‘Gamechanging’ £10m environmental DNA project to map life in world’s rivers

eBioAtlas programme aims to identify fish, birds, amphibians and land animals in freshwater systems from the Ganges to the MekongConcealed by the turbid, swirling waters of the Amazon, the Mekong and the Congo, the biodiversity of the world ’s great rivers has largely remained a mystery to scientists. But now a multimillion-pound project aims to describe and identify the web of life in major freshwater ecosystems around the world with “gamechanging” DNA technology.The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and UK-based environmental DNA (eDNA) specialistsNatureMetrics have launched a partnership to take thousands of water samples from freshwater river systems like the Ganges and the Niger delta to identify the fish, birds, amphibians and land animals that live in and around them.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Biodiversity Rivers Environment IUCN red list of endangered species Wildlife Conservation Animals Endangered habitats World news Americas Biology Genetics Amazon rainforest Peru Trees and forests Democratic Republic of the Co Source Type: news