New Paper Demonstrates Quality of eDNA Monitoring for Conservation
Groundbreaking research has the potential to transform the way we monitor invasive species on islands!
Our 2024 Impact Report is live!
Published on
June 26, 2019
Written by
Island Conservation
Photo credit
Island Conservation
The world’s oceans are in great peril. To help conservation and to reverse the trends of oceanic degradation, we must innovate and employ every available tool. More help is on the way. Today, Revive & Restore, a California-based non-profit conservation organization, announced the release of an “Ocean Genomics Horizon Scan.” This report provides a first-of-its-kind assessment of genomic and biotech innovations to complement, enhance, and accelerate today’s marine conservation strategies.
Revive & Restore is raising $15 million to fund ten “Big Ideas” that demonstrate the power of these technologies and address a significant conservation challenge. Each of these Big Ideas is led by a team of passionate scientists and identifies a clear technology development path with achievable milestones on a two-to-three-year timeline.
Oceans face a myriad of threats, including overharvesting, pollution, habitat degradation, and climate change (e.g. increasing temperatures, acidification, storm events), which compounds many other marine threats. Conventional marine conservation measures are critically important, but the pace of change in the oceans requires the consideration of transformative innovations.
Biotechnology has great potential to help solve pressing conservation challenges by identifying potential vulnerability or resilience to climate change and by driving innovation (e.g., synthetic replacement of wildlife products) to directly remove threats to both wildlife and ecosystems.
Our report is solution-focused and provides a framework of genomic-based innovations for marine conservation,” said Ryan Phelan, executive director of Revive & Restore.
Some important innovations identified in the report include:
Drawing upon over a year of research and in-depth consultations with more than 100 world experts (e.g. marine biologists, conservationists, and technologists), the report assesses current threats to marine biodiversity for which new genomic tools could be transformative; highlights pioneering conservation applications of genomic technologies; and identifies innovations that could provide novel solutions for marine conservation.
The report is available to support the conservation community and foundations and to increase public awareness, encourage discussion, and further the adoption of an innovative new toolkit for conservation. The full 200-page, web-enabled Ocean Genomics Horizon Scan can be accessed at www.reviverestore.org/ocean.
The goal of developing new genomic tools is to ‘turn the tide’ on species loss and extinction, not just to better document the loss and decline,” said Phelan. “This is a call to action to all ocean conservationists, genomics innovators, funders, and supporters to find new partnerships and initiatives to make this new toolbox a reality.”
Media Contact:
Ryan Phelan – Executive Director, Revive & Restore
ryan@reviverestore.org
415-289-1000
Sally Esposito – Director of Communications, Island Conservation
sally.esposito@islandconservation.org
706-969-2783
Featured photo: Coral reef in the Red Sea, Egypt. Credit: Alfredo
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