If you would like more details or a copy of the report, please contact Rachel Hester.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Environmental DNA (eDNA), the representation of organisms by their genetic material in the environment, is transforming how biodiversity, ecosystems and environmental change can be monitored, providing new opportunities to strengthen
the evidence base. Over the past decade, eDNA-based methods have rapidly progressed and their value for operational and regulatory use has been increasingly demonstrated. Despite this progress, there are no clear or consistent pathways for integrating
eDNA into decision making in the marine policy landscape. This is because evidence requirements vary whether needed for operational monitoring, policy guidance or statutory and regulatory assessments, and additionally, many potential applications have yet to move beyond exploratory or ground-truthing stages.
To understand the opportunities and pathways for eDNA-based methods integration, the DNA Centre of Excellence hosted the ‘Towards Marine eDNA Policy Readiness’ workshop at Cambridge Cottage, Kew Gardens on July 20th, 2026. The workshop brought together 36 participants representing 20 organisations from government, academia, industry, and other sectors. Discussions were centred around five key questions:
1. Where are we now? Develop common understanding of the current situation
2. Where do we want to go? What is the potential ‘destination’ for the application of eDNA-based methods in statutory monitoring of the marine environment?
3. How do we get there? Explore potential routes toward the destination
4. What will help progress? Share thoughts on existing and emerging opportunities for integration and how to manage them
5. What happens next? Agree actions and next steps towards implementation
Key findings
The workshop identified several routes and opportunities for integrating eDNA-based monitoring into marine policy. The most immediate opportunities centred around:
• incorporating eDNA into biodiversity metrics,
• Environmental Impact Assessments,
• established marine monitoring programmes to address recognised evidence gaps and complement existing approaches.
Longer-term ambitions included using eDNA-based methods to:
• improve our understanding of ecosystem health, condition and change,
• establish biodiversity baselines,
• inform marine planning and future environmental markets.
A clear message from the workshop was that there was no single pathway for marine eDNA adoption. Participants emphasised that wider adoption will depend on building trust and confidence in both the methods and the generated evidence. The pathway
to adoption will vary depending on the purpose of the application, policy context, and ecosystem in which eDNA-based methods are being applied.
What happens next
Six key themes and areas of ambition, identified based on the workshop notes, flipcharts and general discussions, are considered important to achieve to ensure that eDNA-based methods and their application are fit for purpose in the statutory and regulatory context:
a. Strengthening the evidence base for eDNA uptake
b. Developing a shared communication framework
c. Working towards a National UK-wide eDNA Strategy
d. Advancing development of eDNA-derived marine indicators
e. Adopting eDNA in marine Environmental Impact Assessments
f. Engaging with international strategic opportunities
A series of supporting actions have been identified under each theme to help to accelerate the transition from the exploratory stage to full implementation. While clear ownership has been established for some supporting actions, other actions require further discussion to determine the most appropriate organisations or individuals to lead their delivery. We encourage interested individuals and organisations to self-identify where they would like to contribute to or lead a particular action.
