for governmental purposes. The centre benefits from the joint facilities in terms of capacity, including research equipment. 

forensics.natur.cuni.cz

Head of the Centre: 

prof. RNDr. Tomáš Cajthaml, Ph. D., DSc.

Deputy Head of the Centre:

Mgr. Pavla Říhová

Cooperating Institutions:

Institute for Environmental Studies, Charles University – prof. RNDr. Tomáš Cajthaml, Ph. D., DSc.

Forenzní DNA Servis, s.r.o. – RNDr. Daniel Vaněk, Ph. D.

Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences – Ing. Ivo Světlík, Ph. D.

Focuses:

• animal species morphological identification, including determination of body parts and products made from them
• species identification from animal material; individual identification and relatedness specification in selected species
• animal and plant material dating by means of ¹⁴C (and other radionuclides) analysis
• the use of gamma spectromectry
• determination of specimens geographic origin, using analyses of radionuclides, stable isotopes and environmental pollutants
• pesticides analyses, including carbofuran

Additional Cooperating Experts:

Ing. Jaroslava Frouzová,  Ph. D. (IES)

Mgr. Kateřina Jandová, Ph. D. (IES)

Mgr. Jitka Kufnerová  (IES, NPI CAS)

Ing. et Ing. Anna Kubátová, PhD. (ÚŽP PřF UK)

RNDr. Dominika Formanová, PhD. (ÚŽP PřF UK)

Mgr. Zdeněk Novák (ÚŽP PřF UK)

Publications:

Shepherd, C. R., Kufnerová, J., Cajthaml, T., Frouzová, J., Gomez, L. 2020. Bear trade in the Czech Republic: an analysis of legal and illegal international trade from 2005 to 2020. European Journal of Wildlife Research 66: 92; Open Access

Kufnerová, J., Pachnerová Brabcová, K., Suchý, V., Ovšonková, Z. A., Frouzová, J., Cajthaml, T., Světlík, I. 2021. Are ivory antiques actually antique? Crime, Law and Social Change ; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10611-021-09963-0

Vaněk, D., Ehler, E., Vaňková, L. 2021. Technical note: Development of DNA quantitation and STR typing systems for Panthera tigris species determination and individual identification in forensic casework. European Journal of Environmental Sciences 11(2): 113–118; https://doi.org/10.14712/23361964.2021.13

Kufnerová, J. 2021. A novel approach of using shed skins of the green tree python, Morelia viridis, for forensic purposes. European Journal of Environmental Sciences 11(2): 107–112; https://doi.org/10.14712/23361964.2021.12

Conferences:

International Conference of Society for Wildlife Forensic Science - Colorado Meeting 2019, USA, červen 2019; Poster "Radiocarbon Dating Reveals Recent Huge Illegal Trade in „Antique“ Ivory in the Czech Republic"

 Graphitization apparatus for AMS analysis ¹⁴C