Combining environmental DNA sampling, whale watching and citizen science for stakeholder-driven marine biodiversity protection in the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
More Information:
The eWHALE project will optimize the eDNA sampling workflow aboard whale watching platforms and research cruises. This is a first step towards unlocking the enormous potential of participatory marine biodiversity monitoring for the generation of datasets with unprecedented spatial, temporal, and taxonomic resolution. The molecular methods used to detect DNA of marine megafauna and their prey in environmental samples will be optimized and the molecular toolbox will be extended towards the analysis of population structure. Additionally, the generated eDNA datasets will be validated by comparisons with biopsy samples and visual observations. eDNA sampling will be integrated into a citizen science module aboard whale watching platforms to educate the interested public in these new technologies and disseminate the project findings to a public audience. This will pave the way for future, large-scale eDNA monitoring campaigns and connect eWHALE with conventional biodiversity assessments performed by institutional agencies.
Project Status:
Current
Currently Seeking Community Scientists?
No
Project Website:
https://www.ewhale.eu