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As the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP 15) opens today, UNESCO is establishing a global biodiversity snapshot of marine species across 25 of the world’s most unique marine protected areas. Analysis of these samples will help OBIS map biodiversity and develop citizen science protocols for eDNA sampling and data management.
Today marine protected areas across the world help safeguard vital species. But as ocean temperatures rise, species are increasingly forced to flee their natural homes in search of cooler waters. In the long term, the protected areas may no longer match the places where species live. This requires regular assessment of the situation.
The UN Sciences Organisation has decided to accelerate mapping marine species across some of the world’s most exceptional ocean places. In combination with rising temperature projections, the initiative will help us visualize and detect changes. To achieve this, the Organisation is using a cutting-edge technique: environmental DNA (eDNA).
In the way that forensic DNA testing can draw data from a single hair, eDNA sampling identifies the species that live in an area by analyzing just a couple of liters of water. It’s a cost-effective, early-detection tool for changes, and is non-invasive to local wildlife.
The UNESCO method combines science and education, by working with local schools. Hundreds of students are being trained to participate in the environmental DNA expeditions collecting ocean data themselves. This active involvement by citizens is key to raising awareness about biodiversity loss and fostering a love of science in the leaders of tomorrow.
Once collected, the samples are then analyzed in the laboratory by scientists, based on a common methodology established by UNESCO under the supervision of a high-level advisory board of experts. As part of UNESCO’s commitment to Open Science all results obtained from this programme will be made publicly available through our Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS). OBIS will showcase this data in a specifically developed data portal for the project, that will be designed to help the citizen scientists and site managers to understand the state of biodiversity at their site.
In this project, the OBIS secretariat has a critical role in the scientific development of the workflows, from developing the citizen science sampling kits, the training material, coordinating the communication with the scientific advisory board to ensuring data management based on FAIR and CARE principles.
UNESCO has selected 25 marine World Heritage sites located around the world for an initial pilot phase. Sampling began in September 2022. It has already taken place at sites located in Australia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Other samples are planned in the coming months at sites in Bangladesh, Belize, France, Mauritania, Mexico, Panama, United-States, Sudan, Yemen, etc.
Read more on the Environmental DNA Expeditions in UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites project website.