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Trialling eDNA for biodiversity measurement

  • Dr Sadadi Ojoatre
    Research Associate
  • Dr Nick Atkinson
    Chief Science Officer
  • Natural Capital
Traditional means of quantifying biodiversity are costly and labour-intensive. As this introductory paper finds, the novel approach of eDNA can be an ‘efficient, non-invasive and easy-to-standardise sampling approach’.¹

eDNA approaches do not require specialist taxonomic expertise yet can capture cryptic biodiversity, including microbial community phylogenies. The use of eDNA can reveal an ecosystem’s microbial response to environmental influences where other methods cannot. BeZero Carbon’s involvement in this study is a step towards putting eDNA at the forefront of biodiversity measurement and monitoring.

Here are some key takeaways from the article

  • Environmental DNA (eDNA) is genetic material obtained directly from environmental samples (soil, sediment, water, etc.) that do not show any obvious signs of containing biological source material.

  • The use of eDNA as a tool for capturing ecosystem characteristics could be an important step in the development of nature-based credits.

  • This paper launches BeZero Carbon’s eDNA trial in Uganda, which is focused on advancing measurement and monitoring practices for biodiversity. 

Contents

  • 01 Background to the project

  • 02 Study area

  • 03 Methods

  • 04 Expected results

  • 05 Conclusion

  • 06 References

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