Environmental DNA (eDNA) has the ability to transform how we document and monitor both species and the ecosystems they live within. But eDNA is a fundamental change in how we observe the natural world – thus it requires end users (from communities to policy makers) to drink the eDNA ‘kool-aid’ and get onboard. How do we, as a community of practice, walk these pathways to impact? At times these pathways might be more accurately described as a gauntlet that needs to be run.
This presentation will explore the areas of eDNA that have had less ‘air-time’ including; community engagement, data accessibility and the science policy interface. How we take people on their ‘eDNA journey’ will likely be a key driver on the integration and acceptance of eDNA as a biomonitoring tool. It will also dictate how quickly reference databases are populated and how these data are shared. If, as eDNA researchers, we can collaborate with non-experts, empower tradition owners and partner with industry, I believe we can positively influence environmental stewardship. Finally, this presentation will explore how eDNA can be a ‘springboard’ for deeper and far wider discussions on the uptake and acceptance of DNA-based solutions and why we should consider ourselves as part of One Health initiatives.
Biography:
Chief Science Advisor, Te Papa Atawhai (the Department of Conservation), New Zealand
Mike completed his undergraduate degree at Lincoln University (NZ) in molecular biology and his PhD at the Australian National University. He undertook post-doctoral training at Oxford (UK) and McMaster (Canada) universities working with ancient DNA before moving to Perth, Western Australia in 2006 to start his own laboratory. In 2014 he founded Curtin University’s Trace and Environmental DNA (TrEnD) laboratory then spent time as Chief Scientist at the EPA before being seconded into the COVID-19 response where he worked with the Ministry of Health and ESR on genomics and wastewater projects to support the science response to the pandemic. Mike was appointed as Chief Science Advisor at Te Papa Atawhai (the Department of Conservation) in November 2022 and is based in Wellington, NZ. Through his research career Mike has developed and applied DNA techniques to characterise biological communities within a wide variety of biological samples from viruses and fossil bones, to seawater and ice cores. His research focus has spanned many areas of environmental science including; biodiversity assessment, archaeology, extinctions, food-webs, biosecurity, conservation genetics, viral evolution and endangered species detection – he has co-authored ~200 papers: https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?user=YPoEsJcAAAAJ&hl