News

eDNA expeditions in full swing

The eDNA expeditions initiative will be running for two years (2022 – 2023) and aims to collect eDNA from approximately 25 marine World Heritage sites, from 500 water samples. These samples will be subjected to DNA sequencing at a designated central laboratory in Belgium. All data collected and generated throughout the project will be openly accessible to the site management and will be made available through the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), the world’s largest open-access repository on the distribution and diversity of marine species and complying with FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Repeatable) principles. This global collaboration provides the ideal opportunity to establish a more standardized approach of eDNA collection, processing, and publishing, in addition to securing open access for the resulting data. Making the data derived from this project publicly available to researchers and citizens alike is the first step towards better protection of the ocean for future generations, especially in the face of climate change.

Climate change has immense impacts on marine organisms and their habitats. In our efforts to mitigate these effects and conserve species, we first need to understand the effects of climate change on species richness and distribution. This is especially important for the 50 flagship marine protected areas on the UNESCO World Heritage List that host over 20% of the world’s blue carbon ecosystems and are a refuge for at least 35% of the world’s vulnerable and endangered species. A preliminary analysis using OBIS, the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) and MarineRegions, revealed that at least 21% of all reported marine species in OBIS occur in marine World Heritage sites.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is an alternative, indirect means of collecting species DNA. Traditional DNA sampling requires collecting body tissue directly from an organism. eDNA is based on environmental material such as soil, or in this case, seawater, which contains DNA fragments of various organisms that have been present and have interacted with the environment. By collecting an organism’s genetic material from waste, mucus, or cells in a simple water sample, we can determine the species richness in a given area, without the need to actually extract or disturb organisms from their environment. DNA is extracted from the water sample, amplified, and sequenced to identify all the species for which there is genetic material in each sample. This means that we can identify numerous marine species in a few liters of seawater. eDNA methods are non-invasive, ethical, cost effective and can be done by any citizen, given the correct equipment and methodology.

Through this exceptional collaboration between the scientific and cultural sectors of UNESCO, the project is uniquely positioned to bring novel monitoring methods directly in the hands of decision makers. OBIS relationships with the global scientific community will enable the identification of the best available scientific practices, as well as the sharing of data and promoting of open access protocols and analysis methods throughout the project. The aim is to inspire and set a precedent for biodiversity monitoring at a global scale, something that is highly necessary if we want to monitor species migration in the face of climate change. OBIS will produce training content for citizen scientists, developing capacity for the global community. OBIS will also be responsible for the data management with the objective to publish data visualisations and data products for the general public including the citizen scientists involved in the expeditions, but also help inform management decisions at the sites. With an initiative of this scale, scientists and researchers empower and engage local communities across the globe to contribute to the task at hand.

By the middle of 2022, sampling kits and training materials have been developed in preparation for the community sampling campaign kick-off, which is planned to start in the fourth quarter of 2022. Active media campaigns, brand development and outreach will form a continuous part of the project. Progress and activities of the eDNA expeditions can be followed through the project website and UNESCO social media platforms.

UNESCO / Raw Visuals LTD

 

References

Project website: https://www.unesco.org/en/edna-expeditions OBIS website: https://www.obis.org/ eDNA expeditions brochure: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381942

Funding

eDNA expeditions in marine World Heritage sites is funded by the government of Flanders (Kingdom of Belgium) and is registered as an action under the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.