Developing eDNA metabarcoding as a tool for zero-impact and internationally coordinated biodiversity monitoring

Human impacts must be managed to minimize the global-scale degradation of natural ecosystems, but doing so requires biodiversity data to track possible changes. Traditional methods for obtaining such data are often destructive and require species being manually identified in a time-consuming and costly manner. High-throughput sequencing technologies now provide an additional method by metabarcoding environmental DNA (eDNA), which is non-destructive and relatively inexpensive. Studies on eDNA metabarcoding show promising results which quickly led to the technique becoming a hot-topic, but also indicate several obstacles for its large-scale application. The RBINS is involved in ongoing research initiatives in the Belgian part of the North Sea applying eDNA techniques to a wide range of organisms to obtain biodiversity data and improve metabarcoding research. We will describe the Belgian ZERO-IMPACT and the international Science for Good Environmental Status projects and present some preliminary results. Whilst eDNA metabarcoding isn’t expected to replace traditional monitoring methods, we can expect it to soon become essential for nations to monitor their marine impacts, including the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.