Using DNA to save Nature: Europe’s Next Biodiversity Frontier

A landmark alliance of DNA experts across Europe signals the start of an unprecedented effort to build a continent-wide system that applies genomics for protecting European biodiversity.

That Europe’s biodiversity faces unprecedented challenges is nothing new: species are vanishing, ecosystems are degrading, and the policy-makers crafting the policies to address these challenges depend on data that is, at times, scarce. What is probably less known is that biodiversity genomics -the one that focuses not on humans, but on other living organisms, like animals and plants- is living a revolution that may well provide just the right knowledge that policy-makers need. Never before has DNA science been able to identify species, monitor ecosystems, and understand genetic diversity as cheaply, efficiently, and at scale as it can now.

The European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA), the International Barcode of Life Europe (iBOL Europe), and the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) have signed a historic agreement for biodiversity genomics in Europe. These three large scientific communities have committed to building a coordinated European infrastructure for biodiversity genomics—one that will allow experts to work in a connected system of shared resources, technology, and data.

The vision has taken shape through the Biodiversity Genomics Europe plus (BGE+) project, and aligns with the environmental goals of the European Commission, which has welcomed steps in this direction. In fact, Costas Kadis, EU Commissioner for fisheries and oceans, recently weighed in on the need for common protocols and comparable data, and pointed to the possibility of achieving this goal through an improved and dedicated biodiversity genomics infrastructure for Europe.

As in the previous BGE project, fisheries, pollinators, invasive species will get the focus on BGE+

The future is at scale

“We are entering a new phase”, says Dimitris Koureas, director of BGE+. “Europe already has extraordinary expertise in taxonomy, genomics, bioinformatics, biodiversity collections, and environmental monitoring. The challenge now is bringing these strengths together in a way that allows us to work at scale in an interconnected system, beyond geographic and political limitations”.

The initiative emphasises one of the biggest challenges for efficient biodiversity research today: scale. Although more than 2 million species have been formally described worldwide, scientists estimate that millions more remain unknown, and we all know what this means: we can not protect what we do not know. But understanding and monitoring biodiversity at the speed required by today’s environmental challenges demands new approaches that boost scientific collaboration and interoperability. Initiatives like BGE+ show the way ahead.

In the words of Gabriela Dankova, BGE+ project manager, “Tackling current biodiversity challenges requires effective collaboration of our communities across Europe, open knowledge exchange, solid technical infrastructure, harmonised processes, and, above all, a shared vision. BGE+ brings these elements together, enabling and amplifying the work of biodiversity genomics communities in Europe and beyond”.

Scientists know that discovering and documenting all species is only part of the work. They also need to understand how species adapt to environmental change. That is the reason why BGE+ brings together two different strands of genomics. DNA barcoding allows scientists to identify species quickly and accurately. Genome sequencing provides deeper insights into adaptation, evolution, and resilience. Combined with taxonomic expertise and advanced data systems, these tools are creating entirely new possibilities for understanding and protecting nature.

BGE+’s long-term ambition is to establish the services, standards, capacity, and infrastructure needed for biodiversity genomics to become a routine part of how Europe studies, monitors, manages, and restores nature. The stakes could not be higher.