Environmental DNA Expeditions in UNESCO World Heritage Marine Sites
Engaging Communities to Safeguard Ocean Life
UNESCO鈥檚 Environmental DNA (eDNA) Expeditions is a global citizen science initiative aimed at advancing knowledge of marine biodiversity and the impacts of climate change on the distribution patterns of marine life across UNESCO World Heritage marine sites.
It is the world鈥檚 first global use case for detecting ocean biodiversity with citizen-science using shared eDNA collection approaches.
The sampling campaign engaged 250 citizen scientists, as young as 6 years old, across 19 countries, who identified over 4,000 species through eDNA sampling.
The initiative was guided by a global scientific advisory board and supported by local management authorities at the participating UNESCO World Heritage sites.
What is environmental DNA?
Ocean species shed DNA into the water around them. The genetic material from waste, mucus or cells in one liter of water can determine the species richness in a given area, without the need to actually extract organisms from their environment.
The cost effective, ethical nature of eDNA sampling has the potential to revolutionize knowledge about ecosystems and species diversity and to inspire the next generation of ocean researchers.
Sampling locations
eDNA sampling campaigns were organized across 21 UNESCO between September 2022 and July 2023. The results provide a one-off biodiversity snapshot, with focus on fish and megavertebrates of which several are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Combined with projected scenarios of ocean warming, an analysis will be made how climate change is affecting the world鈥檚 most exceptional marine biodiversity.
Citizen engagement
eDNA expeditions is a citizen science initiative that empowers local communities to sample their World Heritage sites with cutting edge eDNA methods.
Across the globe, site managers will lead the work with local citizens taking water samples, filtering and fixing the DNA. Samples will be sequenced in a central laboratory.
Open Science
A central part of the initiative is to move eDNA sampling and sequencing toward a more standardized approach and secure open access for the resulting data.
By sharing the initiative鈥檚 methods as well as the data, the initiative aims to refine protocols for marine citizen-science sampling and benefit the global research community. Data will be openly available on the (implemented by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission/IODE).
Project Highlights
Partners
Project Contacts
