2024 Biodiversity Technology and Innovation Expo

Thursday 24 October 2024 - Saturday 26 October 2024

Location: Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in Cali, Columbia

PML is a co-host of a booth in rotation 2 of the Biodiversity Technology and Innovation Expo in the margins of COP 16. Thurs 24 to Sat 26 October 2024, Blue Zone (Lead host Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO) with co-hosts: INVEMAR, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), UN Ocean Decade-endorsed Programme: Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON) and Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON)

Using eDNA in Ocean Observations     

The 2024 Biodiversity Technology and Innovation Expo is taking place at the Sixteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) in Cali, Columbia. Governments from around the world will be tasked at COP16 with reviewing the state of implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the historical agreement and outcome of COP15 in December 2022 in Montreal, Canada.

From the 24^th to the 26^th of October you can meet with Dr Claire Szostek at the Expo and find out more about environmental DNA (eDNA) developments as well as wider ocean observation work undertaken at PML, including for example AI.

eDNA has a strong potential for supporting the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework in both the terrestrial and aquatic realms – in particular, the 2050 Goals A (Protect and Restore), C (Share Benefits Fairly), and D (Invest and Collaborate). Biodiversity observations using eDNA will be fundamental to advance and implement marine life forecasts and scenario planning. Monitoring biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, and associated environmental parameters in the ocean, seas and inland waters underpins almost all of the 23 global targets. Without these data we cannot implement conservation measures, monitor their effectiveness, or indeed measure progress.

The exhibit will demonstrate how environmental DNA (eDNA) can be collected from water samples in the open ocean, coastal ocean, seas and inland waters, to observe aquatic life and monitor biodiversity. It will showcase the power of eDNA technology to inform diverse ocean stakeholders and ocean managers, using a scalable metric to measure and understand change, such as that in the 30% of protected ocean by 2030, and to predict and alert the population to ocean hazards, such as harmful algal blooms or oxygen depletion.

The booth will provide delegates with a hands-on opportunity for visitors to experience the sampling, laboratory, and bioinformatics techniques that are used to collect, analyse, and interpret eDNA samples to investigate aquatic life on our doorstep or further afield. It will provide an enchanting glimpse into what is living in the coastal and inland waters of Colombia, from the analysis of a few litres of water!

The exhibit is a partnership between POGO and several of its members, including PML, INVEMAR in Colombia and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). It also brings together the communities of the UN Ocean Decade-endorsed Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (OBON) and the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON). OBON works on capacity development for biomolecular ocean observing worldwide, such as through training and knowledge transfer on low-cost sampling kits, data management, citizen science, and community engagement. PML is leading on the Atlantic Meridional Transect OMICS Network project of OBON, click here for further details, amongst other contributions.

You can find more of PML’s CBD COP16 activities here