Insert: Fransisca dos Santos Fernandes of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry of Timor-Leste holding a capsule containing a filter with captured genetic material after eDNA sampling, ready for DNA extraction.
23 July 2024 (Atauro Island, Timor Leste) – Eleven (11) fisheries officers were trained on how to conduct an environmental DNA (eDNA) assessment on Atauro Island. This training was provided by the USP component of the Pacific-European Union Marine Partnership (PEUMP) programme funded by the European Union and the Government of Sweden.
The decline in Earth’s biodiversity is a major challenge in the 21st century. Human activities like overfishing, pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change are affecting marine biodiversity. While global marine extinctions are slowly being discovered, local ecosystems like estuaries and coral reefs are quickly losing populations, species, and functional groups.
Atauro Island, located about 25 kilometers north of Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, is known for its rich marine life. Atauro Island has become a popular ecotourism destination, attracting divers and snorkelers worldwide. This has created economic incentives for the local community to conserve their natural resources.
Whilst conservation organizations are working to promote sustainable fishing and protect marine habitats around the island; the eDNA training and assessment is a first for Atauro and Timor Leste.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) refers to genetic material extracted from environmental samples like soil, water, or air. Organisms release DNA into their surroundings through biological materials such as skin cells, feces, urine, or mucus. This genetic material can persist in the environment for a period, allowing scientists to collect and analyze it to identify the presence of specific organisms.
eDNA analysis offers a non-invasive, comprehensive, and cost-effective approach to monitor biodiversity, detect invasive species, and assess environmental changes. It has the potential to revolutionize ecological research, conservation practices, and natural resource management. As a new and powerful tool, eDNA has gained significant attention in environmental monitoring and biodiversity assessment.
This research will help understand the existing biodiversity of the marine ecosystem, identify rare and invasive species, and inform marine biodiversity conservation strategies, raising awareness about the island’s ecological significance.
The eDNA assessment was be carried out in Tuvalu, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Rotuma and now Timor-Leste as part of the PEUMP programme.
USP is one of four key partners in the PEUMP Programme, a EUR 45 million programme that promotes sustainable management and sound ocean governance for food security and economic growth while addressing climate change resilience and marine biodiversity conservation.
The PEUMP Programme takes a comprehensive approach, integrating oceanic fisheries, coastal fisheries, community development, marine conservation, and capacity building under one single regional action. The USP component of the PEUMP programme is housed within the Institute of Marine Resources at the School of Agriculture, Geography, Environment, Ocean and Natural Sciences (SAGEONS).
Media Contact
Lore Croker, USP PEUMP Communications, lore.croker@usp.ac.fj
